c/t scan and the odd twinge here and there

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NICK THE BRIT
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Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:45 am
Location: BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND

c/t scan and the odd twinge here and there

Postby NICK THE BRIT » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:11 am

Hello friends

As some of you may be aware i finished my 8 cycles of chemo 27th dec. Over here in the uk we have a nhs (national health service) basically you dont have to pay for your treatment, but in some cases the service is very poor. just wanted to know whether guys and gals who are also stage 2 or 3 had there scan straight after chemo or waited a number of months. The nhs dont practice giving you a scan for at least 6 to 12 months after chemo has finished. im lucky enough to have private health care so i asked for one and had it yesterday.

My 2nd point is, now ive been thrown into the big wide world again and lost the safety net of the chemo, im hoping its just me being paranoid but i keep getting these twinges and the odd ache here and there. Mainly on the left side of the stomach and also the groin area (sorry ladies) i'd like to think its either a bit of nerve damage still from the op or drugs. Just wanted to know whether any of you can relate to it?? Other than that i feel good in myself.

Regards

Nick

Magnolia
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Location: Virginia

Postby Magnolia » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:22 am

Nick, you sound just like me! I got a scan right after chemo and it was clear. I had, and still have, lots of little twinges. It's a scary time to be out on the trapeze without the net. As my wonderful doctor said, you can do one of two things. You can obsess on every symptom, or you can live your life every day and do your follow ups and keep your hopes up. Obviously you have to pay SOME attention to symptoms either way.

I have some theories about the twinges. There has to be some tenderness left from surgery that hasn't resolved yet. Even the external scar is still a bit tender. The anastamostis doesn't stretch as much as the original tissue, or so I hear. When stool passes it, you feel it more. And there may be phantom pain, like an amputee feels in the limb that isn't there any more. At any rate, try not to let the twinges worry you too much. Watch for persistant diarrhea and fevers, persistant constipatiation, jaundice, cough and shortness of breath, and unexplained fatigue. Go in for all your follow up appointments, and don't let worry about tomorrow ruin today.

NICK THE BRIT
Posts: 161
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:45 am
Location: BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND

Postby NICK THE BRIT » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:26 am

Magnolia,
You are always guaranteed a nice positive response from you. Your right in what you say.

Cheers Nick xx

tandy24
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Postby tandy24 » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:45 am

Hello everyone,
I only have 1 more treatment to go and i am done with my chemo. Although i really didnt think i would make it with a 25% dose reduction for the last two treatment here I am looking forward to getting my last one done and over with soon. I asked my chemo doc. when I would get my PET and CAT scan done he told me that they wait until it has been a complete year since the dx. I asked why and he said because I had radiation and chemo before surgery then 5 months of chemo after surgery that my body needs time to heal and my scans would come back just proving that. I dont know in a way it makes sence but in a way I would really like to have my scans soon. I too have the twinges and slight pains here and there and get worried.
God Bless and Believe,

Magnolia
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Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Postby Magnolia » Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:34 pm

My scan was eight months after diagnosis. I don't know if there's only one right way to do this, particularly since some of us got treatment before surgery and some didn't. I got one scan during treatment for another reason that didn't really count. I know how reassuring a clear scan can be, but a scan that shows anything at all can make you crazy. The one I had last summer showed some enlarged nodes from an infection I had in my intestine, or so we were hoping. The infection cleared, and the next scan showed the nodes had gone back to normal. Nice normal lymph nodes doing their job as they should. But my point is, having a scan too soon could show stuff that isn't really there and cause more anxiety than it relieves. I had to have one last summer to rule out some serious complications, but I did worry about those nodes. It didn't show anything else scary, though. Then the one in October was beautiful. If your docs think there could still be inflamation in there that may confuse the picture and cause worry, they may be right. My docs like to scan a bit more often. Not all would agree. Medicine involves judgement calls.

LA8
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Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:47 am
Location: Kingdom of UK

Postby LA8 » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:51 am

Hi, Nick - there is a specific medical term for all those twinges - its called 'gettin' old' :)

NICK THE BRIT
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Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:45 am
Location: BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND

Postby NICK THE BRIT » Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:24 am

Cheeky bugger! ive just realised your from the uk, whereaabouts?

Christine
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Postby Christine » Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:32 am

My oncologist actually explained the twinges to me. After surgery, the body tries to heal up as quickly as possible which leads to messy scar tissue. Once the initial healing is done, the body goes back and starts to work on the mess that it made. The twinges (especially if they are directly on an incision line) are the body snapping apart bits of scar tissue which then reheals more smoothly. This also explains why scars become less prominent as time passes - the body is just fixing them. It's pretty amazing!

I've had two surgeries (partial colectemy in Aug '05, liver resection in Jul '06) so I have a lot of scar tissue. I was really nervous about my CT scan in December, but it was clean. 6 months out from my liver resection and I'm still NED!


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