Just diagnosed

[jennifer]

I have just been diagnosed with cc on Jan 24. I am trying to find a surgeon that I feel confident with. I have an appointment at Johns Hopkins with a surgeon tomorrow ....Feb the 28th ...my 46th Birthday. Happy Bday to me : (. I have had a cat scan and a chest xray. All were showing normal. Cea was elavated to 4.8. Should I be scared that it could be advanced? Isn't the cat scan and chest xray showing normal a good thing? I am so confused and anxious. This is aweful. Someone give me some good new please!
Be Blessed and be well.

[Magnolia]

OK, don't panic. Your CEA isn't very high at all, compared to some. The normal CT's sound good, and Johns Hopkins is a great hospital. You're lucky to be there. It's hard to get an appointment there. I went there for one of my second opinions and was lucky to get squeezed in without too much of a wait. I'm being treated at Georgetown now.

As for a surgeon, bedside manner is inportant, but skill is more important. Go with someone who's done a lot of colon surgeries. If this doc is at Hopkins and has a good reputation, that counts for a lot. After surgery you have about 4 or 5 weeks before you start treatment IF you need it. Consult with an oncologist and get a second opinion about that.

Look around this board. There are lots of survivors ready and willing to tell their stories. Colon cancer is beatable. And happy birthday!

[Carolyn JB]

Its scary - I was diagnosed on Jan 10 and had surgery the following week and have just started chemo this week. I am definitely not a Dr., but your chest CT's looking normal sounds good - same with your CEA. I just joined this group and there are tons of great info for everything!
Its so hard not to stress and worry but once you find a surgeon you feel confident in and a great oncologist it will make you feel better!

Carolyn

[nodo]

The xrays and CT showing normal are a very good thing, so you can find some peace with that. The knowing you have it, but not knowing exactly what "it" entails is a very difficult time. The fact that they don't see anything in the lungs or liver means that there is no visible metastatic cancer. Now, they need to operate to see how involved (or not) your cancer is. CEA is not always an accurate indicator so please don't worry too much about that count now. It is not elevated much at all. Some guidelines give different levels as normal and thosse who smoke have different levels, too. Hang in there and try not to let your minds play too many tricks. It is hard, though, I know! You are at a great hospital and will receive excellent treatment. Just do your research, too, to ensure you are receiving the best possible care.

[justme]

You sound like I did when I was diagnoised. It was Dec. 26th 2003, my doctors appt. was early that morning, I remember saying MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY BIRTHDAY..... my birthday is Dec. 30th I was turning 44, I have to say it was not avery good birthday, my family gave me a party, but you can imagine what a joy that was. It was more like a funeral. I was just told I had stage IV cc, it had already spread to my liver.
It has been a long road, colon surgery, chemo, 3 liver surgeries, more chemo and I'm still kicking. My scans in Dec. came back good,and I want have anymore till the last of April.
You do what you have to do, so get ready to kick some butt...., and remember you know your body better than any doctor,so don't take no crap, let them know right away your the one in charge. I told my oncologist, you see people everyday with cancer, but you don't have a clue what it is like until you have to go through it.....

[MzApe]

Jennifer, you are about to begin a new journey. Keep your attitude positive and be very open with your family, friends, and your medical team. I was just diagnosed with Stage IV cc Jan 5th, 2007. I am 42 with 2 young children. DO NOT allow this to take over your life. You had a life before and you'll continue to have a new life. Much of the quality of this new life is in YOUR hands. This is an awesome forum to connect to.
Good luck and keep in touch with people here - it really helps. Oh, stay far, far away from all those internet sites that give you grim prognoses - they're crap and a real moral downer. This site is the boost you need, lots of great answers and positive results from the real-deal. God Bless.

[ASTEPHENS33]

Colon cancer is "staged" depending on how far it has advanced. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/conte ... staged.asp - is a website reference that explains it, but basically the less it has spread, the earlier the staging and the higher chances of survival. Finding a surgeon that has done alot of the surgery is always good.

Also, make sure you have at least 14 lymph nodes removed, based on the research. Colon Cancer Survival Is Associated With Increasing Number of Lymph Nodes Analyzed - Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 21, Issue 15 (August), 2003: 2912-2919

http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/full/21/15/2912
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Excerpt from the Discussion section of this paper:

Our study reveals that the number of lymph nodes analyzed is a significant variable that affects survival in both node-negative and node-positive patients. Regardless of the number of positive nodes, survival improved as more nodes were removed. If a patient was classified as node-negative, survival was also affected positively with an increase in the number of nodes analyzed.