How fast can colon cancer recur or MET?

[fightergirl]

Hello all, and I'm new here! I'm so grateful i found this forum.
As like most of you, I feel like the rug was pulled out from under me. there is no cancer in my family and the only reason why they found the tumor in the cecum was because i was anemic. I had no other symptoms. The CT scan done right after the horrifying DX was NED (except for that tumor in the right colon). Anyway, I got 2B staging after my colon resection and none of the 29 lymph nodes were contaminated. the surrounding tissue was also cancer free. But the tumor focally touched the inner portion of the colon (without coming out), putting me with "high risk" stage 2, and eligible for adjuvent chemo. I got 8 series of Folfox with manageable side effects. 2 weeks after completion, I woke up in the night with excruciating pain running down my right arm. It felt like a car was parked on it and my hand was on fire and ready to explode. I had to walk around in tears before it subsided. No pain during the day, only at night. My onc sent me for a sonogram of the port (since it was on that side) and after it showed the all clear he pretty much said this wasn't related to the chemo. The neuropathy doesnt present that way, and obviously this was positionally triggered -- flared up at night when i was laying down. Ie, a pinched nerve in the cervical spine (neck). Based on the fingers which go numb, I"m thinking C6 and C7. But one can't know for sure until an MRI and my first CT scan after completing chemo isn't until tomorrow.

I went to a chiropractor who said my neck was misaligned (do they all say that?), cracked my neck (that freaked me out for some reason), got the right pillow, sleep on my back, am taking anti-inflammatories, neurontin and muscle relaxant, and do neck stretches. All that addressed it somewhat, but i still get awoken with the a pain in that arm. Sometimes the left too, but not as bad as my right. I'm scheduled to return to the chiro weekly, for continued readjustment.

I assumed its because i slept funny to avoid the port squishing and also that annoying 5FU pump. But i read (darn internet) that a tumor on the cervical spine can also present that way. Everyone is poo-pooing my concern that it is the cancer. They don't think there were any cells that got out that weren't fumigated by the folfox, and if they were, they would somehow MET in 2 weeks after chemo, on the neck no less. My husband says, it usually makes a b-line for the liver, surrounding tissue or lung and rarely bone. But i can't help it -- my mind goes THERE. I even thought well, maybe it infiltrated all the surrounding organs and now it's up the neck, or that the prior results were all wrong. Bla bla bla. The Onc didn't seem concerned and said to wait for the CT results. He didn't think a CT of the neck would do anything anyway. the last time I saw him, I wasn't thinking it was cancer; i was more thinking about neuropathy. He had the last blood test results on the screen and said it was "all good!". I never thought to ask the CAE level. It was later, after i prowled the internet that i freaked out. Now i'm thinking,maybe he thinks the nerve pain will resolve with what i'm doing, or my paranoia thinks he isn't pursuing the MRI because he thinks the CT may show cancer. What can i say? The original diagnosis shook me to the core and the anxiety horses are out of the barn and I cant reign them back in.

So my first CT scan (after completing chemo a few weeks ago) is tomorrow. That alone is scary, but I'm running around thinking the cancer is all over my spine.
Am i right to be concerned, or does anyone have some rational counter points?

fightergirl

[KElizabeth]

OK breath! The health anxiety is something we all get just after completing chemo. You just finished pumping your body full of Platinum containing chemo for 6 months. You're going to have symptoms for some time. It may just be the oxaliplatin playing the havoc on you.
It could also be shingles. I had my first case of shingles in response to stress with just one miniscule spot, and the rest neuralgia. My arm would throb with pain and my arm would go numb. When I worried or became stressed or agitated it would hurt more making my anxiety surge. It took about 6 to 8 months to clear up completely. I wouldn't have known I had any spots if the doctor didn't look for them.
Chemo does weird things.
It's really unlikely that you have cancer in the neck region of your spine. This is quite distant from the primary location and it would more likely move to your liver or your lungs. It really would be quite rare. Do you have Lynch syndrome or some other reason to believe your cancer would spread to some place outside of the abdomen first?
Have you talked to your doctor about something for acute anxiety? I worry about cancer all the time without my trusty Xanax.

Anyway, Welcome to the board. I'm sorry you have to be here, but you are among friends here.

[CRguy]

So my first CT scan (after completing chemo a few weeks ago) is tomorrow. That alone is scary, but I'm running around thinking the cancer is all over my spine.
Am i right to be concerned, or does anyone have some rational counter points?
fightergirl

1. If you have the cancer = YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT !!!!!
2. refer to point #1 IF anybody tries to tell you >>>> " %*^#$^*) !!! BSJS*(#^EF " ...
which is my polite way of sayin' " I GOTS de cancer be-atch ... YOU LISTEN TO ME ! "

Me = Stage IVa, been here since 2008 dealin' with this shit
you gotta scan = GOOD, let's find out wazzup

I went to a chiropractor who said my neck was misaligned (do they all say that?), cracked my neck (that freaked me out for some reason),

I am a Vet = medical knowledge
I am a Black Belt = "traumatic" knowledge
I have been to a chiro who works with our local professional NHL team

MY verdict = NOBODY adjusts my neck
there have been numerous reports of young women who have had "neck adjustments" and suffered vertebral artery emergencies ...
resulting in death.

NOBODY adjusts my neck and my chiro was good with that

honestly the "chiro" part did no good for me, but since he worked with professional athletes he has used a lotta other deep massage and exercise techniques which did help me ... BUTT ... adjust neck = NO !

don't know if that helped ?

If not keep posting and we will get you through this !!!

Cheers on the Journey
CRguy

[GrouseMan]

It is rare for colon cancer to spread into ones neck or spine, especially this early and without any other mets to organs. My wife's oncologist in his experience has seen this only a very few times in his career. That's not to say it doesn't happen, and I do recall one of our members dealing mets on their spine. A few others here have seen other bone mets, but it's usually many years after initial diagnosis, and usually after other mets have been observed in either the liver or lungs.

The symptoms you describe could be cardiovascular in nature. The pain coming from poor circulation perhaps, or other event. The way you describe your pain in your arms is what many describe as warning signs for a heart attack.

See if you can meet or get a referal to a cardiologist.

Regards,

GrouseMan

[SEWHAPPY]

Welcome and hugs for your stress! I totally agree that shingles should be ruled out. In the week before my shingles spots became visible the pain was excruciating.

One other thing to rule out is carpel tunnel.. My pain was worse at night - like whole arm was the painful pins and needles feeling that did not go away when position was changed.

Also 2nd an anxiety med option. Better living through chemistry is not weakness- cancer is hard.

Laurie

[Maggie Nell]

Hello all, and I'm new here! I'm so grateful i found this forum.
As like most of you, I feel like the rug was pulled out from under me. there is no cancer in my family and the only reason why they found the tumor in the cecum was because i was anemic. I had no other symptoms.

I went to a chiropractor who said my neck was misaligned (do they all say that?), cracked my neck (that freaked me out for some reason), got the right pillow, sleep on my back, am taking anti-inflammatories, neurontin and muscle relaxant, and do neck stretches. All that addressed it somewhat, but i still get awoken with the a pain in that arm. Sometimes the left too, but not as bad as my right. I'm scheduled to return to the chiro weekly, for continued readjustment.

That alone is scary, but I'm running around thinking the cancer is all over my spine.
Am i right to be concerned, or does anyone have some rational counter points?

fightergirl

Hey fightergirl,

My caecal mass was an incidental finding on pathology as per my signature. No colo-rectal cancers in my family at all.
I had no symptoms either, other than pesky relapses of iron deficiency anaemia and Vit B12 deficiency from @2003-2007, when I was in my
early 40s. One GP coyly hinted that something else might be going on but never actually ordered a referral for whatever he was thinking
as the mythology of bowel cancer is that it doesn't strike until you're over 50 and it's scary how many primary physicians practice mythology. (I digress)


Regarding the chiropractors. Yes, they do all say that. The misaligned neck is their central dogma: nobody cracks my neck and nobody touches
my back unless they are a physiotherapist with a lot of mileage under their belt. I hold qualifications in tactile therapies and the subluxation thing
is pseudo-science. Having said that, there are people who have a talent for bodywork and when they lay their hands on you, you'll know it.
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/chirop ... ew-part-i/

Another rational counterpoint is that you are still a 50 year old female and joint/hip pain often accompanies "Da Change". While this caecal cancer has been the
focus, your ovaries and female hormones have been ticking over in the background. If cancer wasn't the headline event here, you'd be worried about osteoporosis
and your calcium levels and getting bone density tests and doing strengthening exercises.

You could be deficient in minerals and extreme stress along with the chemo you have received may have upset the balance there...and
The Mederi Foundation - Donnie Yance - might be the ticket here.

Ditto with getting checked out by a cardiologist. Peace of mind.

Maggie Nell

[fightergirl]

Thanks everyone for all your words of encouragement and sage advice.

I will give this neck adjustment a second look and research it more. The chiro is highly recommended and nurses and doctors we know go to him, but if he has an alternate way of adjusting if will opt for that. I used to have my own chiro who came to the house every two weeks (a family friend) and he didn't crack, he manipulated. I am now appreciating that, during that time, i truly benefitted, because i rarely had back issues. And if i did (for example a long plane ride), he seem to iron it out for me. This family friend is now fully occupied with his practice in another state, so i had to find another...but I think i'm going to stay away for the vulcan neck twist from now on.

carpal tunnel -- yes I have some which naturally is also acting up. But the pain also includes at the top part of the arm which is usually disc. I wear a special carpal tunnel brace at night.

menopause and osteoporosis - the chemo heralded me into menopause -- frequent hot flashes too -- and likely to stay in menopause for good due to my age (I had a hysterectomy at age 42 for fibroids but left my ovaries in working order). Now the ovaries are shutting down. I don't know how quickly osteoporosis sets in, but all those age-related issues came to mind, but as along as the cancer monkey is still on my back, it will always be included (at least in my mind) as part of the differential.

My scan is later today. The onc keeps referring to it as his "baseline" which makes me think he isn't expecting anything (well, i didn't expect that freeloading tumor in my colon either). I'll find out what the results are on Friday. I'll try to stay busy and distracted.
thanks again!

--fightergirl

[MissMolly]

fightergirl:
Please do listen to and respect the advice of CRGuy and MaggieNell regarding adopting a firm position of NO to further chiropractic intervention of any kind on your cervical spine other than massage or trigger point release. NO manipulation and NO mobilization of the cervical spine.

Why?

You are walking a very thin line of safety allowing any chiropractor, regardless of how well he/she is regarded in the community. The vertebral artery weaves its way through the foramina of the cervical spine. As a physical therapist, I have personally worked with young women (some on their 20s and 30s) who have suffered devastating strokes caused by chiropractic manipulation and mobilization of the cervical spine where the vertebral artery was "kinked" by the handing techniques.

The cervical spine is not the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is heartier terrain and less at risk to chiropractic handling.

Do not just give further chiropractic adjustments thought . . .

Adopt a firm NO to any further chiropractic handling of any kind to your cervical spine.

If you think cancer is difficult to navigate, just consider the devastating effects of a vertebral artery stroke.
- Karen -

[Maggie Nell]

Honestly, I never learn.

I just had to google vertebral artery stroke.

At least that skeered the cancer monkey off my back......

Nice to see you again Miss Molly, how you been keeping?

[fightergirl]

I'm convinced.
Neck will forevermore be off limits to chiro adjustments!

Scary stuff.
Thanks for the warning.

Half hour countdown to ct scan....

[DarknessEmbraced]

I hope that your scan went well and that it's clear!*hugs*

[fightergirl]

CT Scan clear. NED

it showed degeneration of my spine, no surprise there, but not sure if it is the cause of my disk-compression-like symptoms. Luckily, it isn't a cancer lesion.
There were two small "incidentals" on my liver that have been there in all prior scans. Unchanged during chemo. According to my first meetings with oncologists, these were of no consequence. If they were cancer, they would have decreased in size or disappeared with chemo; if they are malignant and impervious to chemo, the expectation is that they would have grown a little. Since they just remained completely unchanged, my doctors aren't concerned with them. I'm going to try to ignore those "incidentals" and pretend i heard the word 'Pimples." With my anxiety, semantics matter. lol

However, if i push for an MRI of the cervical spine to get to the bottom of the pain i have, i can make sure they include the liver. A report that confirms they were of no consequence will go along way in my next phase -- the nail biting phase.

Tomorrow i see the oncologist to discuss the results and move to the next step. Port removal, the pimples a/k/a incidentals, and MRI. And of course, future scans.

--Thanks all for your support. It helps to know I"m not alone.

[Maggie Nell]

Glad to hear that the scan was NED. All the best for tomorrow and further putting-mind-at-ease
outcomes.

Pretend you heard the word 'pickles'
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17307

[PainInTheAss]

I have constant shooting pains all over. My Oncologist said to ignore pain unless it continues to get worse and keeps you up at night. That is now my rule of thumb if scans are clear and blood tests normal. I have one painin the center of my abdomen and he said it was just scar tissue from the radiation. After three years???? Yes, after three years. So you have to learn to trust your scans, blood tests and Doctor and ignore your body. It's really hard, but it doesn't help to constantly worry.