Scare number...lost count!

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Lydia666
Posts: 676
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:50 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada

Scare number...lost count!

Postby Lydia666 » Fri May 12, 2017 7:52 am

So one scare barely ended and not easily, i had to do another scope to verify my colon and it's never easy to go through the prep and the whole hospital procedure, now i had my yearly CT scan and they see 2 undetermined lung spots. I had and still have a major cold/flu/ sinus infection for which i am taking antibiotics and for this reason i wanted to reschedule the scan but they assured me they can tell the difference between cancer and cold related things , but now they can't. I have to redo a lung scan in September. I had a similar story in 2015 at diagnosis and all sorts of other scares along the way and i am losing my shit. This disease kills my sanity before it kills me physically.
Oct 2012- thyroid cancer
June 19, 2015 Dx@39 yrs- CRC-T3N1M0
No vascular, no perineural invasion
Aug-Sept 2015- 28 rad/5FU
Oct 28, 2015- LAR- temp ileo, neg. nodes- 0/11
March 2016- 6 rounds Xeloda/positive CHEK2 mutation
August 2016- DCIS and decided post prophylactic double mastectomy
May 2018 - clean CT
Sept 2018-clean scope
Devastation, total shock- oct 2018, invasion of peri mets
Dec 20 - 2 round of folfox
Mom to 4 & 7 yrs kids - at least i brought them to this level of independence.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Scare number...lost count!

Postby Lee » Fri May 12, 2017 5:18 pm

Lydia666 wrote:. . . I had and still have a major cold/flu/ sinus infection for which i am taking antibiotics and for this reason i wanted to reschedule the scan but they assured me they can tell the difference between cancer and cold related things , but now they can't. . .


Crap, I am so sorry you have to put up with this. If you are on antibiotics for a cold/flu/sinus infection, I'm a bit surprised they didn't want to reschedule too. Me thinks, someone messed up. Try not to worry or think about it (yes I know, easier said than done), butt I suspect you have a few cold/flu/sinus infection issues going on there.

For what it's worth, I was about 3 yrs out when a couple of enlarged lymph nodes were noted on my CAT scans. Onc tried to reassure me, no biggie. She suspected there were doing there job, fighting off some infection. Yes 6 months later, they were back to normal.

Your daughter is 2, wow. I remember when you first can here, it was not too long after her birth. Sometimes, time does flies by.

Take it easy, hope you feel better soon,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

Lydia666
Posts: 676
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:50 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada

Re: Scare number...lost count!

Postby Lydia666 » Fri May 12, 2017 7:56 pm

Thank you, Lee. Yes, my little one was 6 months old at my crc diagnosis now she is almost 2.5 yrs old as i am approaching two years since dx. I feel like i really couldn't catch my breath in these two years though. 4 surgeries, 2 diagnosis, rads, chemo, scopes, scans, ultrasounds, biopsies...sigh!!
Now as i was hoping i get to relax for a year... no!
I am very grateful for your input and for sticking around this forum to lift up people. How did you stay calm when waiting to see what was up with the nodes?
Oct 2012- thyroid cancer
June 19, 2015 Dx@39 yrs- CRC-T3N1M0
No vascular, no perineural invasion
Aug-Sept 2015- 28 rad/5FU
Oct 28, 2015- LAR- temp ileo, neg. nodes- 0/11
March 2016- 6 rounds Xeloda/positive CHEK2 mutation
August 2016- DCIS and decided post prophylactic double mastectomy
May 2018 - clean CT
Sept 2018-clean scope
Devastation, total shock- oct 2018, invasion of peri mets
Dec 20 - 2 round of folfox
Mom to 4 & 7 yrs kids - at least i brought them to this level of independence.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Scare number...lost count!

Postby Lee » Fri May 12, 2017 8:36 pm

Lydia666 wrote: . . . How did you stay calm when waiting to see what was up with the nodes?


By the tone of her voice.

Please understand I was her first FOLFOX patient. More than once we talked about me when/if I progressed to stage IV. It was a VERY REAL possibility. So with this recent CAT scan, she said look, I'm not worried, I hope you don't either. You have 2 small kids, they bring germs home, I believe those nodes are fighting off some infection. Everything else is good, so I'm not worried.

This is how I got through scan to scan. I tried not let it bother me knowing a scan was coming up. I would tell myself, no one know "anything" at this point in time, thus wasted stress time. BUTT once I was scanned, I gave myself a free for all. Would avoid people as much as possible, as I was a true "nut case" until I got results. Once I did not sleep for over 24 hrs, after getting results, simply because I was so stressed and keyed up.

A couple of times, I would get scanned late, we would have family plans, would tell Onc I can't deal with the results until after this or that event. She always responded 2 weeks will not change the outcome.

Hope this helps, yes the first 2-3 years can be the most challenging when dealing with cancer.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Scare number...lost count!

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sat May 13, 2017 3:31 pm

I'm sorry you went through another scare. I hope your flu and sinus infection clear up soon!*hugs*
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

User avatar
CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Scare number...lost count!

Postby CRguy » Sat May 13, 2017 6:00 pm

Lydia666 wrote: i wanted to reschedule the scan but they assured me they can tell the difference between cancer and cold related things , but now they can't.

A little story from the vet world if I may ......

splenic masses were sectioned and sent to a group of board certified pathologists.

about half read the results as "benign hemangiomas" = not cancer :D
the other about half read the results as "splenic hemangiosarcomas" = cancer :twisted:
the rest of the usual suspects reported " some other malignacy or process " OR non-diagnostic ...
and needed further info/samples etc.etc.etc. = :oops: :?:

anybody who guarantees you a result is full of shit ! :twisted: JIMHO !!!!!
ALL we will ever get is their best effort and best guesstimate, because there are just too many variables with living systems to "guarantee" anything
Yes they were just trying to be supportive and inspire confidence in their system

What they need to do is get all the facts
reassess all the facts ......
and make sure they know shit from shinola ... also JIMHO

THEN set up a good plan for you so you DO have confidence in their system

Cheers and Harmony sista'
PM me if you need to chat

CRguy on the Journey with you
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far


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