5 year scans

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

5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:58 am

My 5 year scans are on the 13th. I won't find out the results until I see my family doctor on the 21st.
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! :)

Gravelyguy
Posts: 382
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:03 pm

Re: 5 year scans

Postby Gravelyguy » Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:37 am

5 years. That is awesome! Hope it is all good news!

Dave
6/17 dx mRC t3n1m1 very low rectal tumor 2 liver Mets 1.3 cm and .9 cm

6/17 begin 4 rounds Folfox w/Vectibix
9/17 short course radiation
10/17 rectal and liver resection LAR with coloanal anastomosis (no rectum left)
11/17-3/18 8 rounds Folfox
6/18 still NED!! Takedown
8/28/18 still NED! CEA .8 new low for me
10/18/18 colonoscopy clear
12/12/18 CEA .9 still NED!
6/11/19 CEA 1.0
12/19/19 CEA 1.0 still NED!
6/17/20 CEA 1.1 still NED!
12/15/20 CEA 1.1still NED!
12/16/21 CEA 1.2 still NED!

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:56 am

Thank you Dave! I hope so too! :D I drink gastrografin mixed with juice. I get anaphylaxis from the CT contrast which is injected so I have to take prednisone and benadryl to prevent a reaction. I have never had a reaction using those medications but I still get nervous. Also it's hard waiting for results. It take 7 to 10 days for results. I hope the results will be back by the 21st.
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! :)

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: 5 year scans

Postby Punky44 » Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:26 pm

Sending you good vibes!! Will this be your last scan then?
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:56 am

Thank you Punky! :) Yes, this should be the last scan for a while. I will still have my CEA and CA 125 tested twice next year. I don't know what happens afterward. I will have to ask my family doctor.
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! :)

boxhill
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:40 am

Re: 5 year scans

Postby boxhill » Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:57 am

Why do you have to wait so long for results? In most places they are read in a couple of hours, at most, and the report is released electronically to the requesting doctor immediately when filed. You could probably go to the place where the scan is performed the next day--in some cases sooner--and pick up a copy of the report. (They may have to give you a CD also, but you don't have to actually do anything with it.) If you don't want to wait, ask them when you are in for the scan.

I do it every time.
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED

User avatar
ANDRETEXAS
Posts: 662
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:01 am
Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: 5 year scans

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:54 pm

I never had the patience to wait for the results when visiting the oncologist. I went back to the imaging facility and got the results a day or two after the scan. That way I knew what the results were before I saw the oncologist. Then I just shook my head when she read the results as though I had no idea what they were. :D
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

zx10guy
Posts: 233
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:54 pm

Re: 5 year scans

Postby zx10guy » Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:01 am

I too always get my scan reports way before my oncologist lets me know the results. At the scan facility I use, I always schedule my appointments in the morning. By doing this, I've always been able to get my scan results by the afternoon....some times sooner. The MRI I had done recently was a bit amusing. I started the MRI scan at 11AM. Finished at 11:25. The report was done by 11:58. I didn't know it at the time and I was probably still at the scan facility at that time waiting for the CD of the images to be cut for me. I've been able to always get my report that same day. The only time I wasn't able to get it the same day was if the scan was done in the afternoon which happened with my recent CT scan. Had to wait till the next morning to get the report.

My scan facility now offers an option where I just call in to their main number and if the report is ready, I can request for it to be emailed to me. The only thing they require is for me to send a reply to an email they generate consenting to the release of the report over email. I no longer have to drive back to the scan facility to get the report.

On the topic of getting a CD, one should always get a copy of their images on CD before leaving the scan facility. You never know when you might need to provide your scans to another medical facility.

Having copies of your CD and scan reports can provide valuable insight for yourself if you are so inclined to dig deeper into your scans. With my recent CEA craziness, I was able to look back at past reports to see that there was a lesion in my liver which was picked up 4 CT scans ago. I also pulled up my scan images from the prior scan to compare with my recent one to see if I noticed any differences. I had greater confidence in the NED status of my scans seeing on the various reports that the scans were read by different doctors as the reports all had the names of the examining doctor on it. I've had so many scans that I can immediately recognize the names of some of the doctors.

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:14 am

We don't have a separate scan place. All of my testing is done at our one hospital. They don't read the scans right away. There's not only a doctor shortage here but a shortage of radiologists, other technicians and nurses. The report isn't sent electronically to my doctor. They send it to her via inter hospital mail. My family doctor has shifts at the ER so she has a mail box (probably a slot) at the hospital. I was told its picked up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don't get copies of the CD and don't have a copy of the results. My former endocrinologist(who died) gave me results when I went to appointments with her. Now, I just have my family doctor read out results and I write them down in a notebook I bring with me. The medical system is very different here. I can't get scan reports emailed to me because they don't do that here. Other doctors can check results on their computer but my family doctor always waits for test results to be picked up from her mailbox. I'm glad that I have an appointment. When my test results are normal I don't hear anything from my family doctor. When I call I'm told by the receptionist that test results are fine because they were filed into my file. If test results aren't fine then I'm given an appointment. Doctors here don't have electronic files for patients. They still have paper files in a folder. We are very behind the times here. We don't have a PET scan machine. That is in a larger city over an hour away. It's the same if I ever needed radiation treatments. They don't do that here. I would have to go to the larger city. We are the capital city. There are no surgical facilities here either. All surgeries are done at our hospital. When I went to the records department at the hospital to request test results they told me to go to my family doctor.
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! :)

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Wed Nov 13, 2019 5:12 pm

No reaction to the contrast which is good. :)
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! :)

MeAndMine
Posts: 149
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:40 pm

Re: 5 year scans

Postby MeAndMine » Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:24 pm

Yay! I’m glad you didn’t have a bad reaction to the contrast! I’m sorry you have to wait on results. That’s the hardest part.
F 56 non-smoker
8/5/2019 - Colonoscopy - 4-5 cm rectal mass, 2-3 cm proximal to anal verge and 6mm polyp
8/13/2019 - CT - No mets
8/19/2019 - Rectum: Adenocarcinoma arising from tubulovillous adenoma. Descending colon: tubular adenoma
8/23/2019 First visit with surgeon
8/26/2019 First visit with oncologist
8/26/2019 MRI
CEA 8/19/19=3.9, 8/26/19=7.1
9/6/2019 - T3N2a
9/11/2019 - Radiation begins - 5.5 weeks along with oral capecitabine

Buxton
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 4:34 am

Re: 5 year scans

Postby Buxton » Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:47 pm

DarknessEmbraced wrote:My 5 year scans are on the 13th. I won't find out the results until I see my family doctor on the 21st.


As you might remember from our posts, we are very similar. T3NOM0, 22 lymph nodes ok, no chemo or bag. So everything should be ok, but the waiting can be stressful as you know. 5 years!

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:56 am

Thank you MeAndMine! :) I'm used to always waiting for results, appointments, etc.. It's the norm here. It doesn't make it any easier. Yes, everything should be ok. Thanks Buxton! :)
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! :)

CF_69
Posts: 109
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:44 pm

Re: 5 year scans

Postby CF_69 » Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:22 am

I had two weeks exactly between my last CT scan and seeing my oncologist.

I figure if they see something, they’ll get a hold of you. No news is good news thinking.

Good luck with the results.
47 at diagnosis
Rectosigmoid junction
Adenocarcinoma
2.8 x 1.8 x 3.5 cm
G2
T3N0M0
CEA:
December 2018 - 1.9
September 2019 - 2.5
March 2020 - 2.3
September 2020 - 2.5
Xeloda / radiation x 25
Laparoscopic LAR April 2019
0 of 12 nodes
Stage 2A
4 cycles of adjuvant Xeloda
MRI on liver for 2mm hypodensity not suspicious.
Clear CT - September 2019
Clear CT - October 2020

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

Re: 5 year scans

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:57 am

Thank you CF_69! I don't have an oncologist since I didn't need chemo. The oncologist referred me back to my family doctor.
Last edited by DarknessEmbraced on Sun Nov 17, 2019 1:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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! :)


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