beach sunrise wrote:I don't know much about it yet to tell you opinion at all. Been reading on this site and researching all I can. I hope to be an expert some day soon though on the topic. To me, right now its just a crazy thing and so confusing.
Punky44 wrote:Fellow CEA obsesser here.
I think it’s super positive that it was that high once and then dropped. So while it climbed, it has done this before with no rising trend and you could reasonably anticipate it will drop again and that’s just your “range.”
I am obsessively losing it over my mom’s, which was 2.1, then 1.9 (yay) then 2.6 and then 2.8. Totally freaking out that it has inched up two times in a row and praying for a drop to break the pattern.
Like your onc, my mom’s onc didn’t bat an eye at this.
AlexandraZ wrote:If it's in the normal range, I wouldn't worry at ALL. Unless it was SUPER stable in a lower range and then suddenly shot up. Just like any other blood test, there is a normal RANGE, which means that anywhere within those limits is normal and not a cause for concern. Unless there was an obvious trend or a sudden significant rise I wouldn't worry at all. Many oncologists don't like tracking CEA because so many people stress and worry about it when it's not even always a reliable marker.
I know it's hard not to worry though! My boyfriend's CEA has always been SUPER high, and the lowest it ever went was 195. His is super reliable, and when it went up to 2900 while on FOLFOX, we of course had a feeling it wasn't working. Despite the increase though, his scan was stable. It might have been a sign that something was about to grow, but just to give an idea of how much it CAN fluctuate with the scan staying stable. (He is not NED though)
Best of luck to you! I hope I don't come across as mean. I WISH my boyfriend's CEA was jumping around in the single digits! But I know we all have our "normal" CEA that we compare to. And cancer is stressful AF!
beach sunrise wrote:I obsess too until I find logic/answers to the why.
stu wrote:I have been watching my mum’s CEA for ten years and they always jump around . I notice some people always have the same reading . Not so with my mum . Goes up and down a point or two . Strangely enough her CEA was low at diagnosis but sits on the high side of normal without disease .
If I am reading right you are only fluctuating around one point . Honestly don’t think that is a worry .
CEA causes such anxiety, but we have learnt to rely on the scans .
Take care ,
Stu
Koreysue wrote:
I sometimes wish I could just tell my doc I want to do every
6 mos for cea instead of 3 months, but I’d probably worry about that choice, too
Ugh!
You are right, it is a measly rise.
Thanks for the input,
Ksue
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