Scan scheduled

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heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Scan scheduled

Postby heiders33 » Wed May 02, 2018 5:09 pm

My CT scan is scheduled for May 16. This will be exactly one year from the day of my last scan (my surgeon and oncologist don't like to over-scan). I'm nervous but want to follow the mantra of others on this board: if it's clear, great! And if not, we should be able to do something about it. My plan is to do bloodwork every three months with my oncologist and to scan every six months for the next two years. I will also get annual colonoscopies starting in July for five years. If bloodwork is ever abnormal then I will get a scan sooner than six months. Today I went to my OB/GYN for a pelvic ultrasound to check up on an ovarian cyst that was detected last summer. The cyst is now gone, and there is no evidence of any other cysts or anything abnormal. The previous cyst apparently was caused by a hormonal imbalance related to radiation/chemo. I'm so relieved that I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Now that the weather is warmer I have been going without socks and it's been a little tough on my feet. I get that tingling feeling when I take my sandals or shoes off at the end of the day, but it goes away after a little while. This change in weather will take some adjusting.

It's hard to adjust back to "normal" life after it being so abnormal for so long, and with this scan looming. I am trying to avoid stress as much as possible: exercise, deep breathing, stepping out of the office when things get too stressful at work. It's not worth it.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby NHMike » Wed May 02, 2018 6:21 pm

It's mid-80s today and I didn't wear my winter coat - I did wear it yesterday. I often wear gloves when it's in the 60s or 70s. So I know how you feel.

But you're done and into scans. A lot of us would like to be there.

Enjoy.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

Soccermom2boys
Posts: 222
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:29 pm

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby Soccermom2boys » Wed May 02, 2018 9:03 pm

Good luck with your upcoming scan, Heiders! You are absolutely right, nothing at work is worth any excess stress—we have been through a lifetime’s worth of stress dealing with our cancer diagnosis, definitely puts the “little stuff” in perspective. I am two years out from finishing my treatments and still adjusting to post-cancer life, it takes a toll both mentally and physically, even after the last bit of chemo runs it’s course. Glad to hear the ovarian cyst went away, no doubt that was occupying some mental space. You worked hard for this, enjoy your new found freedom! :D
8/3/15 Went in with a hemorrhoid, came out with a tumor
8/12/15 Biopsy from colonoscopy confirms RC (45 yrs old--zero family history!)
9/21 - 10/29/15 chemorad 28 tx (with Xeloda)
12/17/15 APR with perm colostomy
Pathology report stages me as IIIA (T2N1M0)--1/15 LN detects cancer
2/3/16 chemo port inserted
2/8-6/2/16 8 rounds of Folfox

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Atoq
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:31 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby Atoq » Thu May 03, 2018 12:37 am

Good luck! I am having a scan of the abdomen on the 7. of Maj.

Best

Claudia
1972, 2 kids
Dx rectal cancer 10.2017
T3N2aMX (met left lung 8 mm)
Lynch neg
CEA 1.8
Neoadjuvant chemoradio Xeloda + 25x2 Gy
05.12.17 laparotomic surg. for blockage, colostomy
25.01.18 laparotomic lar, hysterectomy, ileostomy
05.03.18 core needle lung biopsy
07.05.18 CAT scan, lung met 11 mm
04.06.18 ileo reversal
26.06.18 wedge VATS
24.08.18, 31.02.19 CAT scan
12.09.18, 06.02.19 scope, CEA 1.6
19.11.18 scope
20.08.19 CAT, eco
13.09.19 scope, CEA 1.2
18.03.20 CAT, eco, scope, NED
29.11.20 CAT, NED
2023 NED

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O Stoma Mia
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Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby O Stoma Mia » Thu May 03, 2018 3:38 am

heiders33 wrote:... My plan is to do bloodwork every three months with my oncologist and to scan every six months for the next two years...If bloodwork is ever abnormal then I will get a scan sooner than six months.

You might want to consider getting "expanded" bloodwork panels that also include things like systemic inflammation markers as well as tumor markers for various female cancers, as recommended by rp1954, and by Life Extension website, and by other sources. Systemic inflammation is an early-warning precursor to metastasis.

http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53111&p=419780#p419780

http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53631&p=425508#p425508

These extra tests may not be covered by insurance, but they may be worth the extra cost.

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susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby susie0915 » Thu May 03, 2018 8:13 am

You have the right attitude. Trying to eliminate stress helps in dealing with all the testing and waiting for results we have to endure. I am 2 years from my last chemo treatment and cancer is still always on my mind. I also have a 6 month appointment with my oncologist on Monday. She will order bloodwork and a ct scan. My last scan was in October on pelvic/abdomen and I had a lung scan in January. There was a tiny 4mm nodule on my lung that showed up a year ago so I have had a couple lung scans since to check for growth. No growth so that's good. My oncologist is sure it's inflammation or scarring. It's weird, when you're going through treatment you feel like you are actively fighting, and even though we all cannot wait for the day we are no longer in treatment it leaves you with some uneasiness as we live from appointment to appointment and test to test. Praying for positive results on your upcoming scan.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby heiders33 » Sat May 05, 2018 6:37 pm

Thank you all for your encouragement! What a long journey this is - and like everyone here says, most people think that when you’re done with treatment, you’re done. How untrue that is!

OSM, I’ll look into those extra blood tests, thanks. Very helpful.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy

Eleda
Posts: 328
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:28 am
Facebook Username: adele Morgan
Location: Ireland

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby Eleda » Sun May 06, 2018 12:32 pm

OSM, CRP, comes standard, in or FBC testing and its funny because when I was waiting for my blood results to come back while waiting for my colonoscopy, my CRP was normal which is what had led me to panic that it may b cancer as I had ruled out all other colorectal conditions eg diverticulitis , chrons etc because I decided that crp would have been raised if it were any of thoes, which then by process of elimination along with the intermittent bleeding I had DX myself with cancer

My CEA is also low 4.4, so hoping that its a non ageessive cancer and not just a non expression one, Im also going to ask to have or have they taken CA199-9
Ill know soon enough but still doing vitC and tagamet just incase

ADELE X
SWF, 47
Mom to 3 sons 6/8/12
Dec4th 2017 colonoscopy for minor intermittent rectal bleeding during Summer
CEA 4.4
DX T3 L3C M0 2.5/3 cm above AV.
JAN 3RD started 1650mg Zelda 2xday, with 28 radiation
Did tagamet 800mg daily and 75mg IV VIT C WEEKLY UNTIL SURGERY and
Tumor reduce by 80% 1 LN still remaining
TATME May10th, temp illeostomy
10/07/2018 CEA 3
MMR INTACT
Began FOLFOX July 10th
24/08/2018 Allergic reaction so next infusion lucovorin and 5fu
CEA 4
Second attempt with oxi aug 12th

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

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sun May 06, 2018 1:46 pm

I hope you get good scans!*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! :)

heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby heiders33 » Thu May 17, 2018 10:19 am

My scan came back all clear, except there is one teeny 1 cm spot on my liver that they want to check. Both the radiologist and oncologist don't think it looks suspicious, but I have to get an MRI to confirm. My bloodwork has been normal so they don't think it's malignant. But they want me to do the MRI to be absolutely sure. Hopefully that will be scheduled soon. Of course I was hoping for a complete "NED" response, but I realize that's not always the reality. So I'm a little on edge until this MRI is done. And I know that even if it is a met there are things that can be done. I just want to be able to ignore this for a while until the next scan! If anyone else has experience with benign liver spots, please let me know.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy

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O Stoma Mia
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby O Stoma Mia » Thu May 17, 2018 10:39 am

heiders33 wrote:..If anyone else has experience with benign liver spots, please let me know.

I have a benign liver spot that has always been there. There are different kinds of liver spots, so you might want to familiarize youself with some of the terminology before you go in for your MRI.

Liver Adenomas, Haemangiomas and Cysts
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/liver-adenomas-haemangiomas-and-cysts-477313

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Atoq
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 9:31 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby Atoq » Thu May 17, 2018 1:21 pm

Congratulations for the nice results! Hopefully the spot is just a benign spot. I am still waiting for be results of my CAT scan from 10 days ago, and really not looking forward to hearing from the hospital! :)

Claudia
1972, 2 kids
Dx rectal cancer 10.2017
T3N2aMX (met left lung 8 mm)
Lynch neg
CEA 1.8
Neoadjuvant chemoradio Xeloda + 25x2 Gy
05.12.17 laparotomic surg. for blockage, colostomy
25.01.18 laparotomic lar, hysterectomy, ileostomy
05.03.18 core needle lung biopsy
07.05.18 CAT scan, lung met 11 mm
04.06.18 ileo reversal
26.06.18 wedge VATS
24.08.18, 31.02.19 CAT scan
12.09.18, 06.02.19 scope, CEA 1.6
19.11.18 scope
20.08.19 CAT, eco
13.09.19 scope, CEA 1.2
18.03.20 CAT, eco, scope, NED
29.11.20 CAT, NED
2023 NED

tater
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2017 5:53 pm

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby tater » Thu May 17, 2018 4:48 pm

heiders33 wrote:My scan came back all clear, except there is one teeny 1 cm spot on my liver that they want to check. Both the radiologist and oncologist don't think it looks suspicious, but I have to get an MRI to confirm. My bloodwork has been normal so they don't think it's malignant. But they want me to do the MRI to be absolutely sure. Hopefully that will be scheduled soon. Of course I was hoping for a complete "NED" response, but I realize that's not always the reality. So I'm a little on edge until this MRI is done. And I know that even if it is a met there are things that can be done. I just want to be able to ignore this for a while until the next scan! If anyone else has experience with benign liver spots, please let me know.



Yes I hate those spots. At diagnosis my wife had a spot one her liver that was a cyst. She began treatments, chemo and radiation and had surgery scheduled for July of last year. Prior to the surgery to remove her rectum and they did another scan to see how the radiation had affected the tumor and give the surgeon a more up to date image for surgery they found five more 5 mm spots that they called suspicious at the time. They did a liver MRI and it called the spots suspicious and that cancelled the surgery. We all assumed that her RC had spread to her liver. They sent her back to the onc. and we started FOLFOX + Avistain for three or four months and did a rescan. That CT showed the 5 mm spots with no real change in the size which was odd because the primary tumor and lymph node responded very well to the chemo but these spots had no change. The surgeon agreed to do the surgery and we had plan and additional liver surgery to remove her right lobe after she had recovered from her bowel surgery. Two of the spots on the liver where on the very bottom of her right lobe so the surgeon removed that bottom section while he was in the OR. Thank goodness pathology came back and showed that they were benign hemangiomas. That explained why the chemo did not shrink them. The CT and MRI could never tell what they were because they were on the limits of resolution. That was six months ago and she has had two CT and 2 liver MRI's since with no change. The doctors believe they are no cancer but we are watching them closely.
My understanding is that the liver is famous for having spots. I hope that this is your case and that your spot is something not to worry about.
DH to 38 wife w/kids
Stage 3C DX 3/3/17 CEA 29
5-fu and radiation ended May 17, 2017
Stage 4 External iliac node July 17, 2017
FOLFOX + Avistan July 18 2017 CEA 2.3
Nov 9, 2017 Coloanal Anastomosis, Hysterectomy & External Nodes Removed W/ileostomy
Clear Margins NED
CEA 1.5 12/17, 2.1 2/18, 2.3 6/18, 1.1 9/18, 1.3 12/18, 1.8 3/19, 2.5 6/19
Clear CT and MRI on 2/5/2018, 9/18 Clear Scans
Reversal Surgery 6/26/18
Small Spot on right ureter surgery 10/30/19 adhered to artery
Dec. 2 start 12 rounds FOLFIRI

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O Stoma Mia
Posts: 1709
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:29 am
Location: On vacation. Off-line for now.

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby O Stoma Mia » Thu May 17, 2018 10:42 pm

heiders33 wrote:My scan came back all clear, except there is one teeny 1 cm spot on my liver that they want to check. Both the radiologist and oncologist don't think it looks suspicious, but I have to get an MRI to confirm...

.If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much right now about that one "teeny 1 cm spot" on your liver.
CT Misinterpretations
Because a CT scan is so detailed, it can sometimes alert doctors to minor abnormalities in the body that don’t have symptoms related to them and that in the normal course of life would not have caused the patient any problems. However, doctors may feel the obligation to divulge this information to patients, which can cause anxiety and possibly unnecessary follow-up tests or treatments.

Reference: https://healthfully.com/advantages-disadvantages-ct-scans-6456817.html

CT artifacts
Artifacts are commonly encountered in clinical computed tomography (CT), and may obscure or simulate pathology. There are many different types of CT artifacts, including noise, beam hardening, scatter, pseudoenhancement, motion, cone beam, helical, ring, and metal artifacts.

Reference: Boas FE and Fleischmann D (2012). "Computed tomography artifacts: Causes and reduction techniques." Imaging in Medicine. 4(2): 229-40..
http://www.edboas.com

heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Re: Scan scheduled

Postby heiders33 » Fri May 18, 2018 2:32 pm

Thank you everyone! I am hopeful that it is just benign. Will keep you posted.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy


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