Hello to all, I bet ever one of us here never thought we would be here talking about our colon cancer. The big “C” is never easy. Sorry I’m new to here and many of you probably have had this question asked so many times but I finally am to my breaking point with this CEA crap!!!! Plus it’s very hard for me to ask for help and talk about personal things.
Short story on my cancer, I am 39 was diagnosed at 38 with colon cancer June 14 2018 andocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon on the left side after a colonoscopy, Cat scan barely picked it up, no Mets. CEA 2.5...Had surgery still nobody was sure how bad, pathology report came back pushed thru all layers, 19/32 lymph nodes positive for cancer but all microscopic even thru the wall of colon. So port installed, 12 rounds of Chemo got to 8 of the Oxy and had to stop because neurapthy got to bad, I wanted to keep going but everyone said it’s okay. Continued with just the 5FU. Finished chemo Feb.7 2019. Had no scans just one ultrasound durning Chemo, just watching my blood levels but never tested my CEA as my doc said it would not be a good marker because it was never high. Sorry not the greatest speller and my typing sucks....lol
So I was diagnosed with Stage 3C, my doctor knows I am a nervous person so he tried not to tell me too much because I would research things and drive myself batty over statistics that don’t mean anything because it’s just a number.
Had genetics done with no genetics or issues.
Fast forward to today. My Lab work was good, my colonoscopy came back good even pushed me to 3 years. But that damn CEA!!!!!! My lab paper states <7.0ng/ml is still normal.
So Pre Surgery 7/26/18 2.5. 3/19: 1.9 4/19 1.8. 5/19 2.4. 6/19 3.7. 7/19 4.9
My original oncologist left and I do have a new oncologist great doc also, he said let’s do a PET Scan (my first one ever) to see what’s going on if anything, it could be CEA isn’t a good marker just as my other oncologist said? He also said he is very optimistic.
Imagine test that I have done: Ultra sound after 6th round of chemo found spot on liver (hemangioma non cancerous)
Ultra sound right after chemo was done, same spot no changes
Cat Scan 1 month after Chemo. lungs, abdomen, liver same spot still there. But everything looked good.
My old. oncologist wanted to do an MRI (Done late May) just to check that spot one more time before he left and it found two spots in the same spot as the hemangioma. But it’s said two spots and not one........so he was not worried sent me for an ultrasound which once again said no it’s a hemangioma and the lady doing the test remembered me from last ultrasound and told me one day they will have one test that does it all and told me it’s probable the way I was laying and the way the MRI imaged the spot. And the spot was the same spot and no changes. That ultrasound was done in June.
Just some info: Do Not Smoke, do drugs or drink
Taking a mult-vitamin and super B complex (my old oncologist said it would help with the neurapthy)
Any thoughts or if this happened to you? I appreciate any insight or opinions....... .thank you so much
Shane