Approaching 3 years NED Soon but CEA at 5.9 recently..

[jumpman50512]

Hello everyone

I am currently approaching 3 years ned.. i had tons of CT scans but 2 colonoscopys and everything came out good. My CEA was fine but it went from 1.5 to 5.9 recently. I talked to the doctor he stated not to worry about it. CT and Colonoscopy was fine. I told him i smoked marijuana he told me that could be the issue and also told me to stop and not even be in the same room were people are smoking. So i agreed i would like to see my CEA go down i am little worried to be honest. I get another check up on my blood in two months. My iron has been going up which is good.

any thoughts?

thanks everything

I will be getting more here it helps destress this ct scan took a tole on me mentally

[utahgal7]

Hi,

If your doctor is saying not to worry, I would trust what he is telling you. I know that rising CEA levels are stressful as hell though! The anxiety is a complete mind f**k! FYI, someone on here told me that inflammation can make your CEA rise as well. I am NOT saying that inflammation is the cause for your rising CEA level. I am just saying that is something to consider along with your marijuana usage.

Best wishes,

Paige

[horizon]

If your doctor is saying not to worry, I would trust what he is telling you.

Second this advice.

[michelle c]

“Don’t worry about it” Easier said than done eh?
It’s normal for it to bounce around a bit. Hopefully at your next test it would have gone down.
Hang in there!

[polluxx]

My oncologist recommends CBD/THC from my nerve pain and joint pain. Because I live in California, I’m able to get it in drops or in capsule form rather than smoking it. I’m pretty sure that isn’t causing my CEA to rise because my last result was 1.2 down from 1.5 during Chemo.

I’m wondering if the act of smoking is causing inflammation in your lungs which is then causing your CEA to rise. I’m off to do some research on the subject. Hopefully that is all that is causing the issue.

I’m hoping your next blood draw brings good news. Keep us posted.

[I_will_fight]

My oncologist recommends CBD/THC from my nerve pain and joint pain. Because I live in California, I’m able to get it in drops or in capsule form rather than smoking it. I’m pretty sure that isn’t causing my CEA to rise because my last result was 1.2 down from 1.5 during Chemo.

I’m wondering if the act of smoking is causing inflammation in your lungs which is then causing your CEA to rise. I’m off to do some research on the subject. Hopefully that is all that is causing the issue.

I’m hoping your next blood draw brings good news. Keep us posted.

I understand smoking (even just tobacco) can elevate CEA levels, in fact they typically define "normal CEA" threshold at a higher lever for smokers than non-smokers meaning they expect to encounter more CEA in smoker's blood.

I am guessing smoking marijuana (which is normally mixed with regular tobacco) might also trigger the elevation.

OP - Good luck with your next blood test, hopefully this was just a fluke.

[Punky44]

C-E-A—Causing Extreme Anxiety

I know the feeling—any rise always makes me nervous but you’d be surprised how many times people’s CEAs rise only to fall the next time, for a totally benign reason.

Hang in there.

[NoVA21]

I am torn on this issue because of my personal experience. I second that smoking will elevate the CEA marker. Though, I don’t know by how much. My questions on your post are:
1. Did you just start smoking before the jump?
2. What was your CEA trend before the jump?

I am lucky that my CEA is a reliable indicator for me. But I heard that is not always the case for everyone. It constantly goes up and down. In my case, my level was 2.0 after my last chemo and then 3 months later it was 3.5 (the lab max range for nonsmoker was 3.0). They said it was nothing to worry about and it was just slightly elevated. I pushed for another test. And it went up to 4.0.

I did a CT then and they found 2 lesions, one on each lung. My previous scans were clear. But guess what - Apparently those previous scans were done from my thighs up to the bottom of my rib cage. They had never scanned my lungs until this time around.

I was really mad. But the point is be your own advocate. Sometimes it is OK to question if you feel something is odd and being opposite to what they are telling you.

[CRguy]

NoVA21

I won't hijack this topic BUTT ... Thank You
You have just detailed some of the most important points I have been ranting about since 2008 !!!!!

I am lucky that my CEA is a reliable indicator for me. But I heard that is not always the case for everyone.

It is USELESS for me !

They said it was nothing to worry about

I once told my own Doc :
"IF this was your body I wouldn't worry about it either ... BUTT this IS my life and we are going to worry ... OK ? "

But guess what - Apparently those previous scans were done from my thighs up to the bottom of my rib cage. They had never scanned my lungs until this time around.

" You WILL miss more for not LOOKING than not knowing. Make SURE the Docs keep LOOKING !!! "

I was really mad. But the point is be your own advocate. Sometimes it is OK to question if you feel something is odd and being opposite to what they are telling you.

Be your own advocate ( or get one ) ... DAMNED STRAIGHT !!!!!
I disagree a bit on one point though.
It is ALWAYS required to disagree ... not just sometimes ! " if you feel something is odd and being opposite to what they are telling you "

It is always OUR lives so we all need to keep on kickin' BUTT and takin' names.

Cheers and best wishes to all on the Journey
CRguy

[jumpman50512]

I am torn on this issue because of my personal experience. I second that smoking will elevate the CEA marker. Though, I don’t know by how much. My questions on your post are:
1. Did you just start smoking before the jump?
2. What was your CEA trend before the jump?

I am lucky that my CEA is a reliable indicator for me. But I heard that is not always the case for everyone. It constantly goes up and down. In my case, my level was 2.0 after my last chemo and then 3 months later it was 3.5 (the lab max range for nonsmoker was 3.0). They said it was nothing to worry about and it was just slightly elevated. I pushed for another test. And it went up to 4.0.

I did a CT then and they found 2 lesions, one on each lung. My previous scans were clear. But guess what - Apparently those previous scans were done from my thighs up to the bottom of my rib cage. They had never scanned my lungs until this time around.

I was really mad. But the point is be your own advocate. Sometimes it is OK to question if you feel something is odd and being opposite to what they are telling you.

hey there

well it was 1.5 and it jumped to 5.9 i had a ct scan and a colonoscopy all clean and cea showed up at 5.9 which i thought was weird and so did the doctor. He said dont worry about it. I feel fine and been smoking marijuana for a 2 months or so. I also got covid-19 twice which freaking sucked. One more month for another blood work test and i will see if it has gone up or down. Hoping for down.