Secondary cancer

Hi Moira, 

Your post scared ME into running to Dr Google, but I wasn't able to find anything that matched up to the secondary liver cancer numbers you mention. But then, I'm not the most proficient Googler. 

It's easy to say 'Don't panic' when you get eeky news, but I hope you can deep breathe or yoga or meditate or use a crystal singing bowl or forest bathe to a place of calm. I don't think 'most' of us go on to get liver cancer, at least I hope not, but even if it's true, it doesn't mean that you will. I bet we can all remember medical tests that freaked us out and turned out to be nothing. 

I hope you take your holiday! Whatever the outcome, another holiday is always a good thing, right?

When is your MRI? Please come back and update us as soon as you find out!

Pushing out all the good energy and mojo that this is just a blip.

Suz

Hi Suz,

Oh heck, I didn't mean to panic you too! I AM a panicked, my lovely  husband and my sons' know what I'm like and try to calm me but I don't think anyone, who hasn't been through the same thing, can! This has just been a year of nothing but hospitals, my stoma playing up, finding out I have to have hip surgery and my husband's eye operation, so today was the final straw! I never look on Google for things like this so please, don't you do it! I don't know when my MRI is yet but I'm guessing this week sometime!

My holiday is just to London, but I'm really hoping we can still get there! No matter what, I've still got Christmas to look forward to! My son and his family are coming over from Seattle! I haven't seen them for 4 years so I have to be well!

I'll let you know what happens, thank you for taking the time to help calm me down!

Moira x

Hi Moira (Three),

I know I don’t need to warn you how dangerous Dr Google is, I always advise people to steer well clear as so much of the information out there is outdated or just plain wrong! 

Your GP will have referred you for an MRI because of your recent cancer diagnosis & I would be more concerned if he hadn’t jumped on this but honestly there could be any number of explanations why your liver function is flagging as abnormal. I also know & appreciate the worry & upset that these results can cause so I can completely understand your concerns. 

Metastatic anal cancer tends to affect liver &/or lungs but I think the information that most anal cancer patients go on to develop liver cancers is a prime example of the danger of googling & is vastly incorrect. I’ve had some incredibly honest & open conversations with my treating team before, during & after my treatment & nobody has ever mentioned this statistic to me. 

Please continue with your holiday plans if at all possible. You know where we are if you need us. 

Nicola 

Moira, I don't Google anal cancer, ever.  I did in the early days of my diagnosis and was absolutely terrified and so despondent I made the decision that in order to live as normal a life as possible I had to eliminate sources of stress, mainly from the internet.  There is enough of that already with regular scans and appointments and I couldn't cope with what is often out-of-date information and information that can be the results of a study of just a handful of people.  I had a small spot in each lung at diagnosis and after six months of chemotherapy and then the chemo/radiotherapy I had two lung ablations a week apart.  (This procedure is also used for small liver tumours).  My three month follow-up scans were clear and also showed that the primary tumour has greatly shrunk, they are hopeful that the six month scan will show it has gone.  I hold on to that and in the meantime, we hopped on a ferry to Spain and I am enjoying the sun!

Really hoping your scans go well.

Hi Nicola,

I don't know why on earth I went on Google in the first place, I know I should always come on here if I need to talk! Thank you Nicola for your reassurance, I knew about secondary cancers of course, but just pushed it to the back of my mind! I lost my lovely mam to liver cancer but I have to keep telling myself that was a long time ago! I also have emphysema so, me being me, if my breathing is a little worse, it's cancer! I sound so neurotic (or nuts) and maybe I am, but it only lasts a few hours until I put my big girl pants on and get on with it!

You've been such a help to me, as always, and you're right, of course, my doctor is doing a great job and being extra careful!

Thanks again Nicola,

Moira x

I’m so sorry that you lost your lovely mum to this awful disease.…  Please don’t ever apologise or berate yourself for worrying Moira, those that have received a cancer diagnosis that don’t worry about a new ache, pain, cough etc., are very few & far between if they exist at all, you know also this is a place where we all understand those worries. I think sometimes it’s all about learning to manage those concerns & realising when a visit to your Dr to get checked out is needed to put your mind at rest, again it’s great that your GP is being so pro-active & covering all bases. I hope your appointment for your scan comes through quickly & is able to put your mind at rest. 

Nicola 

Thank you so much, again, Nicola! I will not be making the mistake of going on Dr Google again, he's a complete QUACK! I hope other people reading this will learn from my silly mistake! This site is wonderful, even for just having someone to talk through, as you say, we've all been through the terrible cancer diagnosis and nothing brings a community together more than that! 

Moira x

Hi Irene,

You are so right not to Google! I don't usually, I just panicked yesterday and for some daft reason went on Google, instead of coming straight on here, and, of course, I really went into panic mode! I'm so happy that your scans have given you such great results and I really hope you have a great time in Spain! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply Irene, it's so kind of you,

Moira x

I've been thinking a lot about this since Moira posted, and am wondering if it's a Tylenol thing (is Ibuprofen usually Tylenol in England??) 

A former doctor told me that I could take all the Tylenol I wanted, every day, and it would have no ill effects. I didn't believe him and I was right- now they're saying that too much Tylenol can trash your liver. Well, with the opiates in the rear view mirror, I need SOMETHING to combat the pain that still happens almost every day. Not as badly as this spring, of course, but it's still often awful, and Tylenol is the only thing that can beat it back. 

So, for at least a few days every week and sometimes EVERY day, I take at least one and sometimes several doses. I'm worried about trashing my liver, but I just can't bear the pain in my arse. What's a girl to do?

Hi Moira,

I have some personal experience that may offer insight into your situation.  Almost EXACTLY a year ago today, I had a PET scan following a SCC biopsy of a tumor in the anal canal.  The PET scan was expected to be “routine,” as the doctors expected this cancer discovery was early stage.  They only needed the PET scan to map out my chemo-radiation treatment plan, but instead, they found several lesions on my liver.  After liver biopsy of one of those lesions, they confirmed it was SCC spread.  I learned that when SCC spreads by blood, it typically spreads to the lungs and/or liver.

First, let me say, my liver enzymes and bloodwork have never, EVER been abnormal!  Not once in my life, even during the months of chemo that followed that diagnosis!  So, my point is that abnormal liver bloodwork may or may not indicate liver lesions.  In my case, bloodwork showed nothing was wrong, and my oncologists all said that’s not unusual.  Your abnormal liver bloodwork may be due to something else…livers work hard, and especially during cancer treatment!  I think the only way to know if you have liver spread is to have the MRI or some type of similar scan.

Second, to anyone who is panicking about the possibility of liver spread, I say “have hope.”  I told a friend, who is a physician but not an oncologist, about my situation early in my treatment.  He said “cancer types exist on a spectrum, and this type of cancer is not at the worst end of the spectrum.”  He, and all of my oncology team, have all said that “cure” is still possible for me.  It was a much longer road, starting with 3 months of systemic chemo, then the 6 weeks standard chemo-radiation, and then liver resection surgery, all due to the liver spread, but I am now 6 months NED!  My team thinks things look very hopeful for me!  I feel great.  No where online have I ever found research specific to my diagnosis or treatment plan, so I finally learned to Just. Stop. Looking.

My point is this—get the scans, the tests, and the treatment plan info specifically for YOU, which isn’t findable on Google!  Yes, we all do it, and yes, we all know it’s a mistake, but it’s so hard to resist, I know!  Just don’t let it drain your hope, and don’t let it narrow what’s possible for YOU!

Here’s hoping your scan reveals no liver abnormalities, here’s to hope for continued recovery from the trauma you’ve already experienced. AND here’s to that vacation you’ve been planning!

Best wishes!

Red