Cea rise

Hi Rochelle19

Sorry to hear that . Your team have acted fast and that in itself is important. Lung nodules are reported to be slow growing if that’s what you are thinking . My mum had three nodules they watched for two years . Started at 2 mm and when it got to 8 mm they decided it was doubling in value and time to act . 
A PET scan did have uptake for one which they were able to remove via VATs surgery and she was home two days later . This procedure was easier than her bowel / liver surgery by far . Marianne26 has used Radio frequency ablation to deal with two lung mets .

My mum’s oncologist told her they can actually stay static for as long as two years before suddenly starting to grow . Hope that gives you a wee bit hope . My mum did not need chemo prior to surgery or after .

Its a horrible process to go through and I will be thinking of you .

Take care ,

Court 

Thank you for your reply ️ Do you know how high your mums cea level was with the lung mets? I keep thinking if they were 3 mm in Jan with cea of 2.3, they must be big to make a jump up to 99? I'm going out of my mind with worry. I was diagnosed 2nd July last year, so I feel like I'm starting the journey all over again.                                                       That's reassuring to hear of your mum's treatment of the lung mets though. The thought of chemo again horrifies me, so fingers crossed I don't  need it.                          Thanks again, this group always manages to calm me down x

My mum’s chemo hardly shifted with her lung mets but over the space of six months it had only grown 2mm . Some people just express more CEA protein than others . Thankfully it does not correlate with size of spread . My mum had five cm liver mental and her CEA was 7. Something! I would read nothing into the CEA level . Whereas her liver mental grew like wildfire her lung mets were really , really slow .

I can totally understand what you mean about dates . It happened to my mum and I became quite fearful of a certain month but thankfully that cycle was broken and it really is something you can move in from . 

My mum has never had another issue with her lungs since and she was operated on back in 2016! Six years ago now . 

Hoping for the very best for you .

Court 

Thanks Court. I need to pull myself together! Again.... once I know what we're looking at and a plan is put together, I may feel better. So do you think that the cea number doesn't affect the amount of spread?                             Thanks for your time x

I have never seen anything that indicated that .  Some people just express more than others . 

You are doing very well handling this very difficult situation . Quite remarkable in fact .

Both my mum and myself found it much better with a good solution on the table . The unknown aspects are the thoughts that become hard to tame . We actually did not know they were monitoring my mum’s lungs . Although it was a bit of a surprise I found it helpful . However apparently each scan had them marked and each radiologist compared them and actioned when required . Robust scanning was a game changer for my mum . 

Not long now and you will be further forward and a bit of direction and support around this .

Take care ,

Court 

Your advice and experience are so appreciated. You've no idea how much its helped chatting to you. I'm going to try and switch my mind off now.                                     Best wishes. X

Hope your scan went smoothly Rochelle19. 
Thinking of you ,

Court 

Ah thanks Court. The scan itself was fine, it's the waiting around that's the hard bit. I'm just praying they can do something for me. I'll let you know when I find out. Thanks x

Hi Court, just an update from my scan. So the 2 small lung nodules haven't grown at all!! However I have a liver lesion 1.8 x 2.2cm.I'm devastated and feel like I'm back to square one again. The consultant rang and said I have to have a pet scan and as long as nothing else flags up, it is treatable.

 I was wondering if you could answer a question for me? When it spreads to another organ, does it have to spread to its nearby lymph nodes again to spread?

Many thanks in advance. Enjoy your day.

Michelle x

Hi Rochelle19

So sorry to hear your recent news . If you consider it the size of a large grape compared to the size of the liver then it would possible not be regarded as a large tumour load and hence the reason your oncologist is talking in terms of treatment . They only do that if they feel it falls within that remit . 
To put that into context my mum had five liver mets , with one being around five cm.  The second year she had a further five . She had a large resection removing 73% of her liver which has fully regenerated and works incredibly well .

However it does mean more intervention and it’s a hard time processing all of that . We are hear for that . Macmillan has teamed up with Bupa and do six free counselling sessions if you feel that’s helpful for you . 

I am no dr but if you look at a photo of the lymphatic chain . The bowel sits  closes to the lymphatic chain that leads to the liver ( basic explanation ) that is why it’s the first port of call often . However it’s also why bowel cancer spread to the liver has more options than some other primary cancers where it has a more complex lymphatic spread and has gone to other places  . It gives them the potential to remove it .

I think it can also spread in the blood but given my mum’s tumour was right side ascending the liver and lymphatic route seems most likely for her . However after chemo she did not have one live cancer cell in her lymphatic nodes that were removed . It’s one we will never know I think .

Your team will be all over this and come up with a good treatment plan . Great news with the lungs . 

Take the time you need to find your feet with this . We are here for you and I will link in a booklet which shows you the various options open to the surgeons/radiology and oncologist in a bowel cancer setting .

One step at a time and lots of good solutions going forward .

Here anytime you need to chat .

I will also try and get you some better info on lymphatic spread which is more accurate . 
Take care ,

Court