Almost 4 years ago I was diagnosed with stage 2A Colon cancer. I had a routine colonoscopy and they found it. I had no noticeable symptoms and I ended up having a colonectomy and was told I did not need chemo or radiation. The doctor actually said there’s nothing to chemo or radiate when I was first diagnosed my CEA test with 16.8 after about six months, it dropped down to 5.2 and every six months after that it’s been at around 3.0 My last test was in November 2025. I went yesterday. My test came back and it is now at 10.9. Of course I’m starting to panic. I’ve had no symptoms, everything seems to be going as normal. The only change in my routine was I have been on MS Contin ER 30 mg twice a day and oxycodone 10/325 tablets four times a day for chronic pain and I have suffered for over 20 years. I talked to my Pain clinic and decided I wanted to try to go off some of the narcotics because of the adverse effects, I slept all the time so in a month and a half I went down to 15 mg of MS Contin ER once a day. About a week and a half ago I cut back to three of the oxycodone tablets per day. I’m doing OK some mild withdrawal symptoms, insomnia, runny nose, watery eyes, and yes, some pain. But I’m just tired of taking them so what I’m wondering if anybody has experienced something like this is it possible that withdrawing/tapering from these opioids could cause a rise in my CEA? I don’t see my oncologist until next week and I’m panicking a little. I was told I would need a colonoscopy every year for the next five years after I was diagnosed, but I went two years ago and the surgeon that performed the colonoscopy said everything is so clean, don’t come back for three years.
