Too much testing?

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ninetoes
ninetoes Member Posts: 81
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hey everyone. I don't post very much but do read everyday. I go in today for my 6 month onc visit and was wondering if I would be crazy to ask for a CT scan? I have been clean for 2 years but have had a lot of pain at my incision site over the past few months. My colonoscopy in April showed some irritation at that site but nothing else. I also had a lot of pain with my bladder, and had that checked for prostate cancer, that was negative. I know that colon cancer usually spreads to the liver and then the lungs, is a CT scan the correct test for that? Or can they find out with just blood work. I'm very worried and was wondering if anyone else is a paranoid as me and has any advice?


Dave

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  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #2
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    Dave
    rest assured Dave all of us fuss and worry....totally normal dear boy

    dave do you ever have your CEA's done This is a simple blood test used with colorectal patients....I have this blood test done every 3 months. Yes a CT scan is used to show any activity in the liver or lung and I would not be afaid to ask for one...put your mind at ease so to speak.

    take best care

    maggie
  • ninetoes
    ninetoes Member Posts: 81
    #3
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    maglets said:

    Dave
    rest assured Dave all of us fuss and worry....totally normal dear boy

    dave do you ever have your CEA's done This is a simple blood test used with colorectal patients....I have this blood test done every 3 months. Yes a CT scan is used to show any activity in the liver or lung and I would not be afaid to ask for one...put your mind at ease so to speak.

    take best care

    maggie

    Maggie,
    yes I get the CEA
    Maggie,

    yes I get the CEA test, I guess I just worry too much. But I think I will ask for the scan just in case. Thanks for the reply.

    Dave
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #4
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    ninetoes said:

    Maggie,
    yes I get the CEA
    Maggie,

    yes I get the CEA test, I guess I just worry too much. But I think I will ask for the scan just in case. Thanks for the reply.

    Dave

    okay
    okay dave....good to hear you get the cea's that's good..

    I have had sooo many ct scans I should be glowing. for me it was the ct scan that picked up the liver mets . the radiologist found them twice and I have had 2 liver resections. Actually Dave i had ct yesterday and the radiologist talked to me about having so many scans. he knows it is a lot of radiation but he feels it is difficult to quantify the risk...because of the history the benefits still outweigh the risk....

    he also said that the risks usually take about 45 years to appear.....haha dave i am 65 years old....I am thinking I won't be round....in 45 years....

    by the way after seven years.....i could hardly breathe yesterday....my stomach was churning, my scar tissue was aching.....you are not paranoid or alone

    love, mags
  • laurettas
    laurettas Member Posts: 372
    #5
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    Scar tissue
    Hi Dave,

    My dad had stage III colon cancer in 2000 and had chemo and radiation after surgery to remove the tumor. A few years later he started having symptoms and eventually they found out that scar tissue--they think from the radiation--had spread throughout his abdomen and was pinching his small intestine. I knew another women who had a tubal ligation that had scar tissue grow throughout her abdomen also. So, just a heads up that sometimes troubles can be caused from something like that and not be cancer at all.
  • ninetoes
    ninetoes Member Posts: 81
    #6
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    maglets said:

    okay
    okay dave....good to hear you get the cea's that's good..

    I have had sooo many ct scans I should be glowing. for me it was the ct scan that picked up the liver mets . the radiologist found them twice and I have had 2 liver resections. Actually Dave i had ct yesterday and the radiologist talked to me about having so many scans. he knows it is a lot of radiation but he feels it is difficult to quantify the risk...because of the history the benefits still outweigh the risk....

    he also said that the risks usually take about 45 years to appear.....haha dave i am 65 years old....I am thinking I won't be round....in 45 years....

    by the way after seven years.....i could hardly breathe yesterday....my stomach was churning, my scar tissue was aching.....you are not paranoid or alone

    love, mags

    Thanks, I'm 53 and I know I
    Thanks, I'm 53 and I know I won't be here in 45 years!:) Every time I say something to my GP about the scar tissue I think he thinks I'm crazy. So, I'm going to tell my onc that I want the scan. Better safe then sorry.

    Dave
  • ninetoes
    ninetoes Member Posts: 81
    #7
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    laurettas said:

    Scar tissue
    Hi Dave,

    My dad had stage III colon cancer in 2000 and had chemo and radiation after surgery to remove the tumor. A few years later he started having symptoms and eventually they found out that scar tissue--they think from the radiation--had spread throughout his abdomen and was pinching his small intestine. I knew another women who had a tubal ligation that had scar tissue grow throughout her abdomen also. So, just a heads up that sometimes troubles can be caused from something like that and not be cancer at all.

    That's what I'm worried
    That's what I'm worried about. I don't think it's cancer, but I know having regular pains in that area is not normal.

    Thanks for the reply.

    Dave
  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #8
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    maglets said:

    okay
    okay dave....good to hear you get the cea's that's good..

    I have had sooo many ct scans I should be glowing. for me it was the ct scan that picked up the liver mets . the radiologist found them twice and I have had 2 liver resections. Actually Dave i had ct yesterday and the radiologist talked to me about having so many scans. he knows it is a lot of radiation but he feels it is difficult to quantify the risk...because of the history the benefits still outweigh the risk....

    he also said that the risks usually take about 45 years to appear.....haha dave i am 65 years old....I am thinking I won't be round....in 45 years....

    by the way after seven years.....i could hardly breathe yesterday....my stomach was churning, my scar tissue was aching.....you are not paranoid or alone

    love, mags

    Stage IV
    Your case is so similar to mine. I am a six year survivor. I have had 2 liver resections as well. I too have had countless CT scans, PET scans, MRI's that I have gone frome getting them every 3 months to every 6 months to now once a year. Ironically I just had my anual CT scan yesterday as well. I feel confident that it is clean but as the waiting game continues I get more and more uptight. I hate it. It is not right that we are forced to wait for something so important. I have to call the doctors office several times after each scan. One time I went down to the doctors office and demanded the report and read it myself. I tried to get it directly from the radiologist but said it is policy to send it to my doctor first.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #9
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    Scan
    Yes go ahead and ask for the scan. It will rule things out and make you feel more comfortable knowing that they are looking to see what might be causing it. Sure you are fine though. My CEA never waivers so watching mine is pointless. Just thought about you a couple weeks ago and wondering how you were doing. Good to see your post.

    Kim

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