'feelin a little dumb

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apache4
apache4 Member Posts: 272 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My last post about "feeling abandoned" must have been done when I was in panic mode. With the help of all your input, I called my onc and got the info I needed. I think we got so caught up in a referral process that everything went on hold. I am on a chemo "break", with a PET scan coming up and then the follow-up plan. My CEA remains around 7.6 which I will take for now. It never go below 3 even during treatment. Liver function is still good. Now, I am hoping that some of those beasties in there are dead. Thanks for everyone's input. It really helped me work past my doubts.

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  • livefreeordie
    livefreeordie Member Posts: 45
    #2
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    ok,
    speaking of feeling dumb, whats a CEA?

    My ONC doesnt have/give me any numbers for anything.. Other then red, white blood cell counts..
    thanks
  • jams67
    jams67 Member Posts: 925 Member
    #3
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    livefreeordie said:

    ok,
    speaking of feeling dumb, whats a CEA?

    My ONC doesnt have/give me any numbers for anything.. Other then red, white blood cell counts..
    thanks

    Tell onc you want the numbers. He is required to give you all the information he has, if you ask.
    Jo Ann
  • apache4
    apache4 Member Posts: 272 Member
    #4
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    livefreeordie said:

    ok,
    speaking of feeling dumb, whats a CEA?

    My ONC doesnt have/give me any numbers for anything.. Other then red, white blood cell counts..
    thanks

    I would go nuts without knowing my numbers. The CEA count is a number relating to cancer cells in the blood. Everyone has some so a count under 4 is supposed to be "normal". Over 10 is supposed to be a red flag for activity. The CEA and liver function #'s always seem to take a little longer so when I get them they are from the previous blood work...not that day like the red and whites. Hope this helps.
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #5
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    Apache4 -

    Keep up that great attitude! You know, I am a firm believer that attitude is 80% of your cure.

    For livefreeordie - CEA is carcinoembryonic antigen. It's a measurement of cancer cell activity. It is best used as an indicator over time... you get a baseline CEA and then compare subsequent CEA numbers to that to see if the number increases or decreases. It isn't always particularly accurate - my CEA when I had active cancer (pre-surgery/chemo) was around 1.0 Considered well within the "normal" range (tell that to the three pingpong balls of cancer sticking out of my colon into my viscera!

    Hoping that more and more of those beasties are dead!

    - SpongeBob

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