anyone had this happen

Monicaemilia said:

Keep the faith
I know you are scared, but first I would suggest not jumping to the worst conclusion. Radiologists automatically assume mets when they are dealing with a patient with a history of cancer, but it could be anything. IF, in fact, it turns out to be the dreaded word, the good news is that it is very small, it is solitary and if surgically removed, you are definitely CURABLE. I know that it is easier said than done, but please keep a positive attitude that whatever it is, you will be able to deal with it and you will be fine. Monica

CherylHutch said:

From one Canadian to another!
Hey Joyce... first, take a few deeeeeep breaths and give yourself some breathing room. As long as you are in a state of panic, no matter what you think it is going to be the absolute worst, the horror, the terror and what we all fear, the words "We can't do anything more." That's the worst part about this disease... when you are first told you have it, it doesn't matter what stage you have, it is absolutely terrifying. And that terror never seems to be too far away... no matter how long you have been doing just fine. It only takes a few words from the doctors/specialists -- "suspicious", "met", "tumour", "possible spread" and we are in just as much fear as we were when we got our first diagnosis. I know... been there, done that, numerous times over... and no matter what advice I give to others, I just know that if they find anything else that is "suspicious", I will go into a total panic. So believe me, we all understand where you are at and as much as I would like to say this is not normal... I think it's a pretty normal reaction. The tears, the fear, the terror.

Ok... now having said that, and you knowing that we DO understand, let's look at the reality of what's going on. Doctors are human. They have seen so many scans/xrays/ultrasound scans, that to them it's like us walking into a well-stocked bookstore and saying "Gee, that book looks good" or "I'm not sure I like the look of this one" or "That one looks awfully suspicious that it's the same as something I've read before". If you were in the bookstore with someone who doesn't often go into a bookstore and really has no interest in reading, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are thinking 1) Joyce knows a LOT about books 2) She can take one look at a book and know if it's good or not. 3) Wow... she can just look at that book and already be suspicious of it.

All these things your friend might be thinking in her head could be accurate... you might be right on all three points. Then again, you are just one human being who happens to enjoy books and can pick one up, look at the description or author and make an opinion. Yep, that's it... an opinion... and opinions can be wrong.

Our doctors are TRAINED to look for things. They are TRAINED to read published reports and statistics (again, someone else's opinions) and follow those reports until something new comes out to prove different. They are VERY skilled in their jobs, but the missing link here is everyone is different so we don't all fall in that nice, neat little statistical package.

The scan picked up a 6mm "something" on your liver. We all know that it is common for colon cancer to spread to the liver and lungs... although, guess what, it can spread to areas doctors are taught it won't spread to (in my case, to the adrenal gland). So, let's take the worst case scenerio... the one where you are so cared it's a 6mm Met. First, that is considered extremely small. 6mm is .263 of an inch. Try and figure that out on a ruler... .263 of an inch. That is soooo small, that it is hard to determine what it is, and is almost too small for them to even have found. But, ok, let's stick with the scenerio that it is a Met and it is cancerous. What are the options? If there's only the one, then they might suggest waiting for it to grow a bit bigger to make sure it is cancer, before taking it out (at the same time, this will let them know if there are any others that are just waiting to pop up). OR, they might say, let's go back on chemo to kill this one off and kill off any that might think they are going to grow. Or, they might suggest surgery to go in and cut this teeny tiny dot out. You might also ask your oncologist about ablation... that's my newest term that I've just learned . This is where, with the guidance of a CAT scan, the radiologist goes in with a fine needle, pokes the met and then zaps it with heat, burning it so it is no longer there. If ablation is possible, then you won't necessarily need chemo and saves you from surgery.

If you do need chemo, I had the same problems with oxipilatin. I hate that stuff even though I know it is good for the reasons we are taking it. But my oncologist said if we go on chemo again, she won't put me through the oxi again since that did cause so much discomfort. I then asked, "Well, isn't that putting me in danger by not using it?" And she said no... these tiny nodules (I have 6 of them in my lungs that are under 6mm) are in a different area and you are not just coming out of surgery. Totally different situation, so we would change the chemotherapy for you.

So there... that would be the absolute worst case scenerio. The best case scenerio... they have found a fatty deposit on your liver. I know, I know, we'd all like to say we don't have "fatty livers" , but these deposits are almost impossible to escape. Our western diet tends to be rich in the finer foods in life... and hence we end up getting fatty deposits in our livers. Or it can be a benign growth. Or it could be scarring. So it could be pretty much anything... but of course the doctors are automatically going to assume cancer since you've had cancer in the past... and now they go about testing to eliminate all the possibilities.

So please, try to calm down and give yourself a break. Whether it is nothing and you continue to pack those bags for the winter, or whether it's the news you don't want to hear... then celebrate that they have caught it soooo early and with it being soooo small!! They can deal with this and so can you

Huggggggs,

Cheryl

taraHK said:

Feed the faith, starve the fear
Hi Joyce,

I can certainly understand your feelings at the moment. Completely understandable. But, I agree with what others have said: we pay those doctors to be 'paranoid'! That is their job! My understanding is that it is VERY common to have "thingies" in the liver (or lung). I had a cyst detected on ultrasound of liver one time....So PROBABLY it is something like that. I know the waiting is excrutiating. If worse comes to worse -- which I hope/pray it does not -- you WILL be able to climb back on that horse and do what needs to be done. I have had a couple of recurrences. It is very hard to psychologically ready yourself again - but I did it, and so could you. Meanwhile, "feed the faith, starve the fear" -- let's assume it is "nothing" while you wait....And don't cancel Florida plans!

Love,
Tara

pamness said:

I haven't had exactly this, but....
It seems that every time I go for a CT or CEA or whatever, something pops up. So far everything has gone away on another scan or test, Ct's were showing shadows, blood was whatever.

I have 4 hemangiomas in my liver that showed up 16 years ago from an ultrasound to see if I had gall stones, scared me half to death. Hemangiomas in the liver occur in over 25 percent of population and are really just a collection of blood vessels, sort of like a birth mark. Most the time they would never be found, as they are bengin and not a threat to much of anything. But with all these new scans,etc. These things appear.

Keep a positive attitude that what showed up on the scan is "nothing" as is so often the case.

All the best,

Pam