Tomorrow... 3 month results!

CherylHutch
CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Ok, this is weird... we all talk about scanxiety, which we get when we have to get our regular CAT scans... wondering if the treatments are doing what they are suppose to or does the cancer have the upper hand. I have heard many folk say how anxious they are when going to get these scans, even though, they aren't getting the results until they meet with their oncologist, which is not usually the same day as the scan.

I had my first CAT scan on Friday, since I started the Xeloda 4 cycles ago. This scan is to get results for three things:

1) are there any new growths anywhere that we were not aware of on the previous scan?

2) are the two tumours in the lungs that showed they were starting to grow, now started responding to the Xeloda and are showing signs of shrinking?

3) The growth in my kidney... has it responded to the Xeloda, or is it merrily growing away on it's own, oblivious to any Xeloda chemo running through my system?

The first point is a given... they check for new growths every time we get a scan. So that doesn't freak me out. The second point, my gut feeling is that of course the two tumours are responding to the chemo... why wouldn't they?? Not only that, all the little tiny ones that were being very lazy and not doing anything for the last three years, they should be shrinking away to nothing (says my gut feeling).

The third point... that's the enigma. IF it is responding to the Xeloda, then we will know that it is a spread of the colon cancer, which means that the damn bugger has spread to my adrenal gland (which I had surgically removed, multiple nodules in both lungs (which I'm hoping the Xeloda is dealing with) and now a spread to the kidney (which hopefully the Xeloda will deal with that as well). If the growth in the kidney is NOT responding to the Xeloda, then they feel that will mean this is a new primary cancer (Kidney Cancer). We will then discuss the treatment plan for that, of which we were talking just blasting it away with an RFA procedure and be done with it.

Soooo... the results, no matter what they are will mean there's more to do. Continuation of the Xeloda plus an RFA procedure, or ???

Soooooo... wish me luck, gang!! I think what I'd like it to be is a new primary cancer. That we can deal with with the RFA procedure and then I can at least be relieved that the colon cancer has not spread :)

Cheryl
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Comments

  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    Good Luck Cheryl !
    I'm sure about your gut feeling gets right!
    Good vibs!
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    Good luck on your results. Nobody likes the scans or waiting for the results. They do tend to keep us on edge. Keep us posted.

    Kim
  • HollyID
    HollyID Member Posts: 946 Member
    Cheryl...
    Good luck, girl! We're all in your corner.

    Love and Hugs,

    Holly
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    HollyID said:

    Cheryl...
    Good luck, girl! We're all in your corner.

    Love and Hugs,

    Holly

    Cheryl
    hello darling girl...I was so glad/sad to see you posting here again after my stint in the northern woods. You have been missed...my girl.
    I am so sorry to hear of your latest complications.

    Sending you big Canadian hugs, a Timmie's and all best wishes for good results.....

    by the way you look like a million bucks...love your photo

    hugs, mags
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    Good luck Cheryl!
    Wishing you all the best with your results.
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    perky
    Cheryl,

    You are always so perky, no matter what you're going through or waiting to find out about. I love seeing your happy face in your pictures!

    Hoping to hear positive results!

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • luv3jay
    luv3jay Member Posts: 533 Member
    Sending positive thoughts
    Sending positive thoughts your way.

    Sheri
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    luv3jay said:

    Sending positive thoughts
    Sending positive thoughts your way.

    Sheri

    Cheryl....
    "TAKE A DEEP BREATH...... BREATHE..." hummmm...seems I've heard that before...LOL. Those darn scans you just can't help but wonder.... and think all kinds of stuff. So while were thinking lets just stay thinking good.... like you're doing and like you always do. Heck... you already got a game plan for the "ifs"...... gotta stay one step ahead..... AGAIN... you always do!!!! Take care my friend and let us know as soon as you can.

    Jennie
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    pullin' for you
    Hi Cheryl,

    You know I'm hoping you hear good news on your scan. We've talked before about how we've had some similarities, especially in the lungs. Hoping all goes well- will be looking for your results.

    Take care,
    Lisa
  • Lori-S
    Lori-S Member Posts: 1,277 Member
    Cheryl
    Good luck to you!
  • Sonia32
    Sonia32 Member Posts: 1,071 Member
    Good luck
    Thinking of you Cheryl.

    Hugs Sonia
  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    Fingers crossed
    Hoping for the best possible news for you on the results!

    Marie who loves kitties
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member

    Fingers crossed
    Hoping for the best possible news for you on the results!

    Marie who loves kitties

    Good luck and let us know
    Good luck and let us know soon!
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    GOOD NEWS!!
    Wow... we need a shot of good news and hope around here.... I was beginning to wonder if the moon and stars had collided or something. Not only am I ecstatic about today's results, but I'm thrilled that it can show others, especially the new folk who are probably wondering if the news is going to be bad, one by one.

    Well, I'm here to turn it around... I started it and I want others to join in and we can have one great big Group Celebration!!

    The three month scan could not be any better!! My oncologist had said that we were going to start off on the Xeloda (pronounced Za-Lauda... I had no idea!) but if that didn't show any sign of shrinkage then it would be back to the pump with the infusion of chemo. She felt that if we saw any sign of shrinkage then that is exactly where we would want to be at three months on Xeloda. Well... shrinkage we had! The worst of the problem tumours shrunk by 1/3!!! That's right... in three months, each of the tumours shrunk by 1/3 of their size they were three months ago. So the lung tumours are responding very very well to the Xeloda.

    The kidney growth is also shrinking so I said, "Rats... I guess that means that it IS a colon met" and she said, "Not necessarily. If it is kidney cancer, it's quite possible that it is responding to the Xeloda because this particular chemo is being used for more and more different cancers." Either way, she says she doesn't really care what kind of cancer it may or may not be... she would just like it out of there. Soooo, since it is showing signs of responding to the chemo and shrinking, we are going to stay on the Xeloda for another 4 cycles (3 months) and will have another scan in December. As long as the kidney tumour is shrinking that's fine... but the minute it stops shrinking, then off with it's head! We are going to have it zapped by RFA. The reason for letting it shrink rather than go in right now and zap it.... the smaller it is, the less Dr. So has to zap... and as long as it's shrinking, it's not hurting anything :)

    So I beez doing the Happy Shrinking Dance :D

    Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful thoughts and good energy!!

    Huggggggs,

    Cheryl
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member

    GOOD NEWS!!
    Wow... we need a shot of good news and hope around here.... I was beginning to wonder if the moon and stars had collided or something. Not only am I ecstatic about today's results, but I'm thrilled that it can show others, especially the new folk who are probably wondering if the news is going to be bad, one by one.

    Well, I'm here to turn it around... I started it and I want others to join in and we can have one great big Group Celebration!!

    The three month scan could not be any better!! My oncologist had said that we were going to start off on the Xeloda (pronounced Za-Lauda... I had no idea!) but if that didn't show any sign of shrinkage then it would be back to the pump with the infusion of chemo. She felt that if we saw any sign of shrinkage then that is exactly where we would want to be at three months on Xeloda. Well... shrinkage we had! The worst of the problem tumours shrunk by 1/3!!! That's right... in three months, each of the tumours shrunk by 1/3 of their size they were three months ago. So the lung tumours are responding very very well to the Xeloda.

    The kidney growth is also shrinking so I said, "Rats... I guess that means that it IS a colon met" and she said, "Not necessarily. If it is kidney cancer, it's quite possible that it is responding to the Xeloda because this particular chemo is being used for more and more different cancers." Either way, she says she doesn't really care what kind of cancer it may or may not be... she would just like it out of there. Soooo, since it is showing signs of responding to the chemo and shrinking, we are going to stay on the Xeloda for another 4 cycles (3 months) and will have another scan in December. As long as the kidney tumour is shrinking that's fine... but the minute it stops shrinking, then off with it's head! We are going to have it zapped by RFA. The reason for letting it shrink rather than go in right now and zap it.... the smaller it is, the less Dr. So has to zap... and as long as it's shrinking, it's not hurting anything :)

    So I beez doing the Happy Shrinking Dance :D

    Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful thoughts and good energy!!

    Huggggggs,

    Cheryl

    "Party On, Wayne".....
    Sounds like a great plan, Cheryl. Congrats on the good news and hope it continues to favors you:)

    -Craig
  • Sigma34
    Sigma34 Member Posts: 203

    GOOD NEWS!!
    Wow... we need a shot of good news and hope around here.... I was beginning to wonder if the moon and stars had collided or something. Not only am I ecstatic about today's results, but I'm thrilled that it can show others, especially the new folk who are probably wondering if the news is going to be bad, one by one.

    Well, I'm here to turn it around... I started it and I want others to join in and we can have one great big Group Celebration!!

    The three month scan could not be any better!! My oncologist had said that we were going to start off on the Xeloda (pronounced Za-Lauda... I had no idea!) but if that didn't show any sign of shrinkage then it would be back to the pump with the infusion of chemo. She felt that if we saw any sign of shrinkage then that is exactly where we would want to be at three months on Xeloda. Well... shrinkage we had! The worst of the problem tumours shrunk by 1/3!!! That's right... in three months, each of the tumours shrunk by 1/3 of their size they were three months ago. So the lung tumours are responding very very well to the Xeloda.

    The kidney growth is also shrinking so I said, "Rats... I guess that means that it IS a colon met" and she said, "Not necessarily. If it is kidney cancer, it's quite possible that it is responding to the Xeloda because this particular chemo is being used for more and more different cancers." Either way, she says she doesn't really care what kind of cancer it may or may not be... she would just like it out of there. Soooo, since it is showing signs of responding to the chemo and shrinking, we are going to stay on the Xeloda for another 4 cycles (3 months) and will have another scan in December. As long as the kidney tumour is shrinking that's fine... but the minute it stops shrinking, then off with it's head! We are going to have it zapped by RFA. The reason for letting it shrink rather than go in right now and zap it.... the smaller it is, the less Dr. So has to zap... and as long as it's shrinking, it's not hurting anything :)

    So I beez doing the Happy Shrinking Dance :D

    Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful thoughts and good energy!!

    Huggggggs,

    Cheryl

    I will do the dance with
    I will do the dance with you.

    Peace and Calm,

    Christine~
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    hooray!
    Cheryl,

    This is wonderful news!!!!! SO glad for you!!!

    Lisa
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    lisa42 said:

    hooray!
    Cheryl,

    This is wonderful news!!!!! SO glad for you!!!

    Lisa

    Thanks!! ::dance dance dance::
    Hehehe... I came right here to this topic to post the good news and thought I was starting a new trend... but I see we have other good news too... so the trend has definitely started!! We need to have more good news stories to offset the sad ones that we've had kick us all in the stomach over and over again this past month or so.

    But good news is out there... and I wish it for every single one of us!

    Cheryl
  • PGLGreg
    PGLGreg Member Posts: 731

    GOOD NEWS!!
    Wow... we need a shot of good news and hope around here.... I was beginning to wonder if the moon and stars had collided or something. Not only am I ecstatic about today's results, but I'm thrilled that it can show others, especially the new folk who are probably wondering if the news is going to be bad, one by one.

    Well, I'm here to turn it around... I started it and I want others to join in and we can have one great big Group Celebration!!

    The three month scan could not be any better!! My oncologist had said that we were going to start off on the Xeloda (pronounced Za-Lauda... I had no idea!) but if that didn't show any sign of shrinkage then it would be back to the pump with the infusion of chemo. She felt that if we saw any sign of shrinkage then that is exactly where we would want to be at three months on Xeloda. Well... shrinkage we had! The worst of the problem tumours shrunk by 1/3!!! That's right... in three months, each of the tumours shrunk by 1/3 of their size they were three months ago. So the lung tumours are responding very very well to the Xeloda.

    The kidney growth is also shrinking so I said, "Rats... I guess that means that it IS a colon met" and she said, "Not necessarily. If it is kidney cancer, it's quite possible that it is responding to the Xeloda because this particular chemo is being used for more and more different cancers." Either way, she says she doesn't really care what kind of cancer it may or may not be... she would just like it out of there. Soooo, since it is showing signs of responding to the chemo and shrinking, we are going to stay on the Xeloda for another 4 cycles (3 months) and will have another scan in December. As long as the kidney tumour is shrinking that's fine... but the minute it stops shrinking, then off with it's head! We are going to have it zapped by RFA. The reason for letting it shrink rather than go in right now and zap it.... the smaller it is, the less Dr. So has to zap... and as long as it's shrinking, it's not hurting anything :)

    So I beez doing the Happy Shrinking Dance :D

    Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful thoughts and good energy!!

    Huggggggs,

    Cheryl

    Zel-O-duh
    On the pronunciation question, Za-Lauda is hard to believe. I found a phonetic rendering Zel-O-duh and an audio recording of Kelsey Grammer saying it, here:
    http://www.breastcancer.org/dictionary/x/Xeloda_t.jsp .

    Would I be wishing you good luck if I hope you have kidney cancer? Well, whatever exactly good luck is, I hope you have it.

    --Greg
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    PGLGreg said:

    Zel-O-duh
    On the pronunciation question, Za-Lauda is hard to believe. I found a phonetic rendering Zel-O-duh and an audio recording of Kelsey Grammer saying it, here:
    http://www.breastcancer.org/dictionary/x/Xeloda_t.jsp .

    Would I be wishing you good luck if I hope you have kidney cancer? Well, whatever exactly good luck is, I hope you have it.

    --Greg

    Thanks, Greg :)
    Hehehe... you beez speaking Americanese!! You say Zel-O-duh and we say Za-Lauda :) That does not surprise me... we speak two different versions of the English language (Americanese and Canadianese) ... throw in some accents and I bet there are other versions of how people pronounce it, too!

    What I was getting at is, I had never actually pronounced it. Here, we type the word, so never have to say it. When talking to my oncologist, we don't call it by the American brand name... it is referred to as Capecitabine, which is even harder for me to pronounce.


    Capecitabine

    Brand Name: Xeloda®

    Drug Type:

    Capecitabine is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. Capecitabine is classified as an "antimetabolite." (For more detail, see "How Capecitabine Works" section below).

    What Capecitabine Is Used For:

    Metastatic colon or rectal cancer
    Metastatic breast cancer
    Note: If a drug has been approved for one use, physicians may elect to use this same drug for other problems if they believe it may be helpful.

    How Capecitabine Is Given:

    Taken as a pill by mouth.
    Take after food (within 30 minutes of a meal) with water. (Usually taken in a divided dose 12 hours apart).
    Tablets come in 2 sizes; 150mg and 500mg.
    Do not crush, chew or dissolve tablets.
    The amount of Capecitabine that you will receive depends on many factors, including your height and weight, your general health or other health problems, and the type of cancer or condition being treated. Your doctor will determine your dose and schedule.

    So, yes, if you are American I suppose you do pronounce it Zel-O-duh, but my oncologist and I are not American, so alas, we don't pronounce that way, or how Kelsey Grammar pronounces it (who also happens to be American). I bet you someone with an English accent would sound different again ;)

    Hahaha... funny you should mention that about Good Luck. I didn't really know what would have been a good result... saying that the growth in the kidney was a colon met and can be treated with Xeloda or that it is a Kidney primary cancer, in which case we would get rid of it via RFA. On the one hand, the last thing I like hearing is we have found another met in a totally different area of the body... but I also don't want to hear I have multiple cancers ;)

    I do much better in my little world of Denial. It's a peaceful place

    Cheryl