A UFO??

dixchi
dixchi Member Posts: 431
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Is it a UFO or what? I really don't know what to think about my
latest PET/CT results. The report finds no evidence of CA anywhere
but an unidentified spot on the edge of my liver where the surgery
was done in July 08....has not changed since last scan done in
December but now the surgeon wants to know what it is....guess
cause it still lights up.....scheduling another CT scan, bi-phasic
one this time I think. Someone told me that liver does not get
scar tissue?? So what else could it be....maybe a UFO that can fly
right on outta there! Send some positive vibes this direction!

Barbara

Comments

  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    #2
    Liver stuff
    Hey Barbara,

    I'm sure the area is only the remains of your surgery. I don't think whoever told you the liver doesn't get scar tissue is quite right... for instance, cirrhosis(spelling?) is scarring of the liver. And I wouldn't be surprised if surgery causes some kind of scarring. The liver is an amazing organ in that it can replace damaged cells with healthy cells... but I'm not sure if surgery leaves scarring or not.

    Here's an interesting article on liver scarring... although, I have absolutely no idea if it has anything to do with your UFO spot :)


    Liver Centre at Toronto Western Hospital

    Hugggggs,

    Cheryl
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #3
    I have 3 (yeah, always must be better than everyone!!!)
    There are 3 'spots' on my liver that were first noticed on the original CT scan at the beginning of my journey. They were ultrasounded, CT'ed again 2 times, and always stayed the same...

    I have named them 'snap', 'crackle' and 'pop'.....or maybe they are just the onions that usually hang out with liver in that popular dish (I HATE cow's liver, BTW).

    Let them look and see, but I know many, many people with liver 'fat globs'.

    Hugs, Kathi
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #4
    OUT, OUT DA** SPOT!
    I have spots on my kidney, my liver and in my lungs - none of it's "growing" but sure gave me a case of the willies when they first reported it.

    Sending you totally positive vibes, Barbara!
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #5
    Willies
    Thanks for the good words, all. It truly is a mood lifter to come on here
    and get the perspectives and caring thoughts of others......yeh, I know
    the willies, did not sleep good last night at all. I had picked up a
    copy of the report on Thursday and was having a hard time deciding when
    I would read it.....didn't want to mess up my beautiful day, had lots to
    do.....then the surgeon's office called and I had to open my copy. I held
    on to the good news for most of yesterday....no ca anywhere else, spot
    could be anything.....then it started sinking in. But I have to give
    a good recommendation for zoloft.....I could be hunkered up in a cormer
    bawling my eyes out....and there is definitely a few willies in my stomach
    but overall I am doing fairly good.....the next few weeks I have a wildflower
    hike to go on...and my high school reunion is May 1-3.....and I'll be darned
    if I miss any of that......they can just wait if they need to do any surgery,etc.
    Love you all.

    Barbara
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #6
    dixchi said:

    Willies
    Thanks for the good words, all. It truly is a mood lifter to come on here
    and get the perspectives and caring thoughts of others......yeh, I know
    the willies, did not sleep good last night at all. I had picked up a
    copy of the report on Thursday and was having a hard time deciding when
    I would read it.....didn't want to mess up my beautiful day, had lots to
    do.....then the surgeon's office called and I had to open my copy. I held
    on to the good news for most of yesterday....no ca anywhere else, spot
    could be anything.....then it started sinking in. But I have to give
    a good recommendation for zoloft.....I could be hunkered up in a cormer
    bawling my eyes out....and there is definitely a few willies in my stomach
    but overall I am doing fairly good.....the next few weeks I have a wildflower
    hike to go on...and my high school reunion is May 1-3.....and I'll be darned
    if I miss any of that......they can just wait if they need to do any surgery,etc.
    Love you all.

    Barbara

    Barbara and Willie
    The spot could totally be a remnant from the earlier surgery. Try not to worry about it if you can (I too am a lover of Zoloft and Xanax too) but don't ignore it either. Enjoy the spring and the wildflower hike. That sounds great. I plant a wildflower mix every year on the side of our house. We get a nice assortment of flowers. Think flowers (but not daises)
    -phillie
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #7
    PhillieG said:

    Barbara and Willie
    The spot could totally be a remnant from the earlier surgery. Try not to worry about it if you can (I too am a lover of Zoloft and Xanax too) but don't ignore it either. Enjoy the spring and the wildflower hike. That sounds great. I plant a wildflower mix every year on the side of our house. We get a nice assortment of flowers. Think flowers (but not daises)
    -phillie

    Daisy
    Thanks, phillie, you made me laugh......don't plan to pushing any up any time soon..
    lol.
    Barbara
  • jsabol
    jsabol Member Posts: 1,145 Member
    #8
    Liver spots
    Hi Barbara,
    I hear you; my initial work-up CT showed 3 small spots which were "probably" nothing. Not very reassuring words to someone with a cancer diagnosis! The plan was take care of the colon cancer, and see what we were left to deal with. Good news: the darned spots never changed; my docs are sure they are little cysts and 5 years later they remain exactly the same, like a "little constellation" says my onc.
    Wishing you lucky stars, too,
    Judy
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #9
    jsabol said:

    Liver spots
    Hi Barbara,
    I hear you; my initial work-up CT showed 3 small spots which were "probably" nothing. Not very reassuring words to someone with a cancer diagnosis! The plan was take care of the colon cancer, and see what we were left to deal with. Good news: the darned spots never changed; my docs are sure they are little cysts and 5 years later they remain exactly the same, like a "little constellation" says my onc.
    Wishing you lucky stars, too,
    Judy

    Spots
    thanks judy.....hoping i have good luck, plan to get scan next
    week but anything more incapacitating i hope to negotiate with
    the doc to do it after may 3 so i can get to my reunion.....my
    worst scenario would be that a margin at surgery was not clean
    but it is interesting that the thing is just sitting there with
    no changes since last scan in Dec....go figure....and my chemo
    stopped in Dec.

    Barbara
  • PGLGreg
    PGLGreg Member Posts: 731
    #10
    dixchi said:

    Spots
    thanks judy.....hoping i have good luck, plan to get scan next
    week but anything more incapacitating i hope to negotiate with
    the doc to do it after may 3 so i can get to my reunion.....my
    worst scenario would be that a margin at surgery was not clean
    but it is interesting that the thing is just sitting there with
    no changes since last scan in Dec....go figure....and my chemo
    stopped in Dec.

    Barbara

    a curious surgeon
    That's the kind of surgeon I'm most like to have. But if he's keeping an eagle eye on that spot, that means you can relax and leave it to him.

    Greg
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #11
    Different Angle
    You know, that is a good way to look at it, thanks.

    Barbara
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    #12
    Hi,
    I have a friend who is
    Hi,

    I have a friend who is also going through rectal cancer treatment (stage III). Recently, she had a scare because the drs thought they saw something on her liver. After PET scans and further examination of it, they determined it's some kind of cyst and not cancer.

    Lisa
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    #13
    lisa42 said:

    Hi,
    I have a friend who is
    Hi,

    I have a friend who is also going through rectal cancer treatment (stage III). Recently, she had a scare because the drs thought they saw something on her liver. After PET scans and further examination of it, they determined it's some kind of cyst and not cancer.

    Lisa

    I would consider it good news
    Nobody wants to hear their cancer has returned, unfortunately 75-80% of us will. When my doctor told me my cancer had returned to my liver I hoped it was going to be in the liver that had grown back after the first operation. What great news it was when that was the case.
    Truly a stroke of good luck for me. Had it returned in the portion of liver that had been left behind there would have been little hope. So, don't fret too much. If your DR. could get to it the first time, he can get to it the second time. It's a hassle but one worth taking.
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #14
    Points
    Thanks Lisa and snowmmtj......some things to think about.
    Since it is only lighting up at the cut edge where surgery
    was done, that sounds promising.....not on other side of liver...
    altho since I have 50% remaining I guess a little more could
    be removed.....I remain positive. Just a CT scan in February
    showed nothing like a tumor or anything so I wonder just how
    much could have developed in two short months....hope the
    surgeon can figure it out.

    Barbara
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    #15
    dixchi said:

    Points
    Thanks Lisa and snowmmtj......some things to think about.
    Since it is only lighting up at the cut edge where surgery
    was done, that sounds promising.....not on other side of liver...
    altho since I have 50% remaining I guess a little more could
    be removed.....I remain positive. Just a CT scan in February
    showed nothing like a tumor or anything so I wonder just how
    much could have developed in two short months....hope the
    surgeon can figure it out.

    Barbara

    Good question
    By the time my liver had fully regrown about 2 months after surgery, I had a 7 cm tumor in the newly grown liver. Thats pretty big.

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