I don't know what to think about these test results

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
09/18/2019 at 16:30 • Filed to: None

I just got the results of my CEA test, the one that shows indications of colon cancer. The normal range is from 0 to 4.7. I was at 17 something before surgery and 4.0 after. Now, after six months of chemo hell I’m at 4.6. It’s still within the normal range, but higher than it was post-surgery. I’ve got a message into the doctor to get clarification on this and to figure out if I should be alarmed or not. I do have several tests coming up next month, including endoscopy, colonoscopy and multiple CT scans. Those should help clarify the situation, but I’m still in limbo.

I’m supposed to return to work next Monday. I just wonder how well I’m going to do when worrying about this stuff. Should I extend my leave until the tests are over? My oncologist was not helpful when it came to applying for short-term disability when trying to finish/recover from chemo, and I don’t think he’s going to be much help now. I’m sure he sees much worse cases than mine, but I’m really only concerned about myself right now, for obvious reasons, and only getting by financially with the help of family. I don’t want to extend that further if I don’t have to, but I’m just a little confused right now.

Sorry for the rambling. My mind is just going a mile a minute right now and I’m a little unfocused...

DISCUSSION (11)

ttyymmnn > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 16:53

Last year, I was having pain in my esophagus when I was swallowing, and the doctor said it could be a number of things, including esophageal cancer, which he helpfully added can be particularly aggressive. I smoked at least one cigar a day for 25 years. I was slated for a battery of tests, X rays, CT scans, upper GI, etc. It turned out that I actually have a hiatal hernia, not cancer, but the two weeks between him saying that and finally finding out were absolute hell. I was miserable, scared, all of it. So while it ended up being not-cancer, I think I can understand at least a little of what you are going through.

I don’t know how accurate that CEA test is. In fact, a little googling seems to indicate that it’s not a very good test at all.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28282381

It would be useless for me to say, “Don’t worry.” I would say be concerned, don’t ignore it, but try not to let yourself become obsessed with worry until you know more. Easy to say, I know.

Best wishes.

MM54 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 16:53

I don’t know what to tell you. That is great that you’re down so much from earlier though, and a 0.6 variation when compared to going from 17 to 4 sounds like nothing to be too worried over.

Is your work the sort of thing that might help take your mind off of things, or would it give you ‘too much’ time to think? That would be a big factor for me.

I know nothing about any of this stuff, but I do wish you the best.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > ttyymmnn
09/18/2019 at 17:09

Upon doing a little more research I found that CEA levels can be elevated by things such as polyps (yeah, I got those), ulcerative colitis (possible), peptic ulcer (yeah, probably have that - the endoscopy will tell), inflamation (yup). I guess I’ll wait until the next round of tests to see if I should be concerned or not.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > MM54
09/18/2019 at 17:11

Thanks for the kind words. A little more research has shown several other conditions that I probably have that could be causing a spike, so I’m going to chill (if that’s possible) until the next round of test results.

Cash Rewards > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 17:13

Things you need to find out are the variability of the test (same sample, range of acceptable results), and your day to day variability (4.6 today, 4.0 tomorrow?). That will help you decide this time, and all the future times

Spanfeller is a twat > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 17:13

Hopefully the other tests show more encouraging results!

You should push your doctor into telling you more about the test and how reliable it is though...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Spanfeller is a twat
09/18/2019 at 17:21

I’ve already have a message in the system to him and just waiting to hear back.

Spanfeller is a twat > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 17:26

Don’t let the number consume you, maybe you could ask your employer about the possibility of starting with a lighter workload and see how you feel with that.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/18/2019 at 19:21

Colon cancer..... That’s shitty

Sorry I had to. Good luck.

PG; the scalpel wielder > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/19/2019 at 02:51

I won't deluge too much information, but since this stuff is my career (general surgery resident) I would say that the change is minor. You already have the investigations booked. There is nothing much else you can do in the meantime. Keep positive and distract yourself with your work

Tripper > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
09/19/2019 at 09:10

Wanting/waiting for info in the medical field is the absolute worst. I hope you get some answers soon and that the other tests alleviate your concerns.