All kinds of Fun Things Planned..........
 

Well, this New Year is not starting out too good (understatement).....

I met with GI specialist, my neuro referred me to (he got me in today.)

GI specialist is scheduling me for:

1. CT scan of abdomen & pelvis - (lots of radiation)

2. Endoscopy

3. Colonoscopy

4. Repeat blood work

This is all because of the elevated CA19-9.

I am going to have the test repeated (he wrote script for repeat test), before I go for CT (just in case test results come back ok this time.) Don't want all that radiation if this high reading turns out to be a fluke.

I will procede with Endoscopy & Colonoscopy (never had one.)

Please pray, wish, hope (whatever your inclination is) that this is all a false alarm.

I am a mess right now.

Thanks my friends.

Hang on in there until you get confirmation of what is wrong, we had a terrible Christmas with my dad three years ago- he also suffered terribly from PN amongst other things and during a routine appointment he was faced with the news his blood results showed an aggressive form of cancer and there wasn't much hope for him as this cancer wasn't present in his blood 3 months before. As you can imagine we had a terrible holiday but all tried to make the best of it, the week after the holiday period he visited his GP who made some calls and wait for it THEY HAD MIXED UP HIS RESULTS with someone dying of cancer-2consultants and an administrator had not checked his name and details!!!!
Sadly he couldn't get his head round this and died a week later at the age of 64 so please please please try not to stress too much until you have all the tests done. We believe my dad frightened himself to death......[/QUOTE]

OK? Sounds like your docs are being PROACTIVE?
 

Rather than 'inactive' or 'reactive'!
It to me, [and I'm not a doc?] sounds like you are getting a full-workup for a the whole. W/blood tests for the CA19-9 Test one summary here:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/unders...19_9/test.html
This does NOT mean that you have any issues here? Just that it is something to TEST and hopefully rule out.. as are all your tests outlined.
As for Endo and Colon scopes? Just follow directions your doc or the specialist gives you TO THE LETTER! And, likely all will be fine. I've had both, more than once, and I'm still kicking stuffs! Usually the preps are worse than the actual tests..they either put you OUT or in 'twilight' [not really conscious]. There ARE times? Such as these, when it IS best to be OUT of it! Just ask solid questions about the 'care and feeding' of YOU both before and more importantly AFTER!
Then, there are the horrid 'waits' for test results. Some take a few days, others weeks! I've been thru soo many of these? You simply cannot allow yourself to panic, why? Because 95% of the tests are tame. Once you get any test results to worry about? THEN just find out about WHAT IT, whatever 'it' is? IS! Do not bust your brain with the what-ifs yet. Save your energies for the relief or the prospect of even more tests? THEN put your thinking cap on and read the stickies! Then cross bridges and panic if needed. Tho these days? Usually not needed - the panic, that is.
Hey, many here have been tested out the wazoo and beyond. Some to result, I'm luckily one of them [for several issues, including cancer-Got 4 months more to go and I'm at 5 YEARS! :Head-Spin:], and others they simply don't know about ...YET.
Advice? Keep your head screwed on straight! You've got a doc who IS testing you right and proper so far, and You've got support here and elsewhere to get you thru! Never underestimate family and good friends! You'd be surprised how helpful all can be IF they can wrap their brains around your problems!
DON'T PANIC! Save it for later? Please??? Hugs and hope!!!! :hug::hug::hug::hug:'s - j

Add this summary to info overload?:
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/...ml&labCode=SJC Fun reading!

That is great the GI doc saw you so fast. I'm glad they are going to repeat the blood work.

I've had 2 endoscopies done. They were both a piece of cake, didn't remember a thing at all. I just went home and slept the rest of the day.

I know that the wait game is so hard. But it does sound like your Dr's are doing a good job. I'm glad for that. Will keep you in my prayers.

Tests are not an end in of themselves.

They can be done wrong. They can be interpreted wrong.
We have the tests on paper, but really, most medical things don't always fit and often there can be rogue results.

Simple tests, like potassium levels can be very erroneous. This has a name called "factitious" results. False positives and false negatives abound in every area of testing.

Not too long ago Quest diagnostics admitted to having all wrong Vit D test results! They were using the wrong calibration.

So while it is important to rule out things, getting too upset in the beginning, can only make you feel worse on a day to day basis.

You might have a benign thing going on in your gall bladder, some stones or inflammation. That is one thing that test reveals.
This is very common... so I'd focus on that for now.
Stress is very harmful to PN symptoms, so keep that in mind.

All of us at one time or other have had this feeling, and gone thru testing anxiety. Once my Grandmother's doctor told her she had a spot on her lung... prematurely...before the films were totally dry and developed. She obsessed about that for a week and went back, and nada... all clear. It was totally painful to watch at home!

BOOYAH!

Are there any symptoms/conditions stress isn't harmful to? :D

Doc

i had a false result on an A1C test. I had been testing a few times in the 5% range and then one test came back over 10%. The test is a 90 day range of the average amount of glucose in your blood. You should be under 7% but many doctors say over 6 is anindication of diabetes. The doctor started to talk about diabetes. I said wait the test has to be in error because i had had one 45 days before and it would be impossible for the result to have doubled since half of the time period overlapped the previous A1C. The doctor said oh yeah, literally, and gave me another blood test which again was back in the 5% range.

What is going on with your tests? Any results yet? Thinking about you!

Well..........
 

It just so happens, I do have a few thing to tell.......

I had blood retested and an upper endescopy done.

Doc found erosions on endoscopy (mild-ulcers), told me to stop baby aspirin a day. Next stop a heart attack!!! Can't win!

Ca19-9 bood test (the tumor marker) went down to 47, was 56, but abnormal if over 37..........go figure, I'm not sure how to feel.
It is still abnormal, but if it is cancer, I wouldn't think it would go down without treatment, but I suppose fluctuation is possible in a cancerous tumor, not sure if I should be happy at all, or remain scared and miserable!

Doc's Medical Assistant just called me today with these results, said Doc wants to follow through on CT scan and of course Colonoscopy, which is scheduled for next Monday.

Thanks for the thoughts, I appreciate the support so much.

Would wonder what an oncologist would say about that test result.