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Scanziety


catlady91

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My mum has a PET scan on July 28, in 4 days. My mum's last CT showed that the tumour diminished by half. I know that scans are normal but I can't help feeling anxious. My mum has been doing really well. Apart from a painful ulcer in her mouth (which may be a side effect from immunotherapy), she's been doing well. I have dreams about my my mum's scans, good and bad. I had a dream before her last scan in May, that a doctor said it was bad news. Last night I dreamt that they said that it was goods news and were going to operate to remove the tumour. I'm scared that whenever I have a bad dream, it means something good and when it's a good dream it means something bad.

What are you tips for dealing with scanziety?

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I try to keep busy with stuff I can actually do something about. 

I had a PET CT yesterday to evaluate a new nodule in my "other" lung (lobectomy of upper left three years ago) and have been a bit on pins and needles thinking I MIGHT hear from the oncologist about the results today. Of course, a watched lab result never boils, so no call yet but I tried to get caught up with some work stuff I'd neglected over the past couple of weeks. I get the superstitious feelings, but I keep reminding myself that worrying doesn't help anything.

Hope the next scan for your mom is a good one!

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I guess after a while you get so used to these scans that it stops bothering you. Even my mum's doctor said not to worry too much. My mum isn't that bothered about the scan. I think I'm more bothered than she is. I'm trying to be positive. The scan in May showed a reduction in the tumor by half so I don't think that it's likely that the cancer would have progressed unless it can progress that quickly but my mum was diagnosed in Feb. 

God cancer is so scary and unpredictable but I'm trying to stay positive. My mum is a fighter and her team are so positive and aiming to cure her. 

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In my experience, the best way to deal with this stuff is to maintain a flexible mindset. Cancer is weird and sneaky. I was pretty sure I had clear sailing after so many uneventful scans, but then *boom*. On the other hand, some people whose options are dwindling happen to hit on the treatment that works for them, and suddenly they are making wonderful progress and stay there. There are new treatments all the time, and for lots of people it's a matter of hitting on the right treatment--something that's not always obvious to the medical profession for everyone at every time. But the overall outlook for lung cancer is spectacular compared to what it used to be. Try to have faith that if her progress slows, there are plenty of other tactics in the toolbox.

 

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It does indeed seem like there's been a huge improvement in treating lung cancer and there are so many options. I hope that my mum's progress will continue. So far she's doing really well.

Would you tell me a bit about your cancer journey LexieCat? 

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Not much to tell, compared to a lot of people. I was in a lung cancer screening program for people with a significant smoking history. First scan, several nodules were found, so they re-scanned in three months. No changes, so scheduled for another in a year. At the next scan, one of the nodules had grown and was spiculated in appearance. I was scheduled for lung surgery and had a PET CT, in which only the one nodule of concern lit up. I had an upper left lobectomy, and all my lymph nodes were clear. I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, Stage Ib (surgeon felt it was Ia, but there was a debate about whether the nodule had invaded the pleura--pathologist believed it had, surgeon disagreed, but pathologist won the argument). I was given the option of chemo, but my oncologist and surgeon both felt it would be of minimal benefit, so I opted out of that. All this was in July 2017.

Since then, I've had scans every six months. This was to be my last 6-month scan before they dropped back to annual. But this time an area of consolidation they had seen on the previous scan has become more solid. So that's why they believe it's another cancer. I'm told this is almost certainly unrelated to the first cancer (i.e., it didn't spread there from the first one--it just developed on its own). I'm hoping that if it does turn out to be cancer it can be treated with radiation rather than another surgery removing another portion of lung. But we have to wait and see. I had the PET CT yesterday and was thinking I MIGHT get the results today, but so far no news. Hopefully my doctor will call soon--it sucks waiting for test results.

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12 hours ago, catlady91 said:

I guess after a while you get so used to these scans that it stops bothering you. Even my mum's doctor said not to worry too much. My mum isn't that bothered about the scan. I think I'm more bothered than she is. I'm trying to be positive. The scan in May showed a reduction in the tumor by half so I don't think that it's likely that the cancer would have progressed unless it can progress that quickly but my mum was diagnosed in Feb. 

God cancer is so scary and unpredictable but I'm trying to stay positive. My mum is a fighter and her team are so positive and aiming to cure her. 

My oncologist does not seem concerned about the scan result either. I am scheduled  for one after a second cycle, but I am booked for a 3rd and a 4th cycle  regardless. 

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Gosh these scans are never fun. I hope that everything turns out to be ok. The good thing is that you have regular screening. My mum used to be a smoker but quit 14 years ago. In the UK we don't have screening for lung cancer in smokers and former smokers unfortunately. It should be introduced. People may argue that people make a choice to smoke but everyone deserves help regardless of addiction. No smoker thinks that they'll get lung cancer.

It's great that your cancer was caught early as there's a higher chance of a cure. I hope that your scans come back negative for cancer. Even if it is cancer there are so many treatments and I'm sure with the regular screening it would be caught early. 

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