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Doctors report liver and lung lesions? Any ideas?
ADULT MALE AGED 29
NO ALCOHOL
10 CIGARETES A DAY
FIT AND HEALTHY OTHERWISE
PREVIOUS APPENDECTOMY
NO DRUGS
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
HISTORY OF.......
3week right sided abdo pain after eating ( feels like trapped wind and pain is relieved by passing wind or stool)
constipation
occasional nausea
weight loss, unitentional but due to the pain after eating patient hasnt eaten much
no colour change to stool
no fever/sweats
sore throat which cleared up with antibacterial mouthwash
blood test results are as follows
GGT 356
ALT 191
BILIRUBIN 11
ALP 373
CALCIUM 2.68
AFP 2
CEA LESS THAN 3
HCG LESS THAN 2
PSA 1.0
ultrasound showed increased size of liver and small fluid
hepatitis serology NEGATIVE
liver screen NAD
CT scan shows multiple small lesion in lung and liver
ultrasound of testes NAD
chest clear on examination
testes clear on examination
abdomen soft on examination
no cough wheezing or tightness in chest, no phlegm or blood
no jaundice or pain other than trapped wind type pain
no blood in stool or urine
guided biopsy conducted on the liver on 12th sept, 2 week wait untill the results does anyone have any idea what this could be....
NO ALCOHOL
10 CIGARETES A DAY
FIT AND HEALTHY OTHERWISE
PREVIOUS APPENDECTOMY
NO DRUGS
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
HISTORY OF.......
3week right sided abdo pain after eating ( feels like trapped wind and pain is relieved by passing wind or stool)
constipation
occasional nausea
weight loss, unitentional but due to the pain after eating patient hasnt eaten much
no colour change to stool
no fever/sweats
sore throat which cleared up with antibacterial mouthwash
blood test results are as follows
GGT 356
ALT 191
BILIRUBIN 11
ALP 373
CALCIUM 2.68
AFP 2
CEA LESS THAN 3
HCG LESS THAN 2
PSA 1.0
ultrasound showed increased size of liver and small fluid
hepatitis serology NEGATIVE
liver screen NAD
CT scan shows multiple small lesion in lung and liver
ultrasound of testes NAD
chest clear on examination
testes clear on examination
abdomen soft on examination
no cough wheezing or tightness in chest, no phlegm or blood
no jaundice or pain other than trapped wind type pain
no blood in stool or urine
guided biopsy conducted on the liver on 12th sept, 2 week wait untill the results does anyone have any idea what this could be....
It can be hard to grasp at your age, but this life is stunningly brief. And anything can happen. Doctors are wonderful and more knowledgable than ever, but they don't have all the answers either! So please enjoy and celebrate TODAY. Please don't allow the fear of what MIGHT happen (in the future) to steal today's joy and peace!
help!!
Just thought Id do a quick update, history is on my previous posts, basically......... 29yr old hubby got diagnosed on the 1st October 2012 with Cancer of unknown primary with mets to the liver, both lungs and the spine. He was offered combination chemotherapy, and accepted it as it cant get any worse really
Started the Chemo on 12th October, its EXC, and goes to hospital once every 3 weeks for IV chemo and then back home with 3 weeks worth of cistplatin tablets 4 daily. At the time of diagnosis, Dr said he had 3 months to live, but due to age and general health other than the cancer he would recommend the treatment at the highest dose possible, he also said the aim of the chemo would be to only to contain the spread of cancer as its a very aggressive form and it was spreading so fast.
Anyway before the treatment started the blood test results were shocking!!
GGT 796 !!
ALP 450 !!
and the rest were also ridiculously high!
I asked for a printout of his bloods every visit to the hospital and every 3 weeks they were gradually going down, after 4 cycles the GGT was down to 416 and the ALP down to 182, they did a CT scan and the results show that the cancer has gone 100% from the spine and the bone has started repairing itself, and there was a large reduction of cancer on the lungs and a further reduction of cancer on the liver, but still no sign of the primary cancer on the scan?
Based on those results the Dr looked as shocked as us, and was smiling and kept shaking our hands saying its really good news and he wants to do another 4 cycles of the same treatment.
My hubby still has all his hair? nearly 4 months in, its thinned slightly but you wouldnt know unless you had seen his hair before hand, he has had no diarrhea, no mouth sores, his stomach ache which caused us to go to the hospital in the first place has gone, and no sickness either, and he doesnt take much anti sickness meds, and refuses to take the steroids because they cause chronic heartburn and gassy stomach, and that was another reason the doc wants to carry on as he claims the amount and strength of chemo he is giving my hubby would kill a 50 year old with the same level of cancer but seeing as though my hubby seems fine on it, then he was adamant he carries on.
I didnt ask if it had prolonged his life and by how long, as although inside im screaming to find out, I dont want to hear it! might sound silly but that diagnosis day is forver in my mind.... 3months.....3months.....3months ! and i couldnt bear to hear it again!
He has already outlived his original prognosis by a couple of weeks, and quite frankly apart from being tired is no different than he was before the cancer? its so surreal.
Anyway the whole point of this post is to ask if im normal lol !! I cant be happy with the scan results, people keep saying CHEER UP or BRILLIANT NEWS WASNT IT? and i agree to their face, but inside i just cant be happy, I keep thinking that this has got to just be the calm before the storm and next time we go, the blood test reults are going to have shot back up, or the next scan will show a massive spread, Iv always been a pessimistic person, because if I think the worst, then I can never be dissapointed. My hubby keeps saying Just be happy for now.... whilst its as good news as it can be, just enjoy it, and cross the other bridges when it comes to it, but I just cant be, some days I think right thats it, its going to work, its working now, its not going to stop, but the reality then slaps me across the face ten fold... and the horrible nagging returns.... ( its not forever) .... (whats there to be happy about?) .........and i end up counting the days to the next chemo session, and just feeling depressed, but I can never show it, as we have a 6 year old son, who knows his daddy has cancer and the doctors are trying to fix him, but doesnt know that a cure isnt possible, so i have to get up, act all cheery, take him to school, face a whole playground of ...'Hows Mike?'.... 'How are you?' ...... 'Have you heard any more news?' .... and im all smiles, saying Im fine, Mikes fine, no news yet! and its started to Pee me right off!
Im trying to be happy for his sake, god... he is the one suffering more than anyone but its so hard at 26 to deal with all this, whilst I watch all our friends going out and being young happy families.
anyway rant over, am I being silly...? should I embrace whatever good news comes our way... should I dare hope for a miracle and think it could all go away.... or do I plod on, pretending im fine, when really I just want to run away...
does anyone have any noce inspiring storys of family/ friends that beat the imposssible or outlived their prognosis! they might cheer me up and give me a little bit of hope! Thanks for reading guys, I know you all have your own problems to deal with, but I just needed a release!
Just thought Id do a quick update, history is on my previous posts, basically......... 29yr old hubby got diagnosed on the 1st October 2012 with Cancer of unknown primary with mets to the liver, both lungs and the spine. He was offered combination chemotherapy, and accepted it as it cant get any worse really
Started the Chemo on 12th October, its EXC, and goes to hospital once every 3 weeks for IV chemo and then back home with 3 weeks worth of cistplatin tablets 4 daily. At the time of diagnosis, Dr said he had 3 months to live, but due to age and general health other than the cancer he would recommend the treatment at the highest dose possible, he also said the aim of the chemo would be to only to contain the spread of cancer as its a very aggressive form and it was spreading so fast.
Anyway before the treatment started the blood test results were shocking!!
GGT 796 !!
ALP 450 !!
and the rest were also ridiculously high!
I asked for a printout of his bloods every visit to the hospital and every 3 weeks they were gradually going down, after 4 cycles the GGT was down to 416 and the ALP down to 182, they did a CT scan and the results show that the cancer has gone 100% from the spine and the bone has started repairing itself, and there was a large reduction of cancer on the lungs and a further reduction of cancer on the liver, but still no sign of the primary cancer on the scan?
Based on those results the Dr looked as shocked as us, and was smiling and kept shaking our hands saying its really good news and he wants to do another 4 cycles of the same treatment.
My hubby still has all his hair? nearly 4 months in, its thinned slightly but you wouldnt know unless you had seen his hair before hand, he has had no diarrhea, no mouth sores, his stomach ache which caused us to go to the hospital in the first place has gone, and no sickness either, and he doesnt take much anti sickness meds, and refuses to take the steroids because they cause chronic heartburn and gassy stomach, and that was another reason the doc wants to carry on as he claims the amount and strength of chemo he is giving my hubby would kill a 50 year old with the same level of cancer but seeing as though my hubby seems fine on it, then he was adamant he carries on.
I didnt ask if it had prolonged his life and by how long, as although inside im screaming to find out, I dont want to hear it! might sound silly but that diagnosis day is forver in my mind.... 3months.....3months.....3months ! and i couldnt bear to hear it again!
He has already outlived his original prognosis by a couple of weeks, and quite frankly apart from being tired is no different than he was before the cancer? its so surreal.
Anyway the whole point of this post is to ask if im normal lol !! I cant be happy with the scan results, people keep saying CHEER UP or BRILLIANT NEWS WASNT IT? and i agree to their face, but inside i just cant be happy, I keep thinking that this has got to just be the calm before the storm and next time we go, the blood test reults are going to have shot back up, or the next scan will show a massive spread, Iv always been a pessimistic person, because if I think the worst, then I can never be dissapointed. My hubby keeps saying Just be happy for now.... whilst its as good news as it can be, just enjoy it, and cross the other bridges when it comes to it, but I just cant be, some days I think right thats it, its going to work, its working now, its not going to stop, but the reality then slaps me across the face ten fold... and the horrible nagging returns.... ( its not forever) .... (whats there to be happy about?) .........and i end up counting the days to the next chemo session, and just feeling depressed, but I can never show it, as we have a 6 year old son, who knows his daddy has cancer and the doctors are trying to fix him, but doesnt know that a cure isnt possible, so i have to get up, act all cheery, take him to school, face a whole playground of ...'Hows Mike?'.... 'How are you?' ...... 'Have you heard any more news?' .... and im all smiles, saying Im fine, Mikes fine, no news yet! and its started to Pee me right off!
Im trying to be happy for his sake, god... he is the one suffering more than anyone but its so hard at 26 to deal with all this, whilst I watch all our friends going out and being young happy families.
anyway rant over, am I being silly...? should I embrace whatever good news comes our way... should I dare hope for a miracle and think it could all go away.... or do I plod on, pretending im fine, when really I just want to run away...
does anyone have any noce inspiring storys of family/ friends that beat the imposssible or outlived their prognosis! they might cheer me up and give me a little bit of hope! Thanks for reading guys, I know you all have your own problems to deal with, but I just needed a release!
Biopsy results confirmed cancer, but its now cancer of unknown primary with mets to liver lungs and spine, prognosis of a few months, combination chemotherapy offered and accepted started on 12th oct :-( ct scan also showed enlarged prostate, and endoscopy ruled out stomach cancer and MRI ruled out prostate cancer
Results are in !! But they won't tell us until Friday :-( but they want to do an endoscopy tomorrow to look for any ulcers ?! Wouldn't they have shown up on the ct scan? And why would they want to checks for those now, was in hospital for 3 weeks waiting for a biopsy, surely it should have been done then ? Any ideas on why now ? Thanks
Thanks !! All the doctors have said is they were confident it was testicular cancer, but further tests ruled that out, now they are thinking lymphoma ?? Other than that they don't really have a clue or if they do they havnt told me!! So just have to wait and see, next Friday at 3pm is results day, so il be sure to post them for you! Thanks again.
"guided biopsy conducted on the liver on 12th sept, 2 week wait untill the results does anyone have any idea what this could be...."
I biopsy is used to stage liver disease. Maybe they are trying to find out if you have cirrhosis? Patients with cirrhosis can develop liver cancer. Liver lesions are examined with imaging studies such as a CT scan with contrast and MRI with contrast. If the lesion is greater then 1 cm they should be able to tell what it is. Something benign or a tumor.
I can't figure out what your doctor has already concluded vs what he is looking for.
According to your ALP and ALT levels... "diseases that predominately affect hepatocyte secretion (e.g., obstructive diseases) will be accompanied by elevations of alkaline phosphatase levels. Bile duct obstruction, primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis, are some examples of diseases in which elevated alkaline phosphatase levels are often predominant over transaminase level elevations.
It is apparent that infiltrative liver diseases most often result in a pattern of liver test result abnormalities similar to those of cholestatic liver disease. Differentiation often requires imaging studies of the liver. Liver imaging by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) most often identifies infiltration of the liver by mass lesions such as tumors. Imaging by cholangiography—endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, transhepatic cholangiography, or magnetic resonance cholangiography—identifies many bile duct lesions that cause cholestatic liver disease. Liver biopsy is often needed to confirm certain infiltrative disorders (e.g., amyloidosis) and microscopic biliary disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis."
"Elevated alkaline phosphatase with elevated GGT suggests liver origin."
I know nothing about lung diseases. So can't help you there.
Let us know when biopsy results come back. Get a copy and post it word for word.
Good luck!
Hector
I biopsy is used to stage liver disease. Maybe they are trying to find out if you have cirrhosis? Patients with cirrhosis can develop liver cancer. Liver lesions are examined with imaging studies such as a CT scan with contrast and MRI with contrast. If the lesion is greater then 1 cm they should be able to tell what it is. Something benign or a tumor.
I can't figure out what your doctor has already concluded vs what he is looking for.
According to your ALP and ALT levels... "diseases that predominately affect hepatocyte secretion (e.g., obstructive diseases) will be accompanied by elevations of alkaline phosphatase levels. Bile duct obstruction, primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis, are some examples of diseases in which elevated alkaline phosphatase levels are often predominant over transaminase level elevations.
It is apparent that infiltrative liver diseases most often result in a pattern of liver test result abnormalities similar to those of cholestatic liver disease. Differentiation often requires imaging studies of the liver. Liver imaging by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) most often identifies infiltration of the liver by mass lesions such as tumors. Imaging by cholangiography—endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, transhepatic cholangiography, or magnetic resonance cholangiography—identifies many bile duct lesions that cause cholestatic liver disease. Liver biopsy is often needed to confirm certain infiltrative disorders (e.g., amyloidosis) and microscopic biliary disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis."
"Elevated alkaline phosphatase with elevated GGT suggests liver origin."
I know nothing about lung diseases. So can't help you there.
Let us know when biopsy results come back. Get a copy and post it word for word.
Good luck!
Hector
Thanks, I'm not looking for a diagnosis as such, i was just wondering based on those results If it could be anything other than cancer metastatis or primary cancer? And we have it in our mind set that it is cancer so we are ready for the unwelcomed news, so any info on other conditions you may know of which give these types of result will not give us false hope, we are just curious! So if there could be anything else what could it be! Thanks for the quick reply :-)
You condition is too complex to responsibly offer a simple diagnosis online.
Hopefully you are being seen at a teaching hospital/liver transplant center by a hepatologist, They are the only ones that can correctly diagnose the cause of your liver disease.
I am glad you are taking actions are your liver blood levels are abnormally high and lesions of the liver and lungs can be very serious.
Best of luck to you!
Hector
Hopefully you are being seen at a teaching hospital/liver transplant center by a hepatologist, They are the only ones that can correctly diagnose the cause of your liver disease.
I am glad you are taking actions are your liver blood levels are abnormally high and lesions of the liver and lungs can be very serious.
Best of luck to you!
Hector
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