Hello I hope someone can allay my fears. I'll try to summarise: Firstly I'm 54 and pre menopausal, so I have put many symptoms down to this. I had a UTI at the beginning of last August which was treated, three weeks later I had another, but the symptom of needing to wee all of the time wouldn't go away. I was referred to a gynaecologist, who sent me for an ultrasound, the ultrasound showed a few small fibroids in my uterus and a small cyst on my ovary. The gyny decided to send me for a hysteroscopy. The doctor there didn't think I had symptoms that needed a hysteroscopy, but booked me in for a second unltrasound (2 months after the last), and because I was concerned about cancer as my mum and dad have both had cancer, she arranged a CA125 blood test. I had these and received a copy of the letter she sent to my doctor. She said the cyst had grown and I needed another ultrasound in 6 months to see if it had grown anymore or had gone. The CA125 test showed the tumor marker CEA slightly raised, and she wanted this done again in 6 months time. I went to see one of the GP's at my doctors and asked her if the raised CEA meant I had cancer. She said not at all, it was only slightly raised and could have been raised due to a number of things. So that made me feel ok. Then three weeks ago I felt a lump in the front of my neck under my adams apple, so off I go to the doctor. He said he thought it was a cyst, but would do some blood tests to check my thyroid, and arrange for an ultrasound on the lump (8th April). Had my blood test done, and my doctor rang me and asked me to go and see him, which I did last Friday. He said that I was aneamic and my iron count was very low at 8. He put me on iron tablets and arranged for me to see the GI doctor at the hospital Wednesday (tomorrow), he was very concerned that I might be bleeding somewhere inside, and wants me to have a colonoscopy and an endescopy. I asked him about the CEA test and he said it was an indicator of bowell cancer. This has really knocked me for six. I have a very poor diet due to having many many food allergies, which I put my tiredness down to, I've also recently had an anaphalactic shock (first one), and ended up in hospital. I worry is that I'm the only carer of my elderly parents, and also my husband who is disabled. I know the appointment is tomorrow but they won't test me tomorrow so I've got a few weeks of stress and worry ahead. Why didn't they call me in when my CEA level was 'slightly high' for more tests? Can it be high for other things? What other things? I'm panicking here. Thanks for listening.
