HE4, part 2

I got back the results of my HE4 test- 40.  


This is a multi-step process.  The first step is that it is under 151.  Check!  The next step is that it doesn't increase with serial sampling.  If it increases 25% each time, it's a good indicator of disease.  If it doesn't, there's a 70% chance of no disease.  


I do the next HE4 in 3 months.

HE4

I'm back from the MD, and as we suspected, there wasn't a whole lot to learn.  On the positive side, today's physical exam didn't find anything, so that's good!  He had me do a different, relatively new blood test, a biomarker called the human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) that may show more details about what's going on.  I'm also doing a few other routine tests coming up to rule other things out.  So pretty much it's back to hurry up and wait.  My MD doesn't believe in starting treatment based on CA125 results, makes sense to me!  


P.S. The epididymis is part of the male reproductive system, I haven't quite figured this one out yet...

31

CA125 up 2 more in the last month.  The nurse mentioned that it was odd that it was increasing in such small increments.  This gives me a speck of hope.  Oncologist visit on Oct. 5 to learn what's next.  Until then, I'm going to try to not think about it.  Yeah right.

29

Well, now we know more- it went up a little more.  29.  I don't really know what to make of this.  I've made an appointment with my oncologist a month from now.  We'll retest again and take it from there...

...26

A couple of weeks ago I got back the results of my latest CA125 blood test.  Up until now I have usually either been 7 or "under 6" but this time it was ...26.  I am not worried though since both my abdominal CT scan and physical exam came back absolutely normal.  I'm wondering if the increase was caused by the inflammation from a pulled muscle that happened a few days before the blood test.  In any case, I am being retested in a few weeks and then we'll know more.

Fortune-ate

My oncologist visit has again come and gone, and again I have great CA125 results- 7!  It has been 2 1/2 years since chemo ended and I have definitely moved on with my life.  This little blog has been very useful to me but I think from now on I will be posting even more infrequently than I already have been.  Basically, no news is good news!

I am very grateful.
xoxoxo