Can Someone please explain my CAT Scan results / report to me? Here is the "impression" part of the report.?

Question

I have copy and pasted the entire "Impression" portion of the report.
I really appreciate any help anyone is willing to give me. All that my regular doctor said when he called me in to go over the report was that "We should wait and see what the surgeon says and that it doesn't mean that it's cancer" The fact that I could have cancer never entered my mind till he said that. So now I am worried.
So now if anyone can please explain to me in Layman's terms what all these terms mean I'll be very grateful. My appointment for the surgeon isn't till late next week, and since the 29th (when I got the report) all I have done is either search the net or lay in bed worrying. I have 3 young children and I just don't know what to do.
___Here is why I worry so much!___And a little of my med history.___
I had an uncle who about 5 years ago had exploratory surgery and when they opened him up they found that he was riddled with cancer. Apperently, opening him up had an adverse affect. When the air hit his intestines it caused the cancer to spread rapidly through his body(or something like that). He died with-in a few weeks of that surgery. We later found out that if he hadn't had that surgery he may have lived alot longer. Another thing is that he never seemed to be very sick before the exploratory surgery (my aunt said he would have several days of just not feeling well or being energetic anymore but not sick, sick if you know what i mean). But after the surgery he was severely ill till he died.
For me, I am feeling tired all the time, slight nausea, and sometimes vomiting ( I have felt like this for several months and it seems to be normal for me).
SO Please let me know what the Cat Scan report means without exaggerations and without Sugar coating it.
THANK YOU in Advance
Robin
------IMPRESSION:-------
SOFT TISSUE DENSITY ANTERIOR ABDOMINAL WALL SUBCUTANEOUS FAT AT THE MIDLINE WITH APPARENT PREVIOUS ABDOMINAL WALt:"HERNIA REPAIR AND MESH. THE CHANGES IN THE SUBCUTANEOUS FAT WOULD SUGGEST EITHER ~HRONIC SCARRING OR INFLAMMATORY CHANGE. NO WELL DEFINED ABSCESS IS SEEN. CHOLECYSTECTOMY. POSTOPERATIVE CHANGE IS PRESENT AT THE STOMACH BUT THE ENTIRE STOMACH IS NOTED TO FILL WITH CONTRAST SUGGESTING THAT THE GASTRIC FUNDUS COMMUNICATES WITH THE GASTRIC BODY. THERE IS A MODERATELY DILATED LOOP OF SMALL BOWEL PRESENT LEFT ABDOMEN WHICH MAY INDICATE MODERA TE DILATATION AT THE SMALL BOWEL ANASTOMOTIC SITE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF BOWEL OBSTRUCTION. MODERATE AMOUNT OF STOOL NOTED WITHIN THE VISUALIZED PORTIONS OF THE COLON. ADJACENT TO THE CECUM THERE ARE MULTIPLE SMALL AREAS OF NODULARITY PRESENT MEASURING UP TO APPROXIMATELY 1 CM SUGGESTING MESENTERIC LYMPH NODES. MESENTERIC ADENITIS COULD POTENTIALLY GIVE THIS APPEARANCE. NO ABNORMALLY ENLARGED RETROPERITONEAL LYMPH NODES ARE SEEN AT THIS TIME. ---------------

Answer 1

First there are a few things you should know. Uiverse_mushroom_cloud is absolutely correct in her answer. The surgery did not shorten your uncle’s life or cause the cancer to spread. Due to advancements in imaging there is little need exploratory surgery anymore. Surgeons usually have a pretty good idea os what is going on before they go in. And this is the reason for a surgical consult in your case. Also, there is nothing in the report that suggests you have cancer.



When people have abdominal surgery they tend to get adhesions making subsequent surgeries more time consuming and can sometimes make imaging look a little strange as things are slightly moved, stuck to each other and there is scar tissue. You have apparently had a few abdominal surgeries so your CT is expected to look like it. This is what it says:





In the fat just behind the skin of where your hernia was repaired is an area of inflammation, scar tissue or both, but it doesn’t look infected.



It appears you digest a little faster than normal and that irritates your small intestine, possibly more so where it was reconnected after your gallbladder surgery.



In the area around where the small intestine meets your colon also seems irritated and the lymph nodes close by look like they are fighting off infection. Your colon looks normal.





You are probably feeling tired all the time because you are fighting off an infection. The nausea and vomiting is your small intestines way of telling you it is irritated. You didn’t mention abdominal pain, but if you have it, it is probably on the low right side.



I’m not a doctor and I don’t have enough information to even make a halfway meaningful suggestion, but these are my 2 cents. I believe if you can take care of something with out surgery you should. You need to stop worrying as it is making it worse and your body will keep telling you that you are annoying it. Try eating smaller more frequent meals choosing foods that are easy, but take a little longer to digest. Talk to your doctor about trying antibiotics for a few weeks while you are doing this and see if it clears up the infection. Hope this helps, best wishes.

Answer 2

The CAT scan didn't find anything unusual in your abdomen. The CAT scan found a fat deposit (which has noting to do with cancer or disease), signs of previous gallbladder surgery that has healed, possible constipation, and inflamed lymph nodes (possibly mesenteric adenitis) which is commonly found in healthy people. None of this suggests cancer or any other type of problem.



If i had these results, i would feel pretty good and not give it another thought. If i was concerned about the lymph nodes for some reason, but did not have any unusual or unexplained symptoms, i would wait 3-4 weeks and repeat the CAT scan to see if the lymph nodes have returned to normal size. Then after those results, i would decide whether it's worthwhile to get a tissue sample from the lymph nodes for a biopsy.

Answer 3

Well, it's difficult to do guesswork with such limited information. I'll assume by the notes that you had the CAT scan due to symptoms similar to appendicitis?



With a history of cancer in the family, you would hope that your doctor is simply keeping the possibility, however slight, on the table.



And while it's possible that these lymphatic nodules *could* be indicative of cancer, it's more likely that it's nothing more than inflammation. Mesenteric adenitis, which is mentioned as a potential cause for the inflammation, is usually caused by a virus and will generally heal on its own within a few weeks.



I see nothing to suggest cancer and am inclined that your doctor is simply waiting to be certain before telling you that "it's nothing".



It's better, and much safer from a legal standpoint, to tell a patient that you have to wait for more tests and 2nd opinions before ruling out cancer than it is to give a clean bill of health and turn out to be wrong. Your doc is likely just playing it safe.



You're fine. Try to relax :)

Answer 4

Just so you know, exposure to air does not cause cancer to spread. This is an old wives' tale.



Often by the time a person has symptoms of some internal cancer, it has already spread extensively. So the surgery did not shorten his life ... the cancer did, before he had the surgery.



Every one of your cells is exposed to oxygen all the time. Blood carries dissolved oxygen to provide it to cells for metabolism. If air caused cancer to spread, then lung cancer and skin cancer would cover those organs instantly, considering how much air they are exposed to.

Answer 5

I can certainly understand you want us to give you our analysis of your results, but i really think you shouldn't even read what anyone here says, but listen to a real professional for their interpretation/analysis. Waiting stinks, yeah, but I think you really should just wait for the pro.



Good luck, and be well.