Hi All
I’ve just had a mastectomy and found my cancer is grade 3 invasive ductal, which had affected all of the 23 lymph nodes removed.
I’ve asked about MRI scans as I notice a lot of people seem to have them, but my doctor insists there is no way that full scans can show if it has spread, so it is pointless. He says the only way to know is if another lump forms, or if your health generally seems to be suffering.
Do you know if you were referred for further scans as a routine thing, even though you are in good general health and blood test results are all good? Or were you referred for a particular reason?
I find it unbelievable that with that amount of lymph involvement you havent been given bone and ct scans.
At my hosp these scans were routinely given to me within a week of dx. They said they wanted to check for any spread to bones or organs before surgery, to determine my treatment.
Once they came back clear, I was then given wle and had 9 lymph glands removed which luckily were all clear too.
Think you should push for these scans with your onc.
Hi Flora…I think you are the pregnant lady?
I would think this is why you aren’t having any scans. The bone scan in particular uses an injection which makes you a risk (radio active) to young children for about 24 hours so I guess it would not be safe for your unborn baby. When I had my first bone scan I was in hospital and my (grown up) daughter wasn’t allowed to sit on my bed for this very reason reason!
I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well…xxx
Hi belinda, yes, I am pregnant but that hasn’t been given as a reason and I understand MRI are safe during pregnancy. Radiotherapy treatments aren’t so, for instance, that was excluded from the lymph node discovery stuff and full radiotherapy will have to wait until I’ve had the baby.
Lolly, I’ll defintely ask the oncologist about it but my surgeon has said there is no point.
They will usually avoid MRI scans during the first trimester.
And bone scans are contraindicated too during pregnancy.
But do ask if you will be given them later.
Dot
x
when I was diagnosed with 15/20 nodes affected i asked for scans and was refused by my onc, she told me to have all the treament first to blast whole body, I had 3 weekly appts for the first 6 months with very thorough check ups and then 6 weekly for the next 6 months, she also explained that unless over 1cm any escapees wouldn’t show.
eventually had scans about 1.5 years after diagnoses on orders of the cons PS, who refused to do my recon due to high node involvment as would not carry out op if i had spread, by this time I was getting out the smog / accepting living with stage 3c and went into those scans bricking it, i didn’t want to go looking for it as i wasn’t showing any symptons(if that makes sense) had whole spine, chest and liver, got called back on liver and eventually told all ok and recon is a success. I think if i was offered scans now I would decline unless I present with symptons.
I do have my yearly mammo as i treat that as normal as a smear checkup, am just coming up for my 4 years and annual appts with onc and surgeon.
scans do differ what health authority you are under, I am Oxfordshire, we dont have scans like others.
What you have said is very interesting because i too had high lymph node involvement 19/23. I have only just finished active treatment but when I have mentioned recon to the doctors they have skirted around the issue. However, I did have scans after my mastectomy; bone and organ. Both came back negative.
I will be seeing Onc in three weeks for my three monthly check up and I think i will ask again. I know we have to wait a year after rads but i would like to get my name on a waiting list.
It does stick in the throat that the PS had so little faith in the treatment you were given.
Thanks folks. My OH says he did say I wouldn’t have them due to pregnancy, but I clearly missed that.
As it happens, scan today showed an anembryonic pregancy - no baby formed - so my chemo has been brought forward and scans are being booked. Not sure I want to know if it has spread really, but burying head in the sand won’t help, will it.
Interesting comment about recon. Will ask about that when I next see the consultant surgeon.