Am interested in people’s opinions. I was diagnosed in Nov 07, lumpectomy, chemo, rads, tamoxifen… I’ve had one check up, with a surgeon. He rushed in, did a breast examination, and rushed out. No opportunity to talk. I feel that it was a complete waste of time: I’m getting horrible hot flushes and would like to talk to someone. Apparently it’s always the same surgeon who does the check ups (he’s the Professor and head of the dept - the breast care nurses know what he’s like but are pretty powerless to do anything). I just don’t know whether to bother going to the next one (in June). In theory, I’d like to have regular checkups, as am quite paranoid, but I don’t see the point, when they’re so perfunctory. I’d love to know what others would advise
Happy Easter to everyone!
take care
If I were in your situation, I would not feel happy or confident about things especially if you have questions you want/need to ask and are just not given the time to do so. I’ve never had that problem luckily and as I need lots of follow up and my oncologist always makes time for me, I would think about going elsewhere if I were you!(of course if this is possible that is). I was seen every 3 weeks for a long time and only recently changed to 3 months (I was diagnosed in June 2007 and had chemo, mastectomy, herceptin for a year and rads). I’m not surprised you are paranoid after what you’ve been through - I certainly can be at times and it’s knowing that I see the oncologist every 3 months and that he makes time for me and takes everything I say seriously that helps a lot.
Hope this helps a little and that others post to let you know of their experiences so that you can compare.
Ruby xx
Thank you for answering. I really don’t know what to do. Changing hospitals seems such a big step. But at the moment I don’t feel I’m getting thorough check ups at all.
Should have said - have seen elsewhere that other people have blood tests at their follow ups - we don’t. You only see a surgeon once every six months (who just does a breast exam) and a mammogram once a year. Extraordinary there’s such a variation. I wonder if there are any NICE guidelines or something on this?
Check ups vary from hospital to hospital. My oncologist said that having lots of check ups made no difference to a patient’s outcome and that a mammogram or scan once a year was all that is required. (Plus self checking of course). He said some oncs do it more often because patients get paranoid about it and stop panicking if he does a “feel” rather than them doing it themselves! You can’t have mammograms more than once a year anyway. He also said that blood tests are very unreliable, unless you already have the cancer in another part of the body like the liver.
My secondaries were picked up by blood tests at a routie checkup by my onc, I had no idea the vague symptoms I had were secondaries, At the time I was horrified but it was probably for the best as chemotherapy could still bring it back into control.
Follow ups aren’t just about checking for recurrences, they should be about reviewing anything unusual, or for a well person to talk over any concerns about on going therapy such as arimidex, herceptin, or any developments - such as switching drugs.
My onc said just the same as redders- (in Leicester) I finished treatment in Jan and won’t be seen until August (by the surgeon who I last saw last August)
I won’t have a mammogramm until 18 months from diagnosis and won’t see my onc again until August 2010. The reasons give were as redders said- no account seems to be taken of whether the patient would like to be seen more frequently- at least initially. I do think some of it is simply to save money.
Hi
I had my first check up yesterday, I finished radio therapy at the end of february. The doctor breezed in after a 15min wait in the treatment room thought they had forgot I was there, never seen this doctor before he looked at my breast and looked under my arm asked how I was feeling tried to explain that the sweats I get from the tamoxifen were terrible and he said thats normal see you in 6 months.
Like Topsymo my follow up will consist of a mammogram every 18 months and breast examination at the breast care clinic every six months. I will be discharged by onc when I finish my rads next month.
I have not had bloods taken since before my last chemo and it seems that checking them is not on the agenda. I must admit I am very surprised that that is it especially as I am triple negative and had lymph node contamination.