I’m coming to the end of my treatment this week. I’ve had 15 session (7 cycles) of chemo, double mastectomy with lymph node clearance and 15 sessions of radiotherapy to finish on Friday. I had triple negative breast cancer so am nit going to be on any other drugs come the end. I’m freaking out!!! I was told I’d have scans but once I had my surgery they said because I had a double mastectomy then I wont have any further scans. This scares me so much. I hear of secondary breast cancer all the time and I’m so worried it’s going to happen to me.
Has anyone requested full body scans from the NHS or gone privately for one? I’m thinking if the NHS won’t offer it then I’ll scrap some money together and have one done privately each year until I’m less anxious about it coming back then increase the time between them. Has anyone had an experience of this or recommend anything?
I am so anxious and feel like a scan would reassure me. I have pains in my body already but just keep getting told it’s too early to have symptoms from secondary cancer and it’s unlikely as I had a complete pathological response…but what if! I was misdiagnosed 8months prior so my faith in doctors is small. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you x
I started my breast cancer treatment in the private sector, thinking I’d have a greater level of control (I have panic disorder among other things). It worked well but I remember my CT scan cost a couple of thousand. I planned having chemotherapy privately for the same anxiety reasons but the consultant oncologist persuaded me to be treated under the NHS, which was fortunate as I needed to be hospitalised and costs would have soared (maybe I looked like a sad case or maybe it’s because, like you, I had no insurance).
My NHS hospital couldn’t have been more supportive and in fact I’m being sent for a second MRI in 6 months (to look for nerve damage, not cancer) as the first was done without contrast dye so was clear but not definitive. I’m going along with it but don’t really see the need. I do think that if you make it clear how terrified you are and ask outright, it’s likely they will refer you for a scan, assuming it’s a reasonably large hospital, as your emotional wellbeing is essential for good healing. However, although they don’t always get the initial diagnosis right (mine changed four times), they do know their stuff after that so I personally would trust their judgment. However, I suspect you are past that possibility. Tell them you’re prepared to do it privately and that may prod them.
Since you’ve had triple negative cancer and been through all that treatment (what on earth could have survived that onslaught?), it’s important that the hospital team liaise with your scan provider, so do steer clear of the cheaper ones that make it all look so quick and easy. You need thorough and specific analysis of the data and you get what you pay for. Your prognosis is excellent so you might find this article reassuring. It was posted by one of the breast care nurses on this site and needs wide advertising- I read it regularly to keep myself grounded: workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf