I just wanted to find out what you ladies out there think, and also if anyone has been in the same position and what you have done.
I finished all treatment in Aug 2014 ( 8 chemo prior to surgery, double mx, radiotherapy and now taking Tamoxifen)
I have been signed off by the onc, and will now only self examine and come back if any problems. See surgeon again in Aug 2015 to look at having expanders removed and new ones put in.
However I have a nagging worry about mets, I know we all have this but with not actually being seen for follow ups it worries me more.
I have been wondering if I should pay for private scans etc each year with a consultation check up, but then I think will it be of any use. If they do find mets they will be there regardless of whether I have scans or not. Am I just going to stress myself every year for nothing.
I would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on this.
I know what you mean but I have not found a solution to the anxiety.
I finished treatment last November and just had my annual check-up. Because I was in a rads trail I get a second check-up which is one of the reasons why I agreed to participate.
I think the cost of doing all these checks privately would make the idea impractical.
For example where would you stop? Mammogram, ultrasound, mri, ct scan, pet scan etc. If you had all of those to really make sure that there was nothing suspicious it would cost you thousands. And then how often would you do it, if annually would you then worry in between times?
Something that you may find useful is to get a full set of blood tests done, say annually. Any abnormality in these would be useful to pick-up. Coincidentally I did have this done the year before I was dx so that I now have a baseline. I had it re-done last year after treatment and all is good, some indicators actually improved.
I can only hope that these worries will fade in time. In the meantime I have an ongoing problem with my knee. I am waiting an mri next month…
Hi…I too have just finished treatment, mx with implant,chemo and rads and have been told that I don’t get any yearly checks done on that side.I have now asked for mx on good side as I had lobular cancer, which didn’t show up only as a small area of concern on the ultrasound.The only sign anything was wrong was that my nipple pointed slightly to the left .In the end it turned out that I had a 5cm multifocal mass!
I asked the bc nurse why there was no follow up and she said that it was because there is no longer any breast tissue there and the only sign of a reaccurance would be a pimple or small lump on the skin or around the scar. My concern is that lobular doesn’t present as a lump but lies flat so how would you notice it or does it all change because there is no tissue left. Its confusing me , does anyone else get any follow up after mx ? Any advice to settle my mind would be appreciated ?..Linda xxx