[Lucy]

To be honest, I don't know. I've asked how we determine if there's a recurrence and the answer I've been given is when I become symptomatic. To me that's not an acceptable answer. From what I've gotten here, I'm not sure blood work would necessarily be off if there was a recurrence and my oncologist's nurse said they don't do tests for markers unless it spreads (not sure what blood work has been ordered for my next visit, just that they did add it to my schedule). One of the reasons I want blood work done is because I've been prescribed medication that can cause liver issues and higher cholesterol levels. To my knowledge I've never had any cholesterol issues (and I eat a mostly vegan diet now) but I have had liver issues in the past. I had the Epstein Barr Virus with mono in 2010 and again in 2011 and my liver function tests have been off since then (with the exception of - ironically - the last 4-8 weeks of chemo . . . they've since gone back up). Until now I've refused to take any medication that had the slightest chance of causing or aggravating liver issues but my fear of the cancer is greater than my fear of causing significant liver issues. I had been told that my PCP would need to do the follow up tests on that but considering it's the oncologist who prescribed the medication, I think she should be the one monitoring their impact on my body because at some point I may need to make a decision as to whether to continue on the medications and that discussion should be with the person who prescribed the drugs, in my opinion anyway. So that's why I want the blood work but I don't know in the big cancer picture if they're all that beneficial.

On a side note, your oncologist is a man? In my experience male doctors are less sympathetic to women's concerns than female doctors. They condescend and treat you like you're a silly girl for having any questions or concerns. As a result, any time I have a choice, I go with the female doctor. But again, that's just me.