Advice From the Group

[Kkmom]

This past December 2015 - I am officially 3 Years-NED.
During my annual mammo, November, 2015-a small cyst was found in my left breast - turned out to be fluid filled - no worries. My next mammo will not be until November, 2016.
Starting in March, 2016 - I will begin to see my onocologist every 5 months instead of every 3.

Question: Which is better - annual mammograms or an annual mammo using ultrasound in order to make sure any cancer is caught early.
I am willing to pay for additional screening rather than waiting a year for an annual sceening for breast cancer.

I really get upset, when I hear about AMA or other groups wanting to delay mammos to every 2 years.

What do y'all think - advice?

[europa]

My doc said to me that if my mammo 3D came out clear I would no longer need to do a MRI once a year. So now I only do a 3D mammo once a year.

[sarah]

Since you've had node involvement, perhaps ask your oncologist about having a sonogram to check the arm pits??

[Lien]

In my country, the Netherlands, Europe, where we have similar outcomes to your country, we have the following schedule:
Checkups every three months for the first 6 months. Then twice a year until year 5, then once a year until year 10. After that, it depends on what the doctor and patient think is best. Either once a year or once every two years.
We only have a regular mammo every six months for the first year, after that once a year. If any lumps or other unusual phenomena are noted, an MRI and/or ultrasound is done. Cysts can be seen clearly on an US and MRI's are well known for their false positives. If there's any doubt at all, we do a biopsy. I've had several, always turned out to be ok.

The thing is, that we are very scared after a breast cancer diagnosis, and we feel safer if we have a lot of tests. Unfortunately, the tests are not 100% accurate and there's no guarantee that any treatment will cure us permanently. We need to regain our trust that things will work out for us. We need to let go of the urge to control our fate. And that was the hardest thing for me. I'm 12 years NED this month and I've learnt to let go, but it took me several years. You will feel better too, with or without additional testing. The tests only tell you that you probably have not developed a recurrence since your last test. It doesn't offer any guarantees about the future.

So believe me, you will be ok. Whatever happens, you will be able to deal with it. Just like you did these past three years. Three years NED is great, because most Her2 positive BC recurs within the first two years. And with Herceptin and chemo and radiation you pulled out all the big guns, so perhaps it's time to exhale a bit and learn to trust your body again?

Hugs

Jacqueline

[tricia keegan]

I agree with Jacqueline above and I'm now over ten years NED and just have a yearly mammo unless I have other issue's that show.

[Kkmom]

Thank you all for the advice. You are right, maybe it is time to exhale a bit. After finishing chemo, I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder.