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Chelee · 01-13-2007, 04:31 PM

This is a topic I have had a difficult time with myself. Makes no sense to me to WAIT and NOT scan. I even had this discussion with my Rad onc because he didn't believe in scanning/testing...he said it doesn't change over-all survial. My argument for him was that if I run into my house and see a stove fire...what happens if I say, "Gee, thats rather small right now...I think I will go watch some TV for a while and have a bite to eat. Then come back and put it out". I said, "By the time I come back to it...my entire kitchen and house will have burned down. So it WOULD pay me to put OUT that fire the *minute* I saw it. To me it seems common sense that the sooner you find something and deal with it the better the out come.

I CAN'T help but wonder how much of this is not *financially* driven by the HMO's/insurance companies putting pressure on the doctors NOT to order scans unless they have too? If your a stage III'er like I am...I can become what THEY (HMO) calls a financial burden on the system. They could take care of 30 to 50 people for what it cost them to take care of me if they do all necessary care I require. (I'm a big drain on them.)

I've read so much on this topic LONG BEFORE bc. Its sad...but much of its true. Our health care system needs a complete over haul. In fact...I will attach one webpage I was looking at the other day...it will give you an idea of things the doctors don't want you to know. (Its a SHAME they put our doctors in a position like this.) They NEED to let our doctors do what they went to school for and leave them alone! (If you want, you can jump down past the first part to where it starts with the "10 things your doctor doesn't want you do know".) Myself, I BELIEVE in scanning...and I push to get all mine. It is nerve racking, but I feel better after being checked.

http://www.newsnet5.com/personalfina...25/detail.html

Chelee

01-13-2007, 04:31 PM	#16
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	This is a topic I have had a difficult time with myself. Makes no sense to me to WAIT and NOT scan. I even had this discussion with my Rad onc because he didn't believe in scanning/testing...he said it doesn't change over-all survial. My argument for him was that if I run into my house and see a stove fire...what happens if I say, "Gee, thats rather small right now...I think I will go watch some TV for a while and have a bite to eat. Then come back and put it out". I said, "By the time I come back to it...my entire kitchen and house will have burned down. So it WOULD pay me to put OUT that fire the minute I saw it. To me it seems common sense that the sooner you find something and deal with it the better the out come. I CAN'T help but wonder how much of this is not financially driven by the HMO's/insurance companies putting pressure on the doctors NOT to order scans unless they have too? If your a stage III'er like I am...I can become what THEY (HMO) calls a financial burden on the system. They could take care of 30 to 50 people for what it cost them to take care of me if they do all necessary care I require. (I'm a big drain on them.) I've read so much on this topic LONG BEFORE bc. Its sad...but much of its true. Our health care system needs a complete over haul. In fact...I will attach one webpage I was looking at the other day...it will give you an idea of things the doctors don't want you to know. (Its a SHAME they put our doctors in a position like this.) They NEED to let our doctors do what they went to school for and leave them alone! (If you want, you can jump down past the first part to where it starts with the "10 things your doctor doesn't want you do know".) Myself, I BELIEVE in scanning...and I push to get all mine. It is nerve racking, but I feel better after being checked. http://www.newsnet5.com/personalfina...25/detail.html Chelee __________________ DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes. Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs. Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06 Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07 3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07 9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV. 9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa 9-29-09 Power Port Placement 10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head. 11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed 12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa. 3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed. 4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone. 5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy. Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time. 7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.