Had a scare here

Bill · 06-26-2008, 07:13 PM

No, Sherry, you are not over-reacting at all! It's your health at stake. I think you have a right to speak with the radiologist regarding your results and his interpretations of those results, but that's not the way it's "normally" done, so that's probably why your onc. got shook up. I'm glad everything came back fine! I wish I could help you more. Thoughts and prayers, Love, Bill

Jean · 06-26-2008, 10:32 PM

Sherry,
How awful for you.
I have an MRI/every other 6 months alternating with
Mammo, recently I have replaced the MRI with the new
Dilon test. My point is when I have the MRI the dr.
radiologist reports back to me and tells me the results.
When I have my digital mammograms the dr. at the
radiologist center gives me the results then and there.
Your onc. is way out of line. I am sure he was angry because he may have felt they upset you with the way they handled the reporting. But still, they were reacting correctly since they viewed it as something to check further. Maybe you can remind your onc. that you come first and your comfort zone is to have your reports ASAP. I have to wait a few hours after MRI to get results. Isn't the very point of having the different dr.
view the reports to make sure that nothing is overlooked?

I am glad that it all turned out well for you.
Best Regards,
Jean

StephN · 06-26-2008, 11:32 PM

Hi -
From what I understand the MRI does NOT take the place of a mammogram. Don't know where your onc gets THAT idea. My onc says I need BOTH. There are things that the digital mammo can see that the scan does not.

There are new scans that do not squeeze the breast tissue as much and you just stay in that position for a flick of the switch and you are freed up. Maybe you could take some sort of mild pain med for the mammo.

Anyway, Pet/Ct will not see everything that can go on in a breasts either, so that is NOT a good substitute for a mammo.

To address your onc's asserting himself to the other radiologist. I think he was overreacting, and maybe there is something behind the scene between these two institutions that is not clear. I think you need to tell him that you really don't doubt his opinion, but it had been so long since you had a good breast study, that you felt it was the right thing to do at that point.

Jean · 06-27-2008, 09:01 AM

Steph,
True - True, regarding MRI/and/Mammo...
That is why I alternate every 6 months...
The painless test is the Dilon and it is just great - where once again you see the entire breast and can have results before you are dressed. MY thoughts on this type of program checking is that hopefully if anything is happening it can be caught early.

Regards,
Jean