tips for scanxiety

Juleseyes

not for me, for my mom. It's been a year and a month since our world changed. My mom has done everything right, she did all her chemo, the most radiation possible, and a single mastectomy. She's put on a brave face (for me) and part of me wonders if she did all the chemo for me as well. I begged her to follow western medicine because I researched it deeply, whereas she has always been on a bit more of a "naturopath" side. Needless to say, she probably won't do any more chemo. She's on tamoxifen and her scan is february, around my birthday. She's nervous obviously but I probably am just as much.

What if this was all for nothing? What if it doesn't work? What are the chances of it coming back after doing EVERYTHING right? And furthmore, is this part of life now? Being worried about every little ache and pain and every scan she has?

My mom is 55 by the way, IDC, one lymph node involvement, with er+, pr+, and her2-.

trinigirl50

Your mum has an extremely good chance of never having BC again (of course there are no guarantees in life). Unfortunately yes, the worry/anxiety is part of life now BUT it definitely gets less and less the more time passes.

Juleseyes

thanks so much.

LJDH0709

this may sound very uninformed and I guess that's because it is

but what "scans" are done after treatment. I have just had MRI, Mamogaphy,

ultrasound and blood work. Should I be asking for a scan...like a PET scan?Bone scan etc?

I had a recurrence in 2018, mastect. in 2013, recurrence in 2018 lumpectomy, and 28 rounds of chest wall radiation, now on tamoxifen and have yearly monitoring but no scans? Should I be asking my oncologist for these?

MinusTwo

LJD - please do to My Profile and post your diagnosis & treatment to date, and make it public. That will enable us to attempt relevant responses.

That said - it appears most MOs are like mine - no scans unless there are symptoms, even after a recurrence. I recently got a radiologist to tell my MO that I needed an ULS every other year. My GYN orders a DEXA scan every other year to check for osteoperosis, but not cancer cells.