Rads Onc Follow Ups: How Many?

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FCB
FCB Member Posts: 21
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I completed radiation treatments this past winter, completed my 6 week follow up with my radiation oncologist, and then was told to come back in 6 months!  I was disappointed because I thought I was DONE with all things rads. 

The time to make the appointment is coming soon, and I was just wondering: is a 6 month follow up normal?  Everything was completely uneventful for me radiation-wise, and between the plastic and breast surgeon I feel like I'll have plenty of expert opinions that everything's ok...

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  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 25,402
    edited July 2010

    I felt like you do... enough doctors! I saw my rad onc at 6 months, 9 months and 12 months, recently. I told him I did not want to come again and he agreed my oncologist could order my mammograms as needed. All this doubling up of doctors is time consuming, anxiety producing, and expensive!

    pam 

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  • Raili
    Raili Member Posts: 435
    edited July 2010

    I had my 6-week check-up and everything was GREAT - I healed quickly and well.  And yeah, I'm "supposed" to have a 6-month check up with the rad onc, too, but I'm going to just not make the appointment.  I don't LIKE the rad onc, and I'm seeing my med onc every 3 months and my surgeon every 6 months, and that's enough for me. 

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  • YramAL
    YramAL Member Posts: 1,651
    edited July 2010

    I saw my rads onc 5 weeks after I completed treatment, and he and I both agreed that my medical oncologist could schedule my followups as needed. I'm almost 4 months out from completion, and I'm sure I would call my rads onc if I felt I was having rads complications, but I'm OK with not seeing him again.

    Mary 

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  • CTMOM1234
    CTMOM1234 Member Posts: 633
    edited July 2010

    My rad.onc. felt comfortable that as long as someone was seeing me every 6 months, that was fine. I had a lumpectomy and rads but no tamox. or chemo.

    Next month I'll see BS and also have 6 month "routine" mammograms on both breasts, and I have my following 6 month appointment (Feb. '11) with rad. onc.

    Haven't seen rad. onc. since completed zaps, she said there was no point in a 6 week follow-up, something about still alot of changes going on and to call her if I had any complications or concerns (which thankfully I didn't).

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  • 3monstmama
    3monstmama Member Posts: 1,447
    edited July 2010

    Different perspective here:  I am just back from the pulmonary specialist.  I had an appointment with the zap onc 4 weeks out and we thought all was fine.  Then when I saw my oncologist the next week, I mentioned what I thought was just spring asthma.  She didn't buy it and sent me off to another doctor.  It turned out to be radiation pulmonitis.   Not only did I end up with yet one more doctor but I got 2 more stupid CAT scans out of it.  Fortunately, we caught it early and I was able to change my habits and gear down my activities so I recovered myself without drugs.  When I saw the guy today, he said I was lucky, that many people who develop radiation pulmonitis end up on steroids or with permanent scarring.

    I will be scheduling another appointment with the Zap doctor in October which is 6 months out.  I will also be scheduling another appointment with the pulmonary guy in October because lungs that have been radiated are more vulnerable and he wants to make sure I am doing okay when the weather changes.

    I don't have any problem with making either appointment or seeing either doctor again [even though the pulmonary guy made me wait nearly 2 hours for my appointment which is NOT the thing a person like me who chronically late to medical appointments like me needs in the least!] because i have to accept that this stupidbreastcancer and its cheery cousin, radiation SEs, are not yet over.  I am not yet 50 and I have 3 monsters.  I would far rather see a zillion doctors twice a month for the next year then find out something has changed and we didn't catch it early and now I have really long term SEs that impact my life when I am 60 or 70.

    Just my opinion. . . .

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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited July 2010

    I had no follow-ups with the rad onc, which was fine with me. When I finished rads, rad onc said med onc will do all follow-ups. Also, I don't have yearly or any other follow-ups with BS, last saw him after he was sure I had healed from post-op infection. All docs felt seeing med onc every 3 months was enough (now since Stage IV dx it's every 6wks).

    We have socialized medicine here in Israel, so docs don't get paid per patient. Of course, that has nothing to do with consolidation of services.

    Leah

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  • Cowgirl13
    Cowgirl13 Member Posts: 1,936
    edited July 2010

    I just saw my radiologist for my 6 month followup.  He didn't want to burden me with more appointments and said to come back in a year.  I didn't mind my appointment or any followups that will come becuase I just loved my radiologist.  Its another reminder of the wonderful treatment I received.

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  • Shirlann
    Shirlann Member Posts: 3,302
    edited July 2010

    Well, in San Diego, we are all in HMO's, not all, but most of us, and we have NO follow-ups unless problems occur.  So much depends on your health plan, how generous it is, etc.

    Gentle hugs, Shirlann

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  • Luah
    Luah Member Posts: 1,541
    edited July 2010

    I have no follow-ups with my rad onc.  He said to call if I have any problems which so far I haven't.  He made sure I was being followed by my med onc and BS though.

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  • FCB
    FCB Member Posts: 21
    edited July 2010

    Thank you all for sharing your experiences!  Very helpful!

    I'm going to go to the 6 month appointment, and see if my rads onc listens to my lungs (he never has) or looks at my skin (he barely ever has, the nurses always did that).  Obviously, he was not my favorite doctor!  My surgeons and med onc are so thorough they make up for him though!

     Again, THANK YOU!!! 

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  • rachel21mel
    rachel21mel Member Posts: 51
    edited July 2010

    Very interesting. I am seeing my rad onc every 3 months right now. Saw him 3 months post rads and will be seeing him again 3 months after that visit. I don't really know why since I don't have any radiation-induced issues, but he does do a breast exam on my "good" breast so that gives me some extra piece of mind, I guess. (and he's super hot, too, so that doesn't hurt)

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  • Titan
    Titan Member Posts: 2,956
    edited July 2010

    My appt.with the rad onc is 1 year from the end of rads (November)...the secretary was astonished because it is usually every 3 or 6...I loved my rad onc..but I didn't have any issues so I'm thinking a year is good..I really don't know if I will keep that appt..but maybe...I really liked him and his staff...if I had to have bc..the rad people were the best...maybe cause they know we love them because chemo stinks and anything after that has to be better!

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  • blueballoon
    blueballoon Member Posts: 14
    edited July 2010

    I also did not like my radiation oncologist at all. She never (NEVER) asked about my heart or lungs; and when I mentioned that my ribs hurt a LOT, she furrowed her brow and said that she had never heard of such a thing. My jaw dropped, because I knew that lots of women get costochondritis. After I ended up in the ER because my heart hurt so much (I was radiated on the left side), I told my rad onc that I was having heart problems, and then she did an amazing thing:  She got up and walked out of the room.

    If I were to do breast cancer treatment on the left side again, I would opt for a mastectomy and save myself from doing the radiation.  I am convinced that the radiation has permanently damaged my heart and my quality of life.  

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  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 57,235
    edited July 2010

    I saw my rads guy every three months for a year; then every 6 months for 2 more years. I think I saw him longer than most people do because I always had a (minor) concern when I went in.......he is a great guy who takes whatever you say very seriously......once I finally figured out I needed to say "Yup, everything is fine," then he dismissed me!

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