Bloodwork at every follow-up?

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Luah
Luah Member Posts: 1,541
edited June 2014 in Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer

Just wondering if other women in Canada have bloodwork routinely done at their follow-ups? If so, what does it tell you/the doc? I guess I could see elevated liver enzymes as a signal, anything else?. 

My first couple of follow-ups have just involved a brief conversation with the onc and a clinical breast exam. Is that normal?  

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  • JustJudi
    JustJudi Member Posts: 198
    edited January 2011

    I have Blood work done every visit, which is down to about every 8 weeks now, it checks for about 15 different things, liver enz, white blood count, tumour markers, are just a few, I have only received one copy of report, which I asked for, the doctor shares what he feels is anything that might be of an concern, such as low blood count etc.  and we look at tumour markers as they have been a good guideline for my case, as they have slowly come down over the past months, thou they are not as reliable in many cases.  Just the usual, blood pressure, weight, if I have any concerns they are addressed, So that is about it.

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited January 2011

    I'm from NY and I do get Blood tests every 4 months when i see my oncologist.

    Good Luck.

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  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 5,324
    edited January 2011
    Luah, I'm on an every-6-month followup sched now, and bloodwork is done each time -- CBC, ALT, Alk Phosphatase, Bilibrubin, diff platelets, AST and LDH.  (Now I have to go look up what all those acronyms mean!).  Also U/S and digital mammo.
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  • flannelette
    flannelette Member Posts: 984
    edited January 2011

    Luah - I see you are in Ontario and stage 2b like me, and all that ever happend at my 3 month, eventually 6 month follow-ups were I got weighed and the onc. asked me questions & did a clinical exam - listening to lungs, palpating, looking for signs of recurrence on my MX site, which my br surgeon said looks like a bunch of "little bumps".

    Never had a blood test at a follow-up. Maybe that's the protocol for our stage in Ontario.

    No routine scans or x-rays either. They only do those things if there are symptoms. I did have one US on my hip/abdomen as I had a pain there - nothing showed - turned out to be shingles.

    Now, 2 yrs into arimidex, I do have to do a bone density scan.

    All the best -

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  • Luah
    Luah Member Posts: 1,541
    edited January 2011

    Thanks for the replies. I have my follow-up with onc tomorrow, so I will ask her then about bloodwork. The practices seem a bit inconsistent, even in ON. 

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  • ebarnes48
    ebarnes48 Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2011

    I have bloodwork done everytime I have a follow up exam.  I also get prodded and poked so far I see the onc, the surgeon and the radiolagyst, why I see the radiolagyst I dont know as I didnt have radiation. its just another doc who prodes and pokes me. I know its all as a precaution and to make sure its not coming back

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