How to check for cancer after mastectomy?

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morgaine109
morgaine109 Member Posts: 161
edited June 2014 in Working on Your Fitness

Hi. This is Morgaine. I am planning to have a mastectomy/implants on my right breast some time in early 2012. I already had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (diep flap) in late 2007 for my left breast. Both were DCIS. My sister passed away in January from bc (she was triple negative) and my aunt in 2006 from bc. I am stressed as to the protocal for how to check for a reoccurrence. I've been told that i have less than 1% chance of it but I think my chances are much higher. What test is there to check for it? MRI? Mammogram? Blood work?

Since I will technically not have "any" breast tissue after the mastectomy, what is the protocol? Doc at Presbyterian says its useless to have blood work done since I had DCIS. MRI won't help and mammogram would be useless, he says. 

Do I just hope and pray I don't develop bc? Seriously?

Morgaine 

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  • debbie6122
    debbie6122 Member Posts: 5,161
    edited December 2011

    Hi Morgaine- First, I want to say I'm so sorry about the loss of your Dear sister and Auntie.

    Onocolgist usually won't do test unless there is a reason such as a lump or mass in or near the site and or clavacle area. Or symptoms like bone pain ect.. Blood test would usually show a rise in your tumor markers and problems with other organs. In my case I had an MRI after a mastectomy so that might be what your mo with order or pet scan.

    That being said, I dont know if i would be comfortable with a MO who won't even do blood test periodacaly,. and says that the mri would be useless, not sure why he would say that, if you did have somthing it most likely would show up on a scan. But without symptoms they usually wont do scans.Mostly because of ins, companies and Guidlines. Even though you had DCIS it is still a cancer and it can still become a higher stage and should be watched, im curious to see how other ladies on here have been treated with DCIS only. I will bump this up later if no one else responds with more advice. 

    I know when after i finished all treatmenst i worried about every ache and pain, wondering will i have a recureance, but I realized it just consumed to much of my life and wanted to enjoy life instead of thinking about the bad i wanted to concentrate on the good.  We all hope it wont come back. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and keeping a watch as your surgery nears and holding your hand through it. 

    Ps, the boards are somtimes slow during the weekends- but will bump this up tomorrow for more advice for you.

    Warm cyber hugs

    Debbie

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  • dogeyed
    dogeyed Member Posts: 884
    edited December 2011

    I feel for you, too, MORGAINE.  I also wondered how come my cancer doc wasn't bringing up doing some sort of scan after my rads were done and we had our first post-treatment appointment.  So, I DID bring it up and asked him would he do one in September.  I see him every three months now and it was me who picked the month.  I have a relative who was rather upset when he found out my doc wasn't interested in doing a scan of some kind, he has some experience with cancer on his side of the family.  I mean, I had a mastectomy and no reconstruction, so no mammogram I presume, and so I just assumed they'd want to do a scan!  Well, anyhow, I requested it and I'll get it.  What a relief it will be if it shows nothing, becuz it just SEEMS TO ME if some growth is in me, by golly it'll show up!  But maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.  I hope someone comes on here who knows more and 'splains this to us.  But despite insurance mumbo jumbo, how the hell else are we gonna know if a cancer hasn't sprung up elsewhere!?  The very idea of waiting for it to explode out of us or cause us vague symptoms just doesn't seem too professional to me somehow.  Gee whiz.  GG

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  • cafenoire
    cafenoire Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2012

    Hi from across the "Pond".

    I don't know if you've had your op yet, as I've just logged on here - the first time in a while.

    I had a back flap a couple of weeks ago, DCIS, 2 tumours (one only found after the mastectomy). I have to have CT and bone scans. I saw my surgeon today and said I was worried/puzzled, especially as I have to wait a few days to get them done, and she said that she didn't consider it necessary, but that the cancer specialist on the multi-disciplinary team wanted it done.

    May I suggest that you insist on having these tests done? Apparently, in the UK at least, they do it all as a kind of "package".

    Let me know how you get on.

    Best wishes.

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