GE Medical Equipment

Good for you and thanks for speaking up.

Thanks for representing us.  One thing they're missing, it's not only the equipment it's who reads the mammos and ultrasounds.  That is where I was failed, I was told all good when it wasn't.  So, they can use all the high tech stuff and aromatherapy they want, if the dr reading it doesn't get it right, it doesn't matter.  How about educating them, not us.

Thanks Mary for putting a face with the problem.

Kar, if you dont mind me asking, I just want to clarify. Are you saying that a mri did not pick up a 6cm tumor? Do you mind me asking where the tumor was and did you have iv contrast with your scan? My tumors were not picked up on mammo and the u/s wasnt real definitive but it showed up on mri as a 5cm tumor. When I had the bmx it turned out to be 3 tumors with the biggest at about 2.5cm I think. Basically all 3 totalled about 5cm. I am asking this because I work in radiology and I knew that some tumors especially small were missed on mammo but it is a shock to hear that mri missed it. I actually do xrays, cat scans and some mri. I have seen mri of the breast and it amazes me what is picked up on mri that I cant see on the mammo. I share this knowledge with my coworkers so they will know about it. Thanks for any info you can give.

I really hope Tom Gentile of GE (and the powers that be in his company) heard you Mary.  You really are speaking for all of us and we appreciate it.  Those of us with ILC who had humungous tumors that were not "seen" on our mammos and ultrasounds are pretty sensitive about this.  Yes, the best machines in the world do us no good if they aren't available to us and/or if the technicians and doctors don't use them well.  How in the world would he expect the patients themselves to force this to happen?  If a giant like GE can't do it.......    Thanks for getting in there and giving our pitch for us!  

Hi mel,

Yes, an MRI did not show my 6cm tumor.  I had IV contrast.  The tumor was unifocal in the upper left quadrant of my breast.  It was a shock to all of us.  When the BS called to say the MRI was all clear, I asked then what the heck is going on in this breast.  It was chalked up to dense tissue.  Since I was still concerned they offered to check again in 3 months instead of the recommended 6 months (written in the MRI report).  BS said it was very rare for tumors not to show up on MRI, but ILC is very good at hiding.  She was pretty shaken up as well because she felt bad for not trusting her instincts and relying on the MRI report.  I have since talked to one other woman online at MyBCteam.org who had the same thing happen to her.  Needless to say, I don't have a lot of confidence in screening technology.

They found it when I came back after waiting the 3 months via a biopsy and then it finally appeared in the PetScan along with a few nodes..  I had chemo first and then a mastectomy (luckily clean margins).