BS says no to MRI

GrammyNancy~

This doesn't sound right...the usual follow up is...once a year on your "good breast" and an MRI six months after dx and then alternate.  I know my BS said, after NED then it goes to every year...but that is because I will have silicone...do you not have reconstruction ?  Maybe thats why ?

I was surprised I had a mammo once a year....every woman that does NOT have BC gets once a year, and according to stats are risks are greater.

Perhaps more will come along and give their follow-ups.

I am curious myself.

Much LUV

Boy, what a dilemma in my mind too!  Mammo and US did NOT find the 2nd tumor, MRI did.  It was ILC.  IDC was the primary found first.  After chemo (2 months post) I found a lump, everyone could feel it, had mammo and US, but no MRI ordered.  That was April.  I'm supposed to be on a yearly mammo....digital type. 

I'm still feeling this thing and still worried and still not confident it's nothing, but.....like you..am not sure what to do!   I trust my BS, he's quick about test normally, but this isn't something he felt was needed.

If your breast surgeon doesn't want to prescribe an MRI, maybe your oncologist will.

I'd follow up with your onco and see what his feelings are about this.  See what follow up tests he recommends.

You can always find a doctor that thinks similarly to your game plan.

Good luck.

(P.s. If I had boobs, I was told 6 months mammo, 6 months MRI...which is why I opted for bilaterals).

I'm getting annual mammos and MRI's. Wallycat's right--mayber your onc will order an MRI. If not, then I'd shop around for a doc who will order one. I'm surprised that with your history of an HER+ ILC that the BS doesn't want to be more viligant.

Well, actually, NCCN guidelines state that there is not enough evidence to recommend one way or the other regarding annual MRIs for women with a history of bc. The MRIs are just recommended for BRCA women and women who have a lifetime chance of over 25%, I think it is, for getting bc. Why they think women who have already had bc aren't at a high risk for a new primary or local recurrence is beyond me, but that's why not all docs do annual MRIs.

Dear GrammyNancy......I had ILC in the left breast and had a mastectomy on that side in February 2006. I opted for a prophylactic mastectomy on the right in August 2007 so never did have an MRI. However, when I had the boob in place, MRI is what my oncologist was going to use every year or so, interspersed with thorough examinations. He was going to continue mammos too in case there was something other than ILC, but he certainly said that mammos were no good for me as far as finding ILC was concerned. Where I live MRIs are not that easy to get but he would have tried for one a year or second year. Good luck with your onc.

I ended up having bilateral mastectomies AFTER having chemo, radiation, Herceptin. But if I had continued to have boobs, I was slated for MRIs. My cancer didn't show up on mammo or ultrasound. Funny to see all those old reports with the now-ominous comments about density and calcification. I had no idea then that these were warning signs ...