Routine cancer scans: Do they bring peace of mind or more stress?

Since it is likely my cancer will eventually come back in some form, I am happy to have continued testing. However, I currently have great medical coverage with a reasonable deductible, having to pay for all the tests might change how I feel. What I do find annoying is the large number of doctors that need different tests, or results of the same tests, and then a follow up visit to discuss the tests. So every blood test or every mammogram or thyroid ultrasound is followed by 3 to 5 doctor visits to discuss the results. In the first year after beating cancer, this is not as annoying as I expect it to get later, and again I'm not paying anything for the visits (covered), not everyone is that lucky.

They are reminders that I am a cancer survivor. I never think about that. They give me peace of mind.

After having been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma a couple of years ago, my bone damage which was the last factor in classifying me as having MM, my diagnosis was reversed with another look at my scans. Two years later I recently had a scare with chest pain and an animolus stress test. The test utilizes radioactive tracers and multiple X-rays and after failing that test, I had a cardiac catheterization which also utilizes radioactive tracers and flouroscopic

X-ray. (Negative for occlusions incidentally). Now I find my M-spike numbers have nearly doubled and my doctor wants a Pet scan to take another look at my bones. This would yet again pump radioactive tracers into my blood. I refused and when I looked into it. I found that there is an option for a Whole Body MRI with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (WB-DWI) which is viewed as a valuable and viable option to a PET scan. My doctor doesn't know about this as an option and argued my insurance wouldn't cover it. I called my insurance company and they informed me they WOULD cover it! Advocate for yourself!

Mt wife was recently diagnosed with breast cancer on a routine mammogram appointment! We caught it in time and she is going through chemotherapy treatments.

Please get routine check ups, this was a life saver for us and can be for you too.

I have a blood draw once a month. My labs are sent to Mayo for analysis. And then I meet with my oncologist. This talk gives me a chance to participate in my care. I keep reading about what the numbers mean and print out the “ trends” for each. I don’t have real anxiety regarding the tests

I had Prostate cancer and i do find the PSA blood tests to be reassuring at least so far...It's been almost 3 years since surgery