Directly after my first partial glossectomy I had a CT scan (ordered by ENT), and a second at the oncology center after the second glossectomy as part of the setup for my radiation treatments (both covered by insurance).

This one, a year out of radiation, was ordered by my ENT as part of his normal course -- He extended it to whole body at request of several of my other Docs (and me) and I expect my InsCo will continue to cover it as in the past.

I keep reading in this forum about folks having scans of both types done far sooner than that.

All the preclearances that may or may not have been done would have been thru the ENT's office -- Under my plan, my copay will be 20% (unless I hit my annual out-of-pocket); also, I haven't hit my deductible this year, so likely it will show up there, but given all the circumstances and my age, it's worth it to me -- Catching the tongue tumor early was a good thing, and I figure it's a lot less expensive in the long run to stay ahead of this curve...

JAM -- I am indeed a DIY person, having built a house (wiring, plumbing and all), kept my old truck running for 23 years, etc., but I also try to recognize my limitations (like reading a CT/PET and not expecting to be a pro at it), but I have two reasons for collecting copies of my scans (I have two CTs plus the PET/CT in my laptop right now, along with all the reports and some digital before/after photos that I took of my tumor) -- One is that I am curious and the other is that from the military, and from living in an RV for nine years, I learned the value of keeping a copy of my records -- If I want a second opinion, I have a lot of raw material on hand.

My ENT agrees, BTW, and commends the records practice. "YOU are the expert on you", sez he.

It's easy to get them to burn a copy of the scans to CD, esp if you ask right away when they are making the copy for the radiologist (my late BIL was a radiologist; were he still alive I would have sent CDs to him for a look). Heck, I even have copies of some spinal X-rays taken a decade ago for a chiropractor. Of course, if I were a TRUE, hardcore DIYer, I'd be over at a medical library with a pile of textbooks looking at scan photos...

I should add that in the house, the electrical inspector said "I presume your husband did this wiring because he did all the little extra stuff that the pro electricians don't have the time or inclination to do" and the drywall guy said "If your husband ever decides to do framing professionally, I'd be glad to follow him around hanging drywall because he builds a straight wall and puts the right drywall supports in place that the regular framers don't even know exist", so some of us do get it right <grinz>.