Well now you just went and rained on my day Charm!! Here I was feeling very comfortable with the annual chest x rays - guess I shouldn't be!! Do you think perhaps, seeing as I have had 7 in a row - the x rays would be "helpful" given that they have a baseline and can track changes? I'm sure hoping that is the case!! Originally I did have 2 chest CT'S but since then has been X Rays

Donna

Donna

Sorry. Since nobody is recommending to me any scans of my chest, not X-rays, not CT, zero nada zip, these articles caught my attention. The Wall St Journal version did not think much of CTs either even though CT's lowered the death rate by 20% over X rays
[quote]Dr. Berg said the results mean the challenge for researchers is to improve CT scans to reduce the rate of false positives, which can lead to additional tests that are expensive and, in a small number of cases, complications from those tests. In the recently published National Lung Screening Trial, she said, 95% of the abnormalities detected by CT turned out not to be cancer[/quote].
Here is the WSJ version X-Rays No Help Against Lung Cancer
Now if I can just get NCI to similarly expose PETscans

Charm

Thank you... I will show this to my dr. I am going to change ROs - I don't want to create a world of trouble for this guy as really I don't dislike him and I am sure he's good. But I've had enough bad experiences from him that I just can't stay with him, and that makes me feel bad... I am sure he's quite brilliant as he wouldn't be working there if he wasn't and I'm sure I have him to thank for the fact that I am having minimal side effects at this point despite being 6 mos out, ( I am not sure what the future holds with regards to radiation fall out but for now I can't complain ) However - his attitude just plain scares me.. I do know from my previous scan I'm clear... or so I'm told. However I do think there should be an occasional follow up scan... at the 1 yr mark maybe? then two years? then that's it unless there is reason. I do know from my mother's lung cancer that by the time it shows up on an xray... it's too advanced to treat more than palliatively (mind you her cancer was small cell and all through her lungs - but the time a tumor forms it's easy to slow but impossible to cure). I do want a scan at some point - maybe the one year mark of my surgery... just to make sure. (feb) then maybe the two year mark of my rads ending... (even if I have to go through my family dr to do it or through someone else or pay for it out of pocket). I'm not panicked or anything and at that point then I would be happy. I just feel and this isn't all about the scans, but I just feel that with his attitude, we will end up detecting things too late if something were to happen. And since he is my primary dr. this concerns me... even though my SO said if you have any problems please feel free to call and make an appointment... we'll fit you in no problem. ergh... I just hate being mean to people or causing a problem because I am very grateful for everything.

They sure do give interesting answers to us. LOL I think sometime they draw straws to see which one gives us an answer.

Oh yeah... This guy really has no bedside manner - ugh.. Brilliant but socially a dud... and really I'm not a person who needs hand holding and constant reassurance - but I do want to know my dr. Has my back - and my best interests in mind!
Good luck tomorrow and ave a beer on me tonight!

Update - so I decided to circumvent the RO - I'm certain he's quite brilliant, and def. needs to learn people skills, but since I'm post treatment, and I see him very three - 6 mos (he shares the duty with my SO ) I' went to see my family dr. Who I LOVE! He yanked out my file, sat down with me and everything I mentioned he pulled out the report - and I have to say firstly if the RO had read the actual lung CT to me in march I would have had less of a freak out! My family dr. Did. And I went ohhhhhhh - apparently the radiologist compared my dec - chest ct to my march and they were identicle. Had my RO not sent a student out to come back and report (that i had insignificant spots - where i was told my previous ct was clear) and just gone and gotten the report himself and read it to me, that would really have relaxed me. Apparently what I have is environmental, etc... Not nodules or anything
After explaining my situation with RO and repeating what he'd said to my my dr looked confounded, he asked whe i was due for my next scan.... I said never unless i have a problem, my dr agreed I needed a local ENT, and set up another CT for my head... (since my initial cancer presented as occult) he said we'll do a head and neck ct, you should have one, and you'll come back to me - we'll discuss it, and I will then I'll send you for another chest to be on the safe side, and refer you to the ENT of my choice he's awesomeness!