That's interesting info Gail & Pete.

Mark, with my insurance so far it's just been an office visit co-pay (with the cost of a scan that's a good thing!). I've had three scans in the past year. (one PET and two PET/CT's now) but the doctor's have ordered them all and they always get pre-approval from my insurance company (which have all been approved so far). The first PET/CT was ordered by my current ENT who is an Associate Professor at University Hospital. He actually insisted that I wait for a new PET/CT machine that was being installed at the University. It was going to be a week but turned into almost three additional weeks which was nerve racking but I trusted him. Then, after being one of the first people scheduled on the new machine I lost another few days due to my glucose being too high to have the scan! He said he would get much better information with the newest technology. My first ENT never even suggested a scan at any point, he would just biopsy, so maybe it's a matter of opinion from the Dr.

I had my second PET/CT this afternoon to learn if the rad/chemo has done its job. Ironic that this is the same day one year ago that I was told the dreaded news. Sounds familiar Pete, my appointment with ENT isn't until next Friday, but my RO said he would be at the Cancer Center tomorrow and he would pick up a copy of scan at University Hospital(across the street) and call me. Very thoughtful of him. He feels results will be what we want to hear. Fingers crossed!!!!

Steve

To Pete-- Are you a fan of the DYI t.v. shows ?
When a customer comes through our door with a $5000.00 project that he thinks he can do himself for $2000.00, we just smile and say,"Yep, we can sell this stuff to you, but please incorporate an amount in your budget to have us come bail you out about 1\2 way in and lost as a goose. I'm betting your ENT is going to have the same reaction Amy

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>.

Gail almost has it right - the PET/CT more accurate in that the adjunctive CT part allows for correlation of the region of interest with accurate anatomical information which a standard PET alone does not do. Earlier attempts at this also had software that could do a fusion of a CT and a PET scan image (done separately but not as accurate).

Just for the record, my CCC does not order CT's, PET or PET/CT's except for the initial triage but they do order an annual MRI to limit radiation exposure.

I have CD copies of most of my MRI's, have been in the radiological business for for over 25 years and still can't read them... Most of the copies you get aren't full res anyway - refering physician copies aren't required to be.

I am a DIY person as well and am still working on a 160 sq ft building that I started in November. I spent today splicing and pigtailing all of the many receptacle boxes and lighting. All to commercial NEC code. 12 circuits in this small building - more than in my house, including a 220/20A for an HVAC wall unit. It has morphed from an electronics lab to a home theater... The shell is 100% and I am installing the insulation now. An electrican will conduit in the electrical service in rigid hardwall I also had to have the main service upgraded to 200A) then the drywall people can take over (I do have my limits at almost age 60). It almost killed me hauling all of the material down to the building site. I really thought I could build this thing in a month!

It sure does take your mind off of cancer though... Monday I see the RO at the CCC for my semi-annual check up. I am heading towards my 5th year of cancer free.

Like Mark, I only have an annual chest x-ray . Pets and CTs have never been ordered. I don't know how hard it is to ask for a scan, but I can tell you that "pulling teeth" is way too over-rated.

Pete, come on...How come you didn't do the dry wall yourself? This is coming from a guy who won't do electrical work himself. I am always in awe of you DIyourselfers.

Jerry

First, Amy, rereading what I posted, I realize that I might have given the wrong impression re: my scans and my prostate -- Altho my interpretation of the scans is that I don't have a cancer problem with my prostate, that doesn't mean that I trust myself on that -- In addition to the radiologist interpreting the scans, it happens that I had blood drawn last week for a six-month follow-up PSA test with my Urologist and coincidentally have an appointment with him a few hours after I see my ENT on Tuesday -- The Uro has done a digital exam, plus recent PSAs are showing better results than a year or so ago, so all signs point to merely prostate enlargement that comes with age.

Jerry, I was simplifing -- Actually, I first built a two-story concrete block addition behind a one-story house (all in Florida) and did the downstairs drywall for that. I learned that I can hang it OK alone, even the overhead stuf (with my scaffolding), but acquiring finishing skills took me a lot more time than I wanted to spend (more time spent sanding mistakes than finishing), so I hired a contractor to finish the second floor, however all the concrete, block work, trusses, roofing, joists, wiring, etc. were done by me, sometimes with physical help from friends.

I was lucky to have a carpenter and a mason as neighbors, plus two former electricians as work colleagues, so I had a lot of brainpower and experience to tap into for guidance (kinda like having this group!).

On the full house, I subbed out a lot of the heavy work (but not the framing, roofing, electric and most of the plumbing [the sub-slab plumbing was done by a pro because mistakes there are literally cast in concrete <g>]) and built a two-story, two-car garage with bedrooms and bath above, and my family and I lived there for four years -- Because it was going slowly, we subbed out most of the rest of the house, plus the septic system and well.

During that life, I was a transmission engineer with a phone company, so basic electricty wasn't magic... With the plumbing, I got a lot of advice from the county inspector's office and he had me assemble all of it dry and inspected it before I started gluing and soldering.

Amy, much of the savings I had by DIY went into better materials, like a larger electric service, lots of extra breakers, all-copper wiring, larger septic system than the minimum, tons of additional insulation, double-pane windows, split air-conditioning, etc. Plus I'm sure we didn't always get the best deal from our subs because they knew we were unlikely to be repeat customers, but we knew that going into the projects.

Dear Pete and Gary, HOmeworks has job openings
Amy

To add to the discussion, we're currently at MD Anderson & yesterday we too asked the ocologist for a PET/CT fusion test at this visit. (My husband,57, is 14 months out from treatment for SCC base of tongue,Stage 2/3, HPV 16? positive tumor'non-smoker,non-drinker.)The answer was they use the fusion when they suspect metastisis. The CT is 'more fefined' & the radiologists prefer the CT. The MRI is not used for the 'lower' areas, i.e. base of tongue. In addition to the CT, at each 6 month visit, my husband is given an ultrasound of the lymph nodes in the neck & if any are suspicious, he would have a needle biopsy. We cannot get the fusion test currently in Ontario, nor do they ultrasound his lymph nodes,that's why we come to this wonderful place.

Just to be really clear on this, I don't believe the "fusion" is a test or scan, rather, it is merely seems to be the software combination of two PET and CT scans taken **simultaneously***.

On my, I have the choice in the viewer program (MIMvision) to view PT, CT or FUSION of CT,PT. However, it is clear that if the two scans were not done simultaneously, it would be difficult to synchronize them because the 'slices' (267 in each scan) would not be of the same places.

Today, I got the word from my ENT Doc that my one year post-radiation PET/CT scan (full body, from eyebrows to mid-thigh) was clean. He said that meant:

1. Right now, I am 99% cancer-free (could be some cells in there that the scans wouldn't be able to see, but that's the way we all are).

2. At the end of my radiation treatment, I had a 65% likelihood of no cancer recurrence within five years.

3. Having made it to one year from the end of radiation treatment with no recurrence, I now have a 90% likelihood of no recurrence within five years.

4. Every month that goes by increases the percentages.

He's moved me from a See Me in Two Months to See Me in Three Months schedule.

I am a Happy Puppy!

Here's the financial damage from my PET/CT scans, for which I just got the bill. BTW, it was a combined PET and CT scan (skull base to mid-thigh per my request for a full-body scan).

Billed price for scans: $3050.00
Billed price for Doc report: 500.00

less network discount for scans: -363.65
less network discount for Doc: -250.00

Total 2936.35

My share, under 80%/20% plan $587.27

In this case, my cost is actually somewhat higher because I have not met my annual deductible, but I chose to exclude that because it is really a timing event and dependent on other services I may or may not have paid year to date.

For those who may not know what a 'network discount', that's an agreed price reduction from the 'list' price of the service between the insco and a 'preferred provider'.

For someone with a different plan, they might have only had a $20 copayment. For someone with no plan, the bill would likely have been the 'list' $3550.

Given the results, I am still a Happy Puppy, not wondering if I have other advanced cancers lurking...