mammosite radiation

survivorbc09

Sorry, but kind of
Sorry, but kind of ridiculous. lol

Maggie Rose

How Insurances treat MammoSite
If this was still in a "trial" stage, most insurance carriers wouldn't approve paying for it. The fact that Medicare will pay for the procedure as well as many other large carriers, should be some comfort that it is a RECOGNIZED TREATMENT. My insurance had paid, but after re-reviewing it, they tried to deny it as a recognized treatment. After gathering facts, which included naming insurance companies which do pay, my insurance carrier again reconsidered and paid for my treatments. Unless your insurance carrier is still in the 20th century or earlier, most all of them pay. Moral of story, CHECK WITH YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT to make sure! Should your carrier be one that refuses to pay, there is help out there to help you fight for your right to choose your mode of treatment.

Ladies, Voices of MammoSite IS NOT a cult and we are MANY, MANY HAPPY CAMPERS with our choice of treatment. The Voices of MammoSite is a group of women trying to empower other women to have a choice in treatment, not to be dictated to by a doctor. Bottom line, TALK TO YOUR SURGEON AND RADIATION ONCOLOGIST to determine if you qualify and IF IT IS THE RIGHT TREATMENT FOR YOU.

Congratulations to ALL OF US breast cancer SUVIVORS and ALL cancer SUVIVORS!

This is strictly my opinion and not intended to "step on any toes" and claim that someone else may be wrong in their way of thinking. Bless all those women who did the trials for MammoSite and gave us another option for treatment; just as the women, who I'm sure, went through trials to give us the option of a lumpectomy rather than everyone having to have a mastectomy.

susie09

Maggie Rose said:

How Insurances treat MammoSite
If this was still in a "trial" stage, most insurance carriers wouldn't approve paying for it. The fact that Medicare will pay for the procedure as well as many other large carriers, should be some comfort that it is a RECOGNIZED TREATMENT. My insurance had paid, but after re-reviewing it, they tried to deny it as a recognized treatment. After gathering facts, which included naming insurance companies which do pay, my insurance carrier again reconsidered and paid for my treatments. Unless your insurance carrier is still in the 20th century or earlier, most all of them pay. Moral of story, CHECK WITH YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT to make sure! Should your carrier be one that refuses to pay, there is help out there to help you fight for your right to choose your mode of treatment.

Ladies, Voices of MammoSite IS NOT a cult and we are MANY, MANY HAPPY CAMPERS with our choice of treatment. The Voices of MammoSite is a group of women trying to empower other women to have a choice in treatment, not to be dictated to by a doctor. Bottom line, TALK TO YOUR SURGEON AND RADIATION ONCOLOGIST to determine if you qualify and IF IT IS THE RIGHT TREATMENT FOR YOU.

Congratulations to ALL OF US breast cancer SUVIVORS and ALL cancer SUVIVORS!

This is strictly my opinion and not intended to "step on any toes" and claim that someone else may be wrong in their way of thinking. Bless all those women who did the trials for MammoSite and gave us another option for treatment; just as the women, who I'm sure, went through trials to give us the option of a lumpectomy rather than everyone having to have a mastectomy.

Beware of the mammosite
The mammosite has no long term proof that it works. It is still considered a CLINICAL TRIAL PROCEDURE! Ask any oncologist with a reputable

reputation, and, they will tell you that. So, you are gambling with your life. How do I

know? I had the mammosite rads and my bc came back in the same spot almost. Why? Because

there hadn't been enough radiation to kill the stray cells. I did the mammosite radiation against my oncologist's wishes, but, I didn't want the 6 or 7 weeks of it. I also had a friend

that died 4 years later after she did the mammosite rads. So, just educate yourself please.

Is it worth risking your life just so that you can get a short version of rads? NO!

SO HI, MY NAME IS SUSIE AND I HAD THE MAMMOSITE RADIATION AND IT ALMOST KILLED ME. AND, IT

DID KILL MY FRIEND!

Akiss4me

Maggie Rose said:

How Insurances treat MammoSite
If this was still in a "trial" stage, most insurance carriers wouldn't approve paying for it. The fact that Medicare will pay for the procedure as well as many other large carriers, should be some comfort that it is a RECOGNIZED TREATMENT. My insurance had paid, but after re-reviewing it, they tried to deny it as a recognized treatment. After gathering facts, which included naming insurance companies which do pay, my insurance carrier again reconsidered and paid for my treatments. Unless your insurance carrier is still in the 20th century or earlier, most all of them pay. Moral of story, CHECK WITH YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT to make sure! Should your carrier be one that refuses to pay, there is help out there to help you fight for your right to choose your mode of treatment.

Ladies, Voices of MammoSite IS NOT a cult and we are MANY, MANY HAPPY CAMPERS with our choice of treatment. The Voices of MammoSite is a group of women trying to empower other women to have a choice in treatment, not to be dictated to by a doctor. Bottom line, TALK TO YOUR SURGEON AND RADIATION ONCOLOGIST to determine if you qualify and IF IT IS THE RIGHT TREATMENT FOR YOU.

Congratulations to ALL OF US breast cancer SUVIVORS and ALL cancer SUVIVORS!

This is strictly my opinion and not intended to "step on any toes" and claim that someone else may be wrong in their way of thinking. Bless all those women who did the trials for MammoSite and gave us another option for treatment; just as the women, who I'm sure, went through trials to give us the option of a lumpectomy rather than everyone having to have a mastectomy.

Maggie....
Please review your information!! If this was not still in the trial phase, I would not have been asked to participate in the "ongoing" clinical trial. I was asked two weeks ago! True that "phase I" is completed! However, in clinical trials there is still Phase II, Phase III, and finally Phase IV to complete. Most "Major" insurance companyies will only consider payment for any phase other than Phase I trials. AND PLEASE READ THIS PART CAREFULLY.....The insurance company will pay for the part of treatment that would be normally neccessary for your disease. All extras are picked up by the clinical study!! So because there is an amount paid by your insurance, please be careful telling people that it is not a trial anymore. I feel blessed that there are women out there that will participate in trials to better ALL our lives. I am participating in two myself. But it is an individual choice and you have all the facts on any new procedures. Sorry if I sound a little harsh here, not directed at you. It's just that too many people on this thread are treating this as if it is no longer in the testing phase. I want the truth to be know. Yes, so far they have great results overall, but......It is still being tested! Pammy

2nd Time

Thnak You
Thanks for the comments so far. Each decision a cancer patient makes is highly personal. I decided to go through chemo 8 years ago even though a doctor said it was not necessary. I wanted to do as much as possible to fight any breast cancer cells in my body. Yet, here I am again with breast cancer. Good luck to all of you and to your personal choices.

Akiss4me

2nd Time said:

Thnak You
Thanks for the comments so far. Each decision a cancer patient makes is highly personal. I decided to go through chemo 8 years ago even though a doctor said it was not necessary. I wanted to do as much as possible to fight any breast cancer cells in my body. Yet, here I am again with breast cancer. Good luck to all of you and to your personal choices.

Your welcome 2nd time
Also I did think of some questions to ask for Monday if you do consider using this method:

1) By what method will the catheter or balloon be inserted into your breast?

2) By what method will it be removed?

3) How long total will you have it in place?

4) What are the side effects?

5) How often will your treatments take place? (one of the reasons I had to decline participating was because I travel 1 1/2 hours away for treatment and I will have Rads 2 minutes from my home. I believe the mammosite treatment is twice a day)\

These questions will probably get you started. Good luck on your decision, I'm sure you will do what is best for you. Pammy

jk1952

Akiss4me said:

Your welcome 2nd time
Also I did think of some questions to ask for Monday if you do consider using this method:

1) By what method will the catheter or balloon be inserted into your breast?

2) By what method will it be removed?

3) How long total will you have it in place?

4) What are the side effects?

5) How often will your treatments take place? (one of the reasons I had to decline participating was because I travel 1 1/2 hours away for treatment and I will have Rads 2 minutes from my home. I believe the mammosite treatment is twice a day)\

These questions will probably get you started. Good luck on your decision, I'm sure you will do what is best for you. Pammy

Go into this objectively

2nd Time, you can see that this subject has had a lot of controversy in earlier posts, both for and against the procedure. I really appreciate the information that Pammy has given you. Since she recently made a decision about mammosite, she has gathered a lot of information that should help you better deal with your decision.

Your story is something like mine. I had a small amount of invasive cancer in 2000, with no node involvement. Since it was caught very early (the initial biopsy showed only DCIS), I had a lumpectomy and radiation. In the past two years, I had biopsies on the other breast (which ended up being OK). At the time, I talked to my surgeon about the mammosite, and I would have seriously considered it if I had needed treatment. She has always been somewhat on the leading edge in cancer detection, using the core biopsy and sentinel lymph node biopsy before it was the general standard of care. But, both of these made it so much easier for me, and are now generally used.

This year, DCIS was discovered in the breast where I had cancer in 2000, even though I had the full regimen of radiation. Like you, I was 'happy' with the fact that it had been caught early, and although I needed a mastectomy, my life expectancy should not be affected. I chose a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction (implants can't be done on a radiated breast), once again going with a relatively new procedure. When I finally made a decision about the bilateral and the reconstruction, there was such a sense of relief and it felt right fot me.

I wish you well in your decision. I hope that you have the peace that I had when the decision was made. Don't be afraid of new procedures, but at the same time, be cautious and get the information that you need in order to make an objective decision that's right for you.

Joyce