Normal to wait three months for scan?

westie66 said:

Scans
Hi all: I had one (MRI) right after the last of 12 treatments of oxaliplatin, etc. and another set (CT) two weeks ago. In total I've had about 12 or even more scans, most of them MRIs (which don't use radiation). The "normal" routine is every 3 months for a couple of years and then 1 a year after that.

I wonder if anyone else has experienced this: my scans have been done at 3 different hospitals (it just depends on where they can get you in) that all have different radiologists and probably machines. Whether it is an MRI or a CT scan, the results of each scan, when compared to other scans, all appear somewhat different. For example, some radiologists do a very "sparse" interpretation while others are quite thorough measuring each and every nodule. I realize that MRIs give different information than CTs but the trend should be the same. Last year I was told all of my nodules on the peritoneum were gone and we could rejoice, but then a CT scan a month or so later for my surgeon told a different story - they were still there. It's driving me crazy. I can only hope my oncologist is looking at the actual images and not just the reports! I am a trained image analyst (albeit for monitoring vegetation changes) and feel I could do a good job on them myself! Any ideas on this? I see the oncologist tomorrow about the latest scans which almost contradict previous scans.
Cheryl

Cheryl

There will be differences in size and location of spots, depending
on the technician taking the scan, and the equipment itself.

There are noted differences in images taken by PET/CT vs CT,
vs MRI scans, and also between equipment of the same type
and manufacture.

Machines aren't all set up in the same manner, and slight variances
between their construction can cause differences in the resulting
image, as well.

It isn't an exact science, it's just a tool.

Rather than worrying about a slight enlargement of a spot, or
rallying over a slight shrinkage of a spot, I prefer to wait and
party over the complete disappearance of a spot.

Try not to get dismayed with the technology involved, or the
results reported, and just trust what you "feel" inside. It's your
own intuition that's the "real thing". If you feel it's gone, just
work to keep it gone. Don't let a test or a scan dictate your
life and dreams.

May all our spots be gone by tomorrow!
(and may they never return)


Best wishes,


John

plh4gail said:

Cheers to tumor
Cheers to tumor shrinkage!

Gail

Gail
Thank you. It was what I'd hoped for...
This seems to be in the pattern I'm in. It's why I've been introducing juicing again.
My plan is to have juicing help the chemo finish the spots off.
-p

Nearly all these folks are gone, save Colocan and perhaps another. When this thread started, ten and a half years ago, I was getting a CT scan every 3 months, followed by Pet scans often, because it was after my first recurrence/resection in my liver, which had 3 month scans up until then. I did these for years at that rate, they kept seeing abnormalities, trying biopsies, then finally seeing mets they still weren't 100% certain about. After the second resection in 9/14, I had 5 CT's followed by PET"S at 3 month intervals, 2 needle aspirations for lung fluid, 1 needle biopsy, and then they finally went to a yearly scan, for three more years. How many that adds up to, I have no clue, but it seems like at least one every 3 months from 9/07 to9/17 for the CT, and a couple dozen of the PET scans. Stay tuned to find out how much one can tolerate for how long, lol. Seriously, these were some smart, thorough, thoughtful people on this blog then, PhillieG, John23, Annalexandria, any newbie should read their words of wisdom. Me, it just brings the losses back, and there are so many...................................Dave

Yep Sue, there were a lot of fascinating dialogues, until the disruptions and improvements turned this into an empty shell of what it was. Some things need perservation and continuity, far more than they need design advances and greater options. This blog was/is one of those places. I don't know if it ever gets back to what it was, but it's certainly clear 'their' messing around with it broke the sense of intimacy, continuity, and accessibility for groups of people in great need of just those qualities.........................Dave

My every 3 month CT schedule (for 3 years) is now an every 6 months CT. Looking forward to it being every year soon.