Can any one tell me the benefits of having an MRI before surgury?

aurora2009
aurora2009 Member Posts: 544 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I called my surgeon this afternoon to see if she had heard anything from my insurance company and also to ask a couple of questions.
She had originaly told me last Wednesday, that she would request an MRI from my insurance, and that I would have it before my surgury, now she's telling me that it might not come through in time, and not to worry, I can alway have is after surgury???
Does that make sense??? I kind of get the feeling she forgot to put in for it....

Just wondering.

Oh and maybe new family here can help me out with one more thing she said :)
Apparently when I called the clinic to get the rest of the path report that was still missing when I saw my surgeon, I wrote it down backwards (nothing new for me lately)I am NOT
ER(-)/PR(-)HER2(+), instead I am ER(+)/PR(+)HER2-, according to the surgeon, we got everything we were hoping for??? But she really didn't explain how or why. (I hate asking questions over the phone some how I get it all wrong of forget to ask stuff))

Anyway after the call I'm feeling better, I think.......just don't know why???

GEEEZ......the anxiety lately is killing me....help!!!!!!!!

Thanks All
Aurora

Comments

  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #2
    My oncologist requested a
    My oncologist requested a MRI before surgery to see if there was any more cancer in either breast. I was going to have a lumpectomy in my right breast, so, he wanted to make sure that there was no more showing up in it and make sure there was none in my left breast. If something had shown up, it would have changed my surgery. I probably wouldn't have been able to have a lumpectomy. It might have required a mastectomy. I hope I explained this right. But, nothing new showed up on it, so, I had the lumpectomy. Leeza :)
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #3
    jnl said:

    My oncologist requested a
    My oncologist requested a MRI before surgery to see if there was any more cancer in either breast. I was going to have a lumpectomy in my right breast, so, he wanted to make sure that there was no more showing up in it and make sure there was none in my left breast. If something had shown up, it would have changed my surgery. I probably wouldn't have been able to have a lumpectomy. It might have required a mastectomy. I hope I explained this right. But, nothing new showed up on it, so, I had the lumpectomy. Leeza :)

    Mine was the same as jnl.
    Mine was the same as jnl. Write all your questions down and keep one with you and one by the phone. As the questions pop in your head, write it down right away or you will forget.
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #4
    Kat11 said:

    Mine was the same as jnl.
    Mine was the same as jnl. Write all your questions down and keep one with you and one by the phone. As the questions pop in your head, write it down right away or you will forget.

    Before
    I had my MRI before surgery and before my stereo-tatic (?sp) biopsy.
    Have your questions ready and get them answered--don't let the doc do a tap dance around your questions.

    Margo
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #5
    Hi Aurora......
    I was approved by insurance for my MRI before surgery, but there was probably a 3 week interval between the MRI request and when the MRI took place.
    I had a second MRI 6 months after the first to re-check the remaining breast, and my "approval" arrived in the mail the day AFTER I had had the MRI. Needless to say...glad it was approved!

    I wonder if your surgeon can get "phone approval" from your insurance instead of waiting for written approval??

    CR
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #6
    What my Doc said....
    I had an MRI prior to my diagnosis (that is what found my cancer) but I had a PET/CT scan prior to surgery to check the rest of my body for cancer. Doing an MRI is like an extra precaution to look for any other cancer that other test did not find. It is not always neccessary. Done more on an individual basis.
    I am also ER/PR + and Her2- with my cancer. My surgeon explained to me that this type is very responsive to hormone therapy and VERY treatable. I don't think it is neccessarily better to have as I believe having any form of cancer sucks, but it does have a high success rate in treating with hormone therapy.
    Hope this helps explain it more to you. Glad your feeling better. :) Pammy
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #7
    Akiss4me said:

    What my Doc said....
    I had an MRI prior to my diagnosis (that is what found my cancer) but I had a PET/CT scan prior to surgery to check the rest of my body for cancer. Doing an MRI is like an extra precaution to look for any other cancer that other test did not find. It is not always neccessary. Done more on an individual basis.
    I am also ER/PR + and Her2- with my cancer. My surgeon explained to me that this type is very responsive to hormone therapy and VERY treatable. I don't think it is neccessarily better to have as I believe having any form of cancer sucks, but it does have a high success rate in treating with hormone therapy.
    Hope this helps explain it more to you. Glad your feeling better. :) Pammy

    My oncologist contacted my
    My oncologist contacted my insurance company just to be sure that the MRI was covered, as it is a very expensive test. And, it was. So, I got approval within a few minutes.

    I had the MRI also before my surgery to make sure there was no other cancer in either breast.

    Good luck, Lex
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #8
    I had an MRI prior to
    I had an MRI prior to surgery to make sure there was only that one small spot in my breast. I was scheduled for a lumpectomy. But, if more spots would have shown up, it could have changed my surgery to a mastectomy. But, it didn't. :) I think that is partly why. They don't want you to go into surgery and get a lumpectomy and then later have a MRI and for it to show up more and then you have to go back in for more surgery.
  • jikaras
    jikaras Member Posts: 58
    #9
    MRI
    My cancer was found on my mamo - left breast only. It got biopsied and confirmed as cancer. Went to my surgeon, and she wanted the MRI so she could see exactly where the cancer was, and to verify that there wasn't anything in the right.

    Went for the MRI; had to go for another round of biopsies.

    Right side was also confirmed as cancer.

    I was originally scheduled for a lumptectomy, but after the biopsies and MRI; it was changed to a mastecomy.

    I would assume that the doctor can call and just get a confirmation over the phone. My insurance was very accomodating and (knock on wood), I haven't seen a bill yet.

    Good Luck
    Jill
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #10
    jikaras said:

    MRI
    My cancer was found on my mamo - left breast only. It got biopsied and confirmed as cancer. Went to my surgeon, and she wanted the MRI so she could see exactly where the cancer was, and to verify that there wasn't anything in the right.

    Went for the MRI; had to go for another round of biopsies.

    Right side was also confirmed as cancer.

    I was originally scheduled for a lumptectomy, but after the biopsies and MRI; it was changed to a mastecomy.

    I would assume that the doctor can call and just get a confirmation over the phone. My insurance was very accomodating and (knock on wood), I haven't seen a bill yet.

    Good Luck
    Jill

    Your oncologist will call
    Your oncologist will call your insurance for you to verify it will be covered. Usually you get approval within a few minutes, or, you should.

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