PET-CT "not medically necessary"

MaryRC said:

Hi
Hi have United Health care and I am lucky I guess,they approved the PET in just a few hours. I am so afraid though. My family doctor told me that it could very well just be cancer in the lump, but the ENT spec. wants to be 100% sure with the PET scan. I am so very much afraid is why I joined this site. I hope you get you PET scan soon.

Hi Mary
Glad you found your way here....

Reading your other post I can very well relate and sympathize with you. I remember the Friday that I found out that I had SCC stage III in my throat as well. It was a shocker to say the least. I remember the week-end in-between finding out, and having my tonsils out very well. I was feeling very good other than a small irritation in my throat that wouldn't go away prior to the diagnosis. That week-end was pure hell to me and my wife. I wasn't diagnosed stage III until he removed my tonsil. I also had a lump in my throat that came up the last few weeks before diagnosis also. I gathered all of my important documents and account information for my wife I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through that week-end....

But I did make it, the surgery, the nine weeks on chemo and then seven weeks of concurrent chemo and radiation. It's rough and not fun at all, but you can make it also.

One thing that I hope the check out for you is if it is HPV derived. The sent my biopsy out for testing of that and it did come back as HPV positive. HPV related throat cancers tend to respond well to the treatments if that's any comfort.

Hopefully your PET will go well and it will be confined to that one area. Usually there is a primary and secondary source. For me the tonsils were the primary the lump the secondary. All has been good since treatment, no signs of cancer present. The lump actually dissolved after the second round of chemo for me....

I also have United Health Care as my work primary provider and contracted through the Watson Cancer Center for Research here in Lakeland, Florida where I live and work.

United Health Care came through very well for me and I had very little problems with anything. If I had a prescription get hung up, I could call and the gate keeper for our plan had it resolved within a few hours...

Good Luck and God Bless...
Keep us posted and feel free to ask any questions you may have.....
John