Do I Really Need a PET Scan?

by Maggan

in Diagnosis, Emotional Support, Metastasis, PET Scan, Physicians

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Something in Dr. R’s message does not add up. First I have an old pneumonia scar. Then it is radiation damage on the left lung lobe. But I had my right side radiated.  If anyone could solve this mystery, it would be my radiation oncologist, Dr. Alpha.

I call Dr. Alpha’s number, fully expecting to get his voice mail, but he picks up on the first ring.

No, he never took any x-rays of me, but I had a CAT scan before I started radiation. (How could I possibly have forgotten that?) He will look at it and call me back.

In less than an hour, Dr. Alpha is back on the phone. He has compared my  CAT scan from five months ago with the new one. The 8 mm granuloma on my lower left lobe does not worry him. It was there before I started radiation and has not changed at all.

“More worrisome,” Dr. Alpha tells me, “is the growth on the lymph node just below your heart.”

I try to steady my voice so it will not quiver. All my bluster and bravado from my days of radiation have  evaporated. I hear how meek and scared I sound. He must have heard it too.

“They never told me anything about a growth under my heart.”

“No, they wouldn’t. They try not to give you all the information. You want to come down and see?” offers Dr. Alpha. “I will show it to you and explain.”

I want to take him up on the offer and drive down and see for myself. But I also do not want to crash into his busy schedule. What do I know about x-ray images anyway? I did not even know you had lymph nodes under your heart. I will have to take Dr. Alpha on his word.

“You definitely need a PET scan,” Dr. Alpha says. “This needs to be fully investigated. I will schedule one for you.”

“But I have one scheduled for tomorrow at 1 PM. I guess I have to go ahead then?”

“Yes, you do. I will read it and get back to you as soon as it is done,” said Dr. Alpha.

I feel doomed. Dr. Alpha’s words – this definitely needs to be investigated – throb in my ears. “Investigated,” has a serious ring to it, like a grand jury inquiry or Senate investigation. And, yet, the idea that Dr. Alpha will get to read my PET scan calms me and reassures me. I know he will level with me no matter what the outcome.

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Good Bye Arimidex, Hello Anastrozole – Save $375.95 Monthly

by Maggan

in Anastrozole, Arimidex Cost, Breast Cancer, Hormone Therapy

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Every month I pick up 30 small white pills of 1 MG of anastrozole at the pharmacy. The brand name is Arimidex. Total cost is $387.95 or $12.93 per pill. I have insurance so I am lucky and pay only $30.

Anastrozole is an aromatase inhibitor. It prevents estrogen to form in my body and starves hungry estrogen positive cancer cells to death, cells that may have escaped my breast at some point, and now try to embed them selves in a cozy distant organ, like in my liver or in my lungs, or try to feast on my bones.

When faced with the prospect of a rather out-drawn, painful death, $387.95 seems almost reasonable.

But today, when I sailed into the pharmacy to pick up my prescription, my pharmacist charged me $12. Yes, TWELVE dollars for 30 small white pills, $0.40 cents each. I checked the jar. Anastrozole 1 MG tablet. Manufactured by Teva USA.

Teva USA?

What about Arimidex? What about Astra-Zeneca?

As of this month, my pharmacist told me the generic version of Arimidex which always was, and still is, nothing but Anastrozole, is now available on the market. We are no longer forced to pay for the brand name.

Yes, I know Astra-Zeneca paid for research, they have probably been sued a couple of times, they spend a lot of money on marketing. But I have to wonder how you can sell the same thing for $12.93 and $0.40 . I am sure TEVA USA makes money also, maybe not the billions Astra Zeneca raked in, but I guarantee you they have a profit on their forty cent pill. As they should.

A company must make a profit to stay in business and to keep people employed.  But at least women who need aromatase inhibitors can now probably afford the pills even without insurance.

This is good news for everyone.

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Ever Heard of a P-E-T Scan?

July 7, 2010

My cell phone rings at 7.42 AM. I am already at work.
“Just left you a message at home,” my internist says. “Ignore that one. Just want to tell you the CAT scan was inconclusive. It is nothing to worry about,” he said.” But one should also not ignore it. You understand what I mean? The [...]

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CAT Scan Ordered to Check My Lungs

June 12, 2010

My new internist calls unexpectedly at 10.30 AM to give me feed back from my routine check up from three weeks ago. He is back from vacation and has just sorted through his pile of paperwork.
My blood count looks great. My cholesterol is 208, but only because I have 108 of good cholesterol, so nothing [...]

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New Breast Cancer Vaccine

June 8, 2010

A new vaccine against breast cancer has shown promising results during trials, according to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The results of the study was published in the journal Oncogene in May.
For breast cancer cells to proliferate they need to stimulate blood flow by forming of new veins to carry that blood.  But if [...]

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Arimidex: Each Little Pill Is $12.62

April 30, 2010

After my farewell to the radiation oncology department, I take the elevator up to the lobby and meander through the hospital complex to meet with Dr. Weary, my oncologist. (My heart feels heavy because Dr. Alpha is no longer my guardian angel and in my purse I have reams of computer print outs about the [...]

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Cost of Radiation Oncology

April 25, 2010

When do you buy a car without inquiring about cost? Probably never. Chances are you carefully research different brands of cars, repair records, gas mileage, safety records, dealer cost (so you know how low you can negotiate)  or you read used car ads for a good deal until your eyes bleed.
When it comes to your [...]

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Farewell to Radiation Oncology

April 23, 2010

“Dr. Weary, my oncologist, called me yesterday,” I tell Dr. Alpha, on my last day of radiation. “Please note that yesterday was Sunday.”
Dr. Alpha nods, waits to hear what I have to say.
I tell him how sad and disturbed Dr. Weary seemed when I nixed chemo. I admitted to Dr. Alpha that the idea of [...]

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“Probaly Nothing” Was Breast Cancer!

April 18, 2010

Whatever it was that showed up on my friend Elise’s mammogram, it needed a biopsy. A different doctor might have said “Let’s wait and see. Come back in six months.” But not Dr. Guru, he claimed that a biopsy was “the medically prudent thing to do.” So Elise went ahead and had her biopsy “just [...]

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My Friend Found a Lump – Again!

April 3, 2010

My friend Elise, who had breast cancer more than 30 years ago, sends me an email. Back when she had her first breast cancer bout, she was a law student with two young children. She had a mastectomy. No implants. No chemo therapy. No radiation. Now she has discovered something in the breast she has [...]

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