Scannng time

It's scanning season again. I had a neck-to-pelvis CT scan yesterday and the bone scan today. I'm not at all worried about these scans because my markers are so low but having annual scans gives me peace of mind. My first oncologist only wanted to schedule scans for me when I had symptoms. I find that approach very stressful because it means that I have to watch the symptoms carefully and decide whether or not the symptoms warrant a scan.

Having an annual scan means that if I did have new symptoms, my oncologist and I have the option of determining whether or not I think I want to have a scan before my regularly scheduled scan. There's something about knowing that a scan will be coming up that relaxes me and allows me to not freak out at every new twinge or ache - knowing that the symptoms will be scanned in the future means that I don't have to think about those symptoms now if there's no reason to worry. If there's something to the symptoms, then that will be picked up in the future scans.

If I didn't have a scan in my future then I need to spend time thinking about whether it's worth doing the scan now. I'd almost certainly build up the importance of the symptom and I'd convince myself that I need the scan RIGHT NOW.

So, even though I'm quite certain that nothing will show up in the scans, I'm happy to have them.

Speaking of oncologists, the cancer center has me listed as a patient of this new, substitute oncologist. I don't know if I was properly transferred or if I'm her patient because I'll be having a third appointment with her on Friday, May 4 to get the scan results. I liked my previous oncologist - the second one - a lot, and certainly much more than my first oncologist, and while I do like this third oncologist, I wish that there had been a process of some kind to transfer me from one oncologist to the other. I feel like I'm neither here nor there and I don't like that. Since the center considers me the third oncologist's patient, I'll talk to her about getting some clarification when I see her for my scan results.