Nobody Knows

I've often thought over this past year of chemotherapy how I would know if I was coming down with a cold.

Now if I was having some major sinus event, or a serious sore throat, it would be quite apparent. But if I was starting to feel a little achey, a little run down, how would I know? Afterall I feel like that every day.

At the end of April I noticed a swollen gland/lymph node on the back of my neck, my right shoulder started aching, I was dizzy, and I was generally stiff and sore all over.

I made an appointment with my family doctor and he confirmed what I already knew and then kind of shrugged his shoulders. Chances are that I had picked up a virus, he said, especially since some family members had recently experienced similar things. But since I have cancer - who knows?

The only way to know is to have scans done. But you can't run in to have a scan everytime something hurts. If I did that I'd be getting 20 scans a month.

My family doctor did not want to order a scan. Scans and how doctors use scans has been a subject of some debate in the medical field I've learned.

There are those that believe that scans should be used more. There are those that believe that scans should be part of annual physicals. It makes some sense. If everyone had an annual scan, many diseases, like cancer, would be detected very early before symptoms develop. For cancer patients, this early detection means the world.

Had I had annual scans my cancer would have been detected at a very early stage where it could have been localized and controlled.

But then again, I didn't exactly go for annual physicals.

This past week Congress held a session to evaluate how America was doing in the fight against cancer. Lance Armstrong and Kathleen Edwards testified with others. One Senator remarked, and I think wisely, that she had constituents in her district that would not go for scans out of fear that something bad would be present, and then they would not be able to afford treatments.

In the past I've had a somewhat similar attitude. If there was something bad going on inside I just didn't want to know about it.

Doctors are really divided on the scan issue. Some are all for making scans part of annual physicals. It's an important diagnostic tool that provides concrete results, they argue. Why not use it?

Other doctors do not believe in using scans until something is suspected. They seem to believe that doctors are taught to analyze patient symptoms, and can do so well, without the scans. It's almost like they fear that scans will replace doctors. For example, don't go to the doctor just go get a scan. I've had one very respected local surgeon say to me, "Oh those radiation people just want to make more money."

The insurance companies, of course, do not want to hear anything about making scans a regular feature of a physical. Every scan costs thousands of dollars and the insurance companies don't want to pay for that.

I know my family doctor does not have any philosophical problem with ordering scans. But he wasn't going to order one for me. I'm going out on a limb, but I really think I could tell that the issue of scans, and more specifically number of scans, is something that is often discussed in the local medical community.

If I really wanted a scan he directed me to my oncologist, probably because they wouldn't catch the same heat for ordering numerous scans, like other doctors might.

I wasn't fishing for a scan, and never had brought it up. I just wanted him to take a look at me and give me his opinion on my general, overall health.

The shoulder feels much better now. The swollen gland/lymph node seems to be receeding. The dizziness has definitely improved. It's almost been two-weeks since all these symptoms showed up. I guess I'll give it another week to see how it progresses.