If you want a pet scan done just to ease your mind but your doctor says "you don't need one" What ne

Coloman

I don't think you can even just walk in and order one even if you pay cash. If the doctor doesn't order it then it can't be done, right?

legaljen1969

I have found that if you have the money and you can pay for the test, cash is king and you can have just about any test ever created.
I don't know that I would want to do one "just to ease my mind" but if you have the money to pay for one, I am sure there is doctor somewhere that could order it for you.

po18guy

Other than wanting to know, is there a reason? PETs and CTs expose you to substantial radiation - which of course increases your risk of a secondary cancer.

GregP_WN

My doctor said no problem, she would order one since we don't have a method to follow as good as used to IF my insurance will pay for it. There's the kicker. Insurance won't pay if doctor doesn't say that it's NEEDED and necessary.

JaneA

PET scans aren't routinely used for cancer screenings since they expose you to lots of radiation. They also give a high rate of false positives necessitating you to have more tests to be sure that the result is correct. Normally, they are used to evaluate if a nodule that has been treated is dead, aka "cold" or if a very inaccessible area of your body has a "hot" spot. They are ridiculously expensive too.

po18guy

In cases of lymphomas, for example, PETs are used mainly for staging, and this directs treatment strategy. If one's cancer was symptomatic, I believe that statistics reveal that most relapses are caught by symptoms rather than scanning.

I have had about 45 CT series (head to pelvis) and somewhere around 20 PET scans. While we cannot be certain, I did develop Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia, in my marrow.

No sign of any of it now, and neither am I looking for it. Too busy living out my extended warranty.

BuckeyeShelby

If you want insurance to pay, it must be "medically necessary", which is usually determined by your doctor. Until insurance decides it's not necessary. And remember, I'm the one working in insurance...

Molly72

Not unless you have a medical emergency in these times! Or if you live in a state that is not under a lockdown. Money is not part of the equation!
I was supposed to have a echo heart test for my dr. But was just told no test, as the hospital is only open for emergency visits.

Why would you want to go into a hospital full of Virus patients unless you really need to?

SandiA

No I don’t think you can just walk in and pay for one. They are pretty expensive too. My doctor ordered one and my insurance company won’t pay for it. Took some fighting but finally got it approved. I would suggest to talk it out with your doctor. I guess different tests are best for different kinds of cancer

GregP_WN

PO, you don't have to turn on any lights when you walk into a dark room, do you?

LiveWithCancer

My doctor doesn't like PET scans. He is fine with CT scans ... but he believes PET scans show way too many false positives. I requested one at one time and he flatly refused to prescribe it. In this case, I figure he knows way more than I do and I'll go with his expertise on what kind of scans I should have.

po18guy

@GregP_WN Just finishing up my ThD. Test of human durability. I honestly hope that, somewhere in existence, I have saved someone else from going through this. I have been equipped with everything to get through it, but the diagnosis destroys so many - it's heartbreaking.

GregP_WN

My problem with CT scans is before 2 of my 4 diagnoses I had a scan. The scan that was going to tell us EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO KNOW. Both of those scans said there was nothing there, nothing to see, move it along folks. But, just to be sure.....we'll do a needle biopsy, which showed that it was indeed cancer. So my confidence in the CT to tell us what's going on for this fourth one is a little weak.