Recurrence Fears - How do you cope?

You just live your life. Be concerned about your health but don’t let your fears prevent you from living.
How can you prevent it from happening again? If we knew that answer we’d be rich and famous.
So you go on living each day as if it’s a wonderful gift. And if it comes back…you deal with it then.

@sdbonniea123 I feel the same as you. I'd already been on antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds for years before my diagnosis. I've also been in therapy for years. I'm definitely a glass-half-empty gal. I've been trying to rely on my faith and church family, but even that hasn't really helped.
Sorry to ramble on about myself, but I would just say you're certainly not alone. If you have a faith community, I would reach out to them for support. If your cancer is non-metastatic, there's a wonderful support group here at the Mayo Connect site that meets via Zoom every Monday evening from 8-9 ET/7-8 CT. They often have guest speakers from various BC disciplines at Mayo with Q&A, and other times it's simply sharing. I encourage you to check it out! I'll be praying for you, my Pink Sister! ❤️🙏

I think non-contrast Breast MRIs, for people who still have one or both breasts, after breast cancer surgery and treatment. Unfortunately, I don't think most medical insurance will pay for it. If I had the money, I would do it once a year, to catch it in time to possibly save myself. Stand- alone MRI Clinics can negotiate with you for a price. Good news, Everyone! New, smaller, lighter, cheaper, MRI machines are being made and used, which will bring down the cost for us. One new machine is called the 630 kg. Swoop. $250,000.00 instead of millions. This is possible, right now, if people could get together in their communities and make it happen. Here is an article about non-contrast MRIs to find recurrence of Breast Cancer: Radial Clin North Am. 2024 Mar 7; 62 (4); 661-678. PMID38777541. I need a chest and abdomen non-contrast MRI, because I have no breasts. One mastectomy in 2020, and the other one in 2024. I was told that if I had had a breast MRI the year before the cancer showed up, it would have been found in 2023. This second one is high grade, high Oncotype DX. So cancer spread an extra year before my mastectomy.

@colely Could I ask how you gained access to the article? I've spent a half an hour trying with no luck. I'm not a physician and not from a medical institute. I have an interest in the shortened MRI. After I read an article by a doctor at MD Anderson, which said that lobular patients (especially with dense breasts) should have a breast MRI annually, I talked to my surgeon who ordered it (the idea was to rotate a mammogram with the MRI every 6 months). But the 30 minutes this time really did me in. Guess I wimped out. So this year I was in search of the 15 minute machine I'd read about. A hospital in town has it but they never answered the phone/didn't seem to know that they had it when I finally reached someone(I had to fax them a page from their website)/and didn't know about the contrast issue. To make things more complicated, I was diagnosed with renal disease last fall. Completely out of the blue and contrast can cause further injury to the kidneys. So I'd like to find a facility who does the 15 minute screening...and knows what they're doing re: contrast. (Why is this so darn hard?) So I'd like to read this article. Thank you.

@colely Could I ask how you gained access to the article? I've spent a half an hour trying with no luck. I'm not a physician and not from a medical institute. I have an interest in the shortened MRI. After I read an article by a doctor at MD Anderson, which said that lobular patients (especially with dense breasts) should have a breast MRI annually, I talked to my surgeon who ordered it (the idea was to rotate a mammogram with the MRI every 6 months). But the 30 minutes this time really did me in. Guess I wimped out. So this year I was in search of the 15 minute machine I'd read about. A hospital in town has it but they never answered the phone/didn't seem to know that they had it when I finally reached someone(I had to fax them a page from their website)/and didn't know about the contrast issue. To make things more complicated, I was diagnosed with renal disease last fall. Completely out of the blue and contrast can cause further injury to the kidneys. So I'd like to find a facility who does the 15 minute screening...and knows what they're doing re: contrast. (Why is this so darn hard?) So I'd like to read this article. Thank you.

@marshgirl24 First of all, you are lucky that your doctor has ordered an MRI for every year and your insurance pays for it. Unfortunately, the new portable MRI is not as strong as the large MRI machines, so it would not be good when used without contrast. Also, it does not take a shorter period of time, once you are in the machine. The shorter time refers to being able to role the machine into an ICU, for instance, instead of trying to get the very ill patient to another room. So your real problem is your tolerance to being in the MRI machine. You need to deal with that. This is how I do it. First I think that I am completely safe with people that are there for my care. Then, I get comfortable. They are there for you; to adjust things to get you as comfortable as possible. I have them put a warmed blanket on me. I wear a blindfold of a washcloth. Really if you don't around you won't feel panicky. Also, remember that the tube is open-ended. You are not going to suffocate. Then, a little valium, is great. There are other medications to try, as well. Relax, and realize how lucky you are to have this very wonderful test, ( without contrast). Everyone is there for you. You are comfortable and breathing in clean, healthy air.

@colely Could I ask how you gained access to the article? I've spent a half an hour trying with no luck. I'm not a physician and not from a medical institute. I have an interest in the shortened MRI. After I read an article by a doctor at MD Anderson, which said that lobular patients (especially with dense breasts) should have a breast MRI annually, I talked to my surgeon who ordered it (the idea was to rotate a mammogram with the MRI every 6 months). But the 30 minutes this time really did me in. Guess I wimped out. So this year I was in search of the 15 minute machine I'd read about. A hospital in town has it but they never answered the phone/didn't seem to know that they had it when I finally reached someone(I had to fax them a page from their website)/and didn't know about the contrast issue. To make things more complicated, I was diagnosed with renal disease last fall. Completely out of the blue and contrast can cause further injury to the kidneys. So I'd like to find a facility who does the 15 minute screening...and knows what they're doing re: contrast. (Why is this so darn hard?) So I'd like to read this article. Thank you.

@marshgirl24 I was able to find the information about the smaller Swoop MRI machiine, but unfortunately it's designed to be used for brain imaging, especially in hospital settings where patients can't be moved easily. I didn't see anything about it being used for breast MRI's. This is indeed disappointing, since the usual breast MRI's involve injections with Gadolinium. They need to come up with an alternative....I have heard of Manganese-based trials going on & others being considered. Well, hopefully AI research will come up with something.
https://www.hyperfinemri.com/