I started receiving Low Dose CT scans in 2015 because my insurance started paying for it and my primary care physician highly recommended I get them. I had a nodule but it was only 3 mm. I was scanned yearly with very little change in my scans until 2023 when my scan indicated my nodule had grown to 8 mm. I was scanned again in three months when the nodule had again doubled to 1.7 cm. The next step was a biopsy which verified I had adenocarcinoma. I had a PET scan which indicated no other cancer and clear lymph nodes. I had surgery August 13, 2023. The upper lobe and half of the middle lobe of my lung was removed and I'm considered cured. I had no follow up treatment except regular check ups with my specialists. Isn't that wonderful!!
I am so blessed to have had people in my life advocating for Low Dose CT scans as early as 2015. Had that not happened, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be enjoying the football games, dance recitals, and many other events of my six grandchildren. I'm one of the fortunate ones that had insurance that paid for scans, a doctor that made me keep going for the scans even when I thought there was no need, and a great care team when I needed them most.
I don't understand why so many still don't know about Low Dose CT scans. Only a small percentage of those who are eligible are getting scans. If a person meets the criteria, in my opinion it's the best thing they can do for themselves and most of all their family. I was my mother's caregiver when she died from lung cancer in 2014. It's a devastating experience for the caregiver and such an agonizing death. I would like nothing more than to see Low Dose CT scans become as common as mammograms or the many other preventive healthcare treatments.
