Posts by Justin Brown6

Hey everyone, so I’ve been dealing with testicular cancer. I’ve finished three rounds of chemo, there aren't any metastases anywhere that we know of, and my first follow-up went totally fine. But then, at the second check-up, my AFP levels spiked, only to drop back down on the re-test. Now, because of some weird series of coincidences, my oncologist is insisting I get a chest CT scan just to make sure nothing is hiding in there. Personally, I’ve always been a huge advocate for getting an MRI instead, mostly because you don't have to deal with the radiation. I guess I'm wondering, do I actually have the right to demand an MRI and just go that route regardless of what she recommends? When I tried to ask about the risks of a CT scan—you know, pointing out that certain things could probably be caught using other methods or combinations of less harmful tests—all I got was this brush-off that a CT won't hurt me and there's really no reason to worry. What am I supposed to do here? Honestly, I think I'm just mentally exhausted from all of this...

Hey everyone, so I’ve been dealing with testicular cancer and just wrapped up three rounds of chemo. Luckily, there aren't any metastases anywhere, and my first follow-up went totally fine. But then things got a little weird at the second check-up—my AFP levels spiked, though they actually dropped when they retested it. Now, because of some random set of circumstances, my oncologist is insisting I get a chest CT scan just to make sure nothing is hiding in there. Personally, I’ve always been a huge advocate for getting an MRI instead, mostly because I’m worried about the radiation exposure. I guess I’m wondering if I actually have the right to demand an MRI and just go that route regardless of what she recommends? When I tried to bring up the whole thing—you know, asking about the risks of a CT and pointing out that maybe other methods or combinations of less invasive tests could work—she basically just brushed me off, saying a CT won't hurt me and there’s no reason to worry. Honestly, I don't know what to do; I think I'm just mentally exhausted from all of this...