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Has anyone here ever gotten one of those full body scans? You've heard of them, I'm sure - these people travel in a mobile unit and advertise that they're coming to the area, and will do a full body scan (CT? ultrasound?) for about $120-130 or so. Supposedly these scans can find areas potential problems before they become real issues.
Just wondered if anyone has had one, or if they know of someone who did, and is it on the level?
A total body bone scan is a lot different from a ct scan or ultra sound. With the TBBS, you would be given nuclear medicine, and come back at a certain later time that day, and hour or 2, and you would lay down for the scan. They will scan your body. You can see all of the nuc med jumping around the screen when finally it all meets, takes a while. This scan is a very good diagnostic scan for many many things.
For myself, it dx my rheumatoid Arthritis, as I am seronegative, and it does not show up in the blood. Drs use this scan on pts who have had cancer alot and are concerned the cancer has spread. Metastatic Ca will show on this scan. Things like Avascular Necrosis will show. This is a very good scan.
Now, A ct, MRI, or US are all things looking at a very specific area of your body. Your dr is usually ruling something out, because of a problem/symptoms you may be having. There is no way to go to a center and say... I need a ct of the chest for...? Sure, you could have one, and it may pick up some lymph nodes or nodules that you had no idea were there, and is a good thing to have found them, even a mass. Same with an MRI, but how do you know where to look?
Do you just go in and say... my stomach has been bothering me...they do a ct of abd/pelv? My shoulder hurts...they do MRI shoulder? What are they saying in the ad?
If you have insurance, it will cover most of the test, and this is about what you will be left with, as your copay or percentage. Maybe if you see your md and they suggest a certain test and then do it that way.. I dont know.
I do work in a drs office, so I am not just rambling, I order these things every day...all day....eeeek
I am a bit leary of the type of scan that you are talking about. I know what you mean. That kind that's in a big van that stops off at shopping centers and scans anyone that walks in without a Drs. order. They have come here and have even stopped at churches, etc.
If the scans really were good, you can bet that there would be a set up locally that would make a million and not have to travel around the country. And every doctors office would have a unit. There's a reason that the ones done in a hospital or clinic cost so much. Those units costs zillions and have to be kept in specially cooled rooms because they generate so much heat.
Full body scans sound interesting, but remember, they may pinpoint something, but further investigation is needed. Example- they may find a polyp in the colon. It does not mean it is benign or malignant. It means that you still will need a colonoscopy with a biopsy to make the determination. No surgeon will operate on anything based upon one of the mobnile scans alone.
Additionally, many of them are not covered by inusrance, so you will pay for that, as well as the additional testing which my be necessitated.
Best bet- annual physicals, and let the doctor determine what you need.
I suppose that they have their place in the world; however, these absolutely are not equivalent to the scans offered at and by qualified providers and interpreted by board certified Radiologists (some of these may have arrangements to be read by Radiologists). My personal belief is that either these scans miss important findings or raise suspicion where there really isn't a problem. The informed patient demands that their scans are performed on an ACR accredited scanner or equipment by ARRT registered Technologists and read by ACR board certified Radiologists in a multidisciplinary setting. The only mobile scanning I would consider is Mammography as all providers have to meet strict and stringent federal (MQSA) and state guidelines.
Thanks for all those replies. That's pretty much what I was thinking.
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