I bugged my onc for months after completing treatment asking what were the signs of recurrence because I was informed scans are only ordered if they suspect something...finally this was her answer to me: Breast cancer usually spreads to the brain, bone, or liver...my onc would only scan or test if I developed unusual persistent headaches, back/hip pain..don't really know what symptoms of liver cancer would be I guess weight loss, loss of appetite, or nausea/vomiting?...hum..I get blood tests regularly which would show changes in my liver function...I've only had follow up mammograms (which have been negative so far)...so I figure I have to be the one to monitor my own body and just be aware of anything that is different and unusual for me (I have existing back pain anyway so if it goes away with Advil, I assume it's NOT cancer!)...I do continue to do breast self-exams frequently since that's how I found my BC in the first place
I guess at some point I decided I just needed to watch for any new changes and quit obsessing about it...my onc asks about any new pains or changes every time I see her but she told me they only test if new things occur...makes sense considering I'm 64 and I'm still going to have normal aches/pains with old age anyway
I am 2.5 years post diagnosis and feel well so I will use that as my baseline to determine any new changes. Just listen to your body and notify your doc if anything new/unusual occurs