Two things can be true at once: Influencers can be using scare tactics to convince you that you need unnecessary medical tests and some of those unnecessary medical tests might find something life-threatening. Such is the case of a woman named Sarah Blackburn, whose elective full-body scan found an incredibly rare life-threatening condition.
As reported by People, Blackburn decided to undergo an MRI scan of her entire body despite having nothing wrong with her, at least that she was aware of. But that was the point of the scan—to see if anything was lurking inside of her that she was not aware of so she could catch it early.
She had a family history of cancer, so she erred on the side of caution and got the scan. It turns out there was something inside of her, and she did not catch it early. It had been lying in wait for years. The scan revealed a splenic artery aneurysm, a rare and dangerous condition that could be deadly, especially to women who had multiple pregnancies.
The condition is exactly what it sounds like: aneurysms in your spleen. If it ruptures, that could be the end of you. Blackburn’s aneurysm was advanced and severe enough to have multiple vascular surgeons recommend a complete removal of her spleen.
The surgery was successful, and even described the procedure as “pretty easy.”
Woman Got an Unnecessary Full-Body Scan—and It Saved Her Life
Before you run off to go get your full-body MRI to find out what rare illness you got bouncing around your organs, keep in mind that, as I wrote earlier, medical professionals don’t recommend getting these kinds of elective scans because they could lead to what’s called overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis is defined as a diagnosis that’s correct but unnecessary because the issue would never have caused symptoms or death.
You’ll just end up spending a lot of money to fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed. Case in point: Blackburn’s insurance did not cover the scan, and she had to pay $2,500 out of pocket. To Blackburn, that’s money well spent.
She’s one of the few whose elective full-body scan found something life-threatening. The chances of that happening to you are slim. It’s your money. Do what you want with it. But the chances of a full-body scan finding something are slim, and you’re just going to end up spending a ton of money.
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