Topic: 5/9/08 date of my diagnosis

But does it come back even worse? I remember the doctor telling my sister that. It comes back with a vengence in younger woman.

Thanks Jule

Your right it is hard not to compare my dx with my sisters. I just want to be sure-like everyone else that I am choosing the right treatment. I do not know if I should have the most radical treatment to ensure myself as much as possible of it not coming back or follow the less radical treatment that both doctors are recommending.

Dawn

Dawn it is a very personal decision, no one can say for sure if it will come back, when it might come back or if it will come back w/ a vengence, nothing in medicine (or life for that matter) is guaranteed. Do your research, get a second opinion if you're still not sure, even a third if it will help you. Personally, I had DCIS 2 spots last yr. in the rt breast and mast was recommended by surgeon, radiation oncologist said lumpectomy w/ rad will have same results. I elected for dbl mast w/ reconstruct due to suspicious invasive areas on MRI. Although all came out clear, I am very comfortable w/ my decision as I have 2 young boys and wanted to be around for them for a long time to come. There is another thread further down for DCIS.

As Jennifer said, take a breath. No need to rush into anything unless you are absolutely certain what YOU want to do.

Best wishes,
Jeanne

Hi Dawan 08,

I am really sorry to hear about you diagnosis.  I was wondering what all your symptoms were even before the obvious red, itching, swelling, orange skin showed up.  Did you have any obvious symptoms before then?  Like were you unusually tired for a long time and achy? etc....?  

I will keep you in my prayers..

Heidihi

Hi! Heidihi,

I did not have any symptoms. I went for a baseline MRI because my sister was diagnosed last year at 41, so my doctor was being cautious. They found an area of enhancement, it was a line they saw that was following my milk duct, they did a biopsy and it came back as DCIS with micro invasion-Stage 0 to beginning of stage one. The scary part is that my doctor put in for an MRI six months ago and my insurance company denied it saying I did not need it.

Hi! Jeanne

I also have three young children so that is what is making me think to have the mastectomy and that my sister was diagnosed last year and had no option but to have the mastectomy. The doctors tell me my right breast looks fine but I know this will be weighing on me constantly. The oncologist told me the same thing that I have the same cure rate with the lumpectomy and radiation as I do with the mastectomy. Did they explain that to you because I do not understand that. The surgeon said she will go in remove the area, mark it, and then check my sentinal nodes, if they are clear-fine, if not she will keep removing them until they are clear. She does not expect to find the cancer there but she has to check. If this is anywhere else in my breast then I am certain I want the mastectomy!! Can you tell them that before surgery? This might sound like a silly question but after the masectomy there isn't any feeling left, right?

Thanks for answering,

Dawn

Hi Girls:

 I'm 39 also I had a lumpectomy on 5-1-08. Lumpectomy was my first choice. My plan has changed serveral times. 1st: I was doing lumpectomy with sential node removal then 5 weeks of radiation. Now we have received the path report from surgery and now I need chemo & radiation. I meet with onc doctor tomorrow. I was dx with ICD 5.3cm stage IIIa grade 3, 1/3nodes and er-/pr- her2-. I said the same thing to my doctor if you need to do it do it now (re:mastectomy) but he told me that until the path report comes back he would not do anything radical. My sential node came back clear. So when I received that dx I was in shock-and then to be told that I had to go through chemo was another big shock. But I know it is everyones personal choice- but if you trust and respect your doctor then I would go with his advise.  You need to make the decision based on your feelings. My best support has been my family & friends. Trust your gut feelings and remember there is a bunch of us on this same rollercoaster of confusion.

Good  luck you will know what is best for you!! 

Hey Dawn -

I really feel for what you are going through. Every time I try to answer you I feel I will bring you more questions. Yes, you should be able to tell your surgeon ahead of time if there is cancer go ahead w/ mast. However, if you want to have reconstruction, you're going to have another procedure any way. Whereas, when I had my dbl mast I had expanders placed at the same time. That's just one type of reconstruct, there are others, but most can be done at time of mast. I do have some feeling in my breast, but not what it was before. I had previous biopsies which were negative as well as recall mammos and US. Since I had 2 areas of DCIS mast was recommended over rad mostly by my FP who I also work for and whose wife had BC, the rad. onc. thought it would end up w/ the same results if lump & rad, surgeon supported either. I was 46 and just felt my breast had served their purpose and if there was cancer, just didn't need them any more. It was a very personal decision that was supported by all those around me. Although there was no residual CA left in either breast, there was a lot of precancerous tissue and who knows at what stage it would have been found. Get all the info you can and listen to your gut, she won't let you down. Come back often, you will get so much support and comfort from this place as well as knowledge.

Best wishes,
Jeanne

Hi! Jeanne

My doctors office called today and told me my surgery is set for May 23. My husband and I have concert tickets very expensive concert tickets for May 24 but I really want this thing out of me. It wouldn't be such a big deal if he could drive us there but he cannot drive right now do to an injury he received on the job. I feel extremely resentful for feeling like I should put my surgery off because this is the one time in 11 years of marriage where there is something wrong with me when it is usually him. That sounds selfish right! Everything is so jumbled up in my mind I cannot think straight. I finally thought I came to a decision about my treatment today-having the lumpectomy w/ radiation and telling the doctor if it is anymore advanced than they thought then remove the breast but their is still part of me that says just have them removed- I am still undecided and confused!!!

Dawn 

Shirlann,

If DCIS is not life threatening then why do so many women choose to have the mastectomy? So many have seemed to choose the mastectomy rather than the lumpectomy w/ radiation.

Dawn

Hi Dawn.  I was also diagnosed on April 21 with DCIS.  I had the comedo type with is thought to be the more aggressive type of DCIS.  There is no family history of bc at all.  It was found on only my second mammogram.  I was also diagnosed at the same time with Lobular Carcinoma Insitu or LCIS.  Evidentally you can not find LCIS on mammograms.  It is very sneaky and usually is found on an incidental biopsy for something else.

My DCIS was very small.  3 little grains of salt.  I work in an imaging center and pull down mammos after the radiologists read them, put the paperwork with the film jackets etc.  So I see this every day.  It would never happen to me of course. 

The center I work at just got their first digital mammogram machine.  I was due (actually overdue, my first mammo was 2 years ago in January) so I offered to get mine done as soon as the new machine went in.    The radiologist that read my mammo took me back in the room and let me look at the films.  It was very tiny.  he told me that I could wait and recheck it in 6 months or if I was going to worry to schedule a biopsy.  I opted for the biopsy.  One week later, I had the biopsy.  It came back DCIS and LCIS. 

I thought long and hard.  I for one did not want to have radiation.  I also have children and one small child, a little girl who is 6.  I wanted to be sure that I was around for a long time.  My DCIS was on the left side and I was afraid of having radiation to that part of my body when my heart is on that side.  It was just my personal decision to have bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction on May 8.  I am 6 days out now and really doing better than expected.

It is a very personal choice.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  This website has been a godsend.  All of my co-workers and radiologists I work with as well as my husband were very supportive of my decision.  I did the research as well and was told that the mastectomy was as "curable" as lumpectomy and radiation.  I was just not comfortable with that. 

I hope you find peace in a decision that is the right one for you.  I did and feel completely happy with the choice I made.    My path report after surgery did come back that my DCIS was high grade and the "healthy" breast had some funky tissue that I believe may have been most likely precancerous.  That solidified my views as well.

Dawn,

I don't know what the right decision either. I also had the same conversation with my oncologist regarding masectomy vs lumpectomy. I was told that the results would be the same using either procedure as I was pretty much determined to have a bilateral masectomy.  I chose to go with my doctor's thought, but she is also having me go through chemo first before surgery as she said that this increases success for some younger women. 

Hi! Ladies

I want to thank all of you for taking time to answer me. I went for a second opinion last night to the surgeon that removed my first lump five years ago and he is also the surgeon that did my sister's mastectomy. He took a lot of time to explain things to me and read my old reports and my new reports. He also explained about some recent medical articles he read about the latest findings about DCIS. He told me with the results of my biopsy and the  family history the only thing he would feel comfortable with is doing the mastectomy. He told me if I was one of his family members this is what he would tell me to do. I honestly feel this is the best decision because I would not be able to live my life as normally as possible having this constantly hanging over my head. I know there is always a chance of recurrence but this choice is the best one for me, it will make me feel the most comfortable!! He also said I should consider myself lucky because it was found on the MRI and found so early. So I actually feel relieved that I have made my decision. I have an appointment with the plastic surgeon on the 27th to see if we can schedule the mast. and the expanders at the same time. I am a teacher and I was hoping to wait to the end of the year to do this which is about six weeks away. Is that to long? I would like it out of me sooner but that would mean taking off the rest of the year and we only get ten paid sick days a year and finances are extremely tight right now. But if it to long to wait then so be it!!

Thanks again

Dawn

Dawn, it'll take them a few weeks to get everything ready, no matter what. Although I remember feeling that I WANTED THIS HORRID THING OUT OF ME RIGHT NOW, I think waiting until the end of the year is a reasonable option.

Relax and enjoy your students til the end of the year.

Sue

Just a thought--

you might want to look for a second opinion--

I am 45 and had a mastectomy--now the side with the sagging boob looks funny to me!