Ladies in their 30s
Comments
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Hi setizan! I read that the risk of recurrence with a nipple sparing mastectomy is still pretty low (single digits from what I remember) My surgeon and I discussed it but since it's still considered breast tissue, he encouraged me to have a skin sparing mastectomy with the areola left intact instead.
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Thank u all for answering my question.
h0pe, do u have any idea if I can get rid of my nipples now? I'll have my reconstruction in 3 weeks?is this going to work at this point?
I am really worried since I was diagnosed with DCIS at first, and only after my mastectomy they found my other stage II tumor! my first qustion was EHHH what about my nipples?! If I knew I am stage II I wouldn't keep them.my surgeon replied your margins are clear and every thing is fine!by the way I didn't have radiation.
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I would go back to your surgical oncologist and plastic surgeon to discuss excising the nipples, if this is what you decide you really want to do. I am pretty sure they can go back through your mastectomy incision and remove the nipples. Did you have the mastectomies with immediate reconstruction - TE? I think in surgery if your IDC tumor was close to your nipples, they wouldn't have kept your nipples. Did they say margins were clear from both areas? Try not to worry about it too much. The surgeons I work with are very thorough and from experience, if there is even a marginal mm concern after the final pathology comes back, they take patients back to OR again STAT for a re-excision.
Did you get a breast MRI prior to surgery? Usually they get a MRI to clear the other breast and see if there are any other concerning areas in the affected breast.
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Dear h0pe,
Final pathology says margins are clear by 2mm. I know some hospitals call for 3 mm some for 2 mm to consider it clear margins.My MRI prior to surgery failed to show any other tumor than DCIS. Even my surgeon was surprised when that final pathology
results showed this 2.2 mm stage II tumor. therefore at the time of surgery they were not aware of any invasive tumor to decide if it is close to the nipple.in my first visit after mastectomy,I was told I AM STAGE II and when I asked about my nipples surgeon said your margins are clear and you do not need additional surgery.and yes I had bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction - TE.
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Hi,
I'm 30 with a hubby and 2 year old. Was also trying for another baby when I found the itchy irregular lump.
Diagnosed with ? DCIS with microinvasion which they think is probably IDC. Will know for sure after my BMX. Although no breast cancer in my immediate family, colon and prostate in 2 uncles and colon ca in grandfather. Appointment with geneticist to check gene status. Good luck to you all, not happy to be part of the club, but happy to find the support. 0 -
setizand - If your surgeon said you had clear margins and path was good, I would trust the surgeon. You can also bring your medical record in for a second opinion somewhere else to give you peace of mind. Also, if you are very persistent about removing the nipples, I am sure they can do it at your scheduled reconstruction date.
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hope : if you are doing ivf , make sure they use letrozole
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Hope : that is interesting, it might be ok if the tumor is out. There is a thread , I think is called stopping tamoxifen early to have a baby or something like that. Check in there, lots of ladies with successful pregnancies after treatment.
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Hi Ladies,
This is my first post, I am a 32 year old diagnosed with IDC last July. I finished chemotherapy last Thursday and starting to feel normal again. The thing is I am posting this morning, because now my older sister is going in for a biopsy today and I am hopeful that she is not about to go through the same experience as me. Hoping it is a benign lesion because how crazy would that be if my sister and I were both diagnosed within a year of each other...
Sending positive thoughts to all!
Laura
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Laura, all the best to your sister.
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Hi ladies. I'm 38 and just diagnosed. Have a boyfriend of 15 years. And 3 kids. 20,19 and 14.
My plan is double nipple sparing mastectomy and implants. Very scared. Opting for implants that will give me a bigger size. (currently a small b). I am so nervous about the final outcome.
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Welcome Ccandme! Boyfriend of 15 years - you might as well call him your husband. I hope your two older kids are able to pitch in and help your youngest out with rides to and from activities. And it is so funny how we always want the opposite of what we have - I want my new foobs to be smaller than my original breast, but a lot of women are just like you they want the new ones just a bit larger. Wishing you all the best!
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Hi Ladies!
Just registered today to be part of the forums. I am 34 (diagnosed at 32) and I have two kiddos ages 6 and 3. When it came time to shave my hair, I had a head shaving party with a bunch of my guys friends. It was fun and my kids took part in the festivities by cutting some of my hair.
I have chosen delayed reconstruction, which will take place this coming Friday. Super nervous, but I'm looking forward to the end result.
Question, do any of you have issues with your finger nails? Mine never fell off, but they just won't grow! Or when they do they sort of peel off. Not sure if it's from the chemo, herceptin, or tamoxifen??
All my best to everyone!
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I didn't have issues with my nails till now - after the last chemo treatment. My thumb nail is slightly separating, but I don't think it will completely. The side of one nail is slightly discolored. They don't grow as well as they used to and I loved my nails because they were always so strong and grew well. I'm hoping now that chemo is over they will go back to the way they were before, but we'll see. I haven't started tamoxifen yet, but will be next month so I'd be interested to hear if others still have nail issues on tamoxifen too.
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Hello I am 35 and was diagnosed right before my 35th birthday last month. What a present! I have been married for 16 years and have a 16 yr. old son. I was diagnosed with stage 2a IDC in my right breast. I lost my mother about 2.5 years ago to breast cancer so I was pretty devastated. I just went through a double mastectomy on Jan. 24th recovering as we speak. Although I wasn't positive for the gene I felt I would always worry about this since my mom chose not to do a double mastectomy and that decision ultimately took her life. It's been rough the last few days often wondering if I did the right thing. Still worried about having to do chemo. I thought I would get this someday I just didn't think it would be at this young of an age. Family and friends have been overwhelmingly supportive. Thanks for letting me share my story so far.
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I'm so sorry you lost your mom...and breast cancer is scary enough without such a fresh wound from losing someone you love. I had a bilerateral mastectomy too. Although my right was prophylactic, I feel I made the best decision for me...it sounds like you did too...otherwise you may always wonder. Sorry you have to be going through this. I wish you the best. It sounds like you've got great support and that goes a long way
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Thank you Sunshower. I believe I did do the right thing. Thanks for the well wishes, same to you in your journey.
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jmenchacha78- I am 38 with 3 boys, when diagnosed, I never wanted to have to worry about the other breast so I too had a double mastectomy. I'm so glad I did, with everything else going on, its one less worry. I go for my last round of chemo this Friday and although its rough, its doable. I am still working, going to the kids sports and overall functioning normal, just a bit more fatigued. You can do this!
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I too opted to prophylactically remove my unaffected breast and went for the BMX. I was 37 at diagnosis with a then 2 and 4 year old. It took me about 2 seconds to make the decision and I've never looked back. For me - it was a peace of mind that I needed. We all make the decision that feels right for us. The choice between lumpectomy, UMX, BMX - is very personal. Good luck with the rest of your treatment!
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jmenchacha78 - believe that ramols said we all make the decision that is right for us. I was 31 when diagnosed, just last year, and decided to have a bilateral mastectomy (the left prophylactic) before I even met with my surgeon because I knew it was the choice for me. I also agree with Veronica37 - chemo is very doable. It does seem scary as you are going through it, but I was able to stay working and leading a fairly normal life, had a few rough days, but that was it. I have to say I think that is one positive (always trying to find one) is that being younger sometimes makes it easier to get through the treatments .
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Jmenchaca78- You are a strong warrior. You can only make choices that are best for you. Someone gave me the best advice for making decisions during cancer, look at the options and make the choice that is right for you, but don't look back and keep moving forward. It is the looking forward that we must focus on.
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lillaura22 - I hope your sister's biopsy turned out ok.
Jmenchaca78- you made the right decision for YOU. That is good advice from FairyDog... don't look back and keep moving forward.
Question for those who have gone through chemo. I'm doing 4 rounds of dense dose AC followed by 12 weekly Taxol rounds. How were the SE's for you all? My MO tells me when you're younger, SE are a lot more manageable.
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Laura & Free -my nails were a mess after chemo - very bumpy, discolored and air pockets under all of them. They improved dramatically as I recovered from chemo - but I think they've become more brittle since starting Tamoxifen. I was trying to let them get a little past the ends of my fingers - but they just keep peeling / cracking. So, the short nails stay(to match the short hair, I guess!)
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LADIES! Just wanted to share product info. So I had to go out to a super fancy restaurant the other night and I have not had my nails done since September. And, as McKatherine stated, they have had a lot of bumps/discoloration/air pockets since going through chemo. So i went out and purchased super nice nail polish hoping that if I painted my nails Friday it might last till Saturday night. I am happy to report that it is Wednesday and it only chipped last night with just a teeny little bit coming off my pinky nail! This has never happened to me before usually I paint my nails and it comes off two hours later even with a top coat and a base coat! Yes, I did spend $24 on nail polish, BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!
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h0pe : I went through DD ACx4 Taxolx8 w/ Neupogen shots when I was 25 -- so almost the same. I found the SEs extremely manageable. I was, however, on top of my medications and taking them regularly all day, everyday with or without terrible symptoms. My doctors recommended this so I'd have the medication not only acting as a remedy but as a prevention to what I may feel or go through. My only low points occurred during the DD AC when my WBC wasn't hitting it's mark between sessions (even with the Neupogen being injected at home). With the help of the medical team I was able to bounce back fairly quickly. The only other misstep I had was when I was exposed to someone with the chicken pox, which in turn fired off shingles in my body during my Taxol phase (or so the doctors guessed. Who knows how I really got shingles, hah)! I hope this little tidbit of my experience helps in any way.
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cellardoor - thank you for the pointers. Sounds like keeping up with meds is key. Good luck with your biopsy. I just came across one of your posts. Congratulations on your pregnancy, btw! Happy and healthy 9 months to you!
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h0pe : You're most welcome. And thanks muchly! Pregnancy is a welcome surprise considering I'd been told my chances were slim to none after chemotherapy. I'm definitely determined to get over this new hurdle if the biopsy doesn't turn out in my favor.
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I read that painting your nails black before starting chemo and during treatment help reduce the damage to you nails...do you think that's true?
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@sunshower, idk why it would be unless there's some kind of vitamin or something in the black pigment?
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