Hi Corinna
What a devastating diagnosis for your family. Hard enough to have one of you dealing with cancer but two of you must be very difficult.
I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2013. I had chemotherapy first followed by breast conserving surgery followed by radiation. My one year scans showed some odd cells so I had another breast conserving surgery. The pathology showed that invasive TNBC had come back in the scar tissue.
I've asked all of the doctors how this could happen. I've had answers like 'radiation resistant tissue' and 'dormant DCIS' but the most honest answer has been 'we just don't know'.
Every choice we make has pros and cons. That's part of what I think makes cancer treatment so difficult. What worked really well for someone else might be a disaster for you and there are no guarantees no matter what you choose. At some point we've all just got to pick an option and go with it.
I had a bilateral mastectomy in August 2014. I was offered tissue transplant reconstruction because radiation meant I couldn't have implants. I decided not to have it and nearly three months after my surgery I'm very happy with that decision. You can read about my reasons for my decision here: http://positive3neg.wordpress.com/2014/07/30/why-im-not-having-breast-reconstruction/comment-page-1/#comment-359
This is my long running blog about everything to do with my treatment. You might find some other bits of it helpful too.
The BCNA have a reconstruction group and a non-reconstruction group and I found both groups were very helpful in helping me to make a decision. I also found it helpful to remember that I can always opt for reconstruction at some time in the future. At this stage I think it's unlikely I'll want it, but if I had I would have been inclined to wait five years. TBNC has a high rate of recurrence and reconstruction takes much longer to heal than mastectomy. I didn't want to be in a situation where I was still healing from reconstruction and the cancer came back.
I'm certainly hoping to be here for a really long time but I'm pragmatic; having TNBC and having it come back so quickly after treatment means I MIGHT not be here in five years and the less of that I can spend either in hospital or recovering from surgery the better.
Four weeks after my bilateral mastectomy I was back doing modified yoga. Eight weeks after surgery I can almost do everything I could do before it. If I'd had reconstruction I'd still be healing and I was told that, conservatively, I could expect to be away from yoga for between four and six months.
Lifes too short! And it might be shorter than I want it to be.
What ever you decide to do you have my very best wishes for a long and happy life. These choices are so personal and there is not 'right' or 'wrong' decision. You just have to do what's best for you.
Meg
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