Ductal carcinoma in situ

@RR it is extremely daunting !
like you I am still in the early stages of treatment 
surgery on Thursday to remove DCIS & some idc , small & early is the initial diagnosis, let's hope that's the case ! 
Just want it over & feel myself getting overwhelmed & cranky ( luckily my husbands at work or he might cop it !
so glad I found the lovelies on this network 
Good luck , thinking of you 

I wish you all the very best - it is just awful xx

Just diagnosed here as well. Have to have a second excisional biopsy on Friday to clear one margin - then proposal for radiation. Grade 2 DCIS - how bad is radiation?

Thinking of you x

@JEC Like everything else about BC, it varies from person to person, so there's no real way to tell I'm afraid! There are some great threads here about radiation. You can use the search bar to find them.

We all learn the hard way here to try to take things one day at a time. I'm a terrible one for crossing bridges before I come to them... but after five and a half months I'm getting a bit better at it. Good luck and hang in there. Big hug K xox

I've still got to get to that hurdle @JEC but as @kmakm says, while preparing is good, don't try to  look too far ahead.  As I understand it, there's so many variables - size, skin type, side, radiation depth and location, nodes, reaction, etc... @JoeyLiz would have a good knowledge of it.

@RR @JEC I was diagnosed with invasive DCIS Dec last year following my first mammogram! I had no node involvement. I went into my first appt with the surgeon head spinning as I was sure I would have to make the decision of lumpectomy v mastectomy v bilateral v radiation v chemo!!!! SO much to take in when it is only early in your journey & there is still so much I don't know BUT you only learn about what YOU have to deal with. Everyone's cancer is different, different areas, sizes, risks so each case will be taking into consideration by your surgeon.

When I went into the appt, my surgeon looked at the scans, looked at me & then SHE made the decision for me...weight lifted. As my DCIS was lower in my breast, she would do a lumpectomy & fill in the gap with tissue from under my breast. She did a wonderful job, clear margins so no further surgery. My team recommended me have 16 doses of rad as a precaution as my DCIS was invasive & it would make sure any left-over cancer cells would be zapped! I was happy with that as the treatment was shorter than normal. As my DCIS was in my left breast, I also had to do Deep Inspiration Breath Hold during my rad treatment which basically means you hold your breath for up to 30 secs to get your heart out of the way of the rad beam. It sounds scary but it isn't. You have total control over the beam so if you have to take a breath, the beam stops. It is just another way of safeguarding our body during this treatment.

Also, I was recommended by my rad onc to wear a "plastic skin" over my chest area called Mepitel which they stick on you for the length of the treatment plus the 2 weeks after as the symptoms peak 2 weeks after you finish the rad. The Mepitel is waterproof so you can shower & as your skin is covered it protects your skin from the beam & it also stops any reddening/blistering & you don't get any friction from your clothes. It is a bit fiddly & the rad nurses will see you every day to make sure it hasn't lifted or bubbled but they are used to it. Anyway, I had it on for 5-6 weeks & I had NO reddening, blistering of the skin & you wouldn't have even known I had treatment as both sides of my chest looked the same colour. You also don't need to use any creams during treatment as the Mepitel protects you but I still used calendula after I took off the Mepitel just to keep it supple.

I did get a little fatigued but still tried to keep exercising, walking when i could, to keep the fitness up so try to do that if you can but if you need to rest or have arvo sleeps then do it as everyone is different. I only had a short course of treatment so that is probably why I didn't suffer a lot. Eat well & drink LOTS of water. You will need to wash with fragrance/perfume free body wash, I used Aveeno as it is gentle on your skin. I got on really well through my rad & now I am just having followup visits with my surgeon as I don't need any drugs or chemo. let's hope you both have as "good" an outcome as me.

You will hear a lot on this website & I have been blessed with the advice & support from these ladies here. One thing I have taken on board early in my diagnosis, was to only worry about what I KNOW & not what MAY happen. Your goal posts constantly change & you may end up worrying about something you may never have to encounter. Use your energy wisely to focus on what you need to. I worried early about every possible scenario but my surgeon has made all my decisions for me & I have been happy with those she has made so the worrying about mastectomies/chemo or further surgery, never eventuated for me & I hope they don't for the both of you. One step at a time, keep breathing & know we are all here for you & will help any way we can. Hugs to you both xx

Hi @RR and @JEC

Good outcome with radiation here as well.  I had 30 rounds, breast, nodes under arm and chest nodes as well. The last week was a boost week aimed at where the breast tumour was.  They nuked everything. Skin held up well until the last week.  No mepitel on offer where I went unfortunately but Moo Goo, Manuka gold honey cream did well. No fatigue, no real issues.  Just a pain in the ass driving there every day.  As @Anne65 has said, the goal posts move and you just have to focus on whats next in line.  All the best.  xoxoxo

Hi everyone,

I have moved from DCIS to invasive within a week. I had a biopsy last week and MRI, CT and bone scan yesterday -  exhausting is an understatement! I have an appointment tomorrow with my surgeon to ascertain where it has spread to. What a whirlwind ......

@RR Please don't panic yet. I also had invasive DCIS as mentioned above in my story & you know how well I got on. If caught early you could have a good outcome like me. I know my words won't help your anguish but i do remember how I coped early on & I remember my sister telling me how proud she was of me & my handling of it all & how strong I was. I told her I was only focusing on the cards that had been dealt to me & I wasn't panicking about surgery/treatments that may never happen. i do that through life as well. If you can't change it, then you have to deal with it the best you can & move on accordingly. Don't panic about things that may never happen as that worry eats you inside & for no reason sometimes. You have to be strong & you will come out the other side even stronger. You will be amazed at how you will find strength through this & we are here to help you. take care & good luck tomorrow. I know you won't sleep well tonight but may i suggest taking someone with you to the appt tomorrow or tape it as you will hear a lot of info & 2 ears are better then 1 especially when your head is already spinning. Take notes & write down questions to ask. Loads of Hugs & let us know how you go xx