Diagnosed DCIS 10th August, I saw a surgeon yesterday and have now booked the hospital for the 3rd of September. I have decided to only have the involved milk ducts removed. Hopefully there will be a clear line around and I will not have to have radiation. The surgeon was talking about breast reconstruction on the day as well, I have decided to only have the cancer removed as everything else is in the too hard basket at the moment as I have had two major surgeries in the past 11 months. Well wishes to all those in the same situation as myself.:)

All the best for the surgery. I couldn’t bring myself to do reconstruction, the cancer diagnosis was enough for me at that point. I believe that we make the right decisions for ourselves at those times. Take care x

@Pip47 Good luck with your surgery & great that you have your path planned. I also had DCIS, Grade 1 but invasive with no node involvement. I had a great surgeon who decided the best for me was a lumpectomy. Following surgery, I had clear margins & as no nodes were involved, they even debated whether I would even need rad. treatment. After meeting with my onc, we decided I would go ahead with 3 weeks of rad treatment, even though my margins were clear, as my cancer was aggressive. It is that insurance policy in case a little cell was missed!! rad treatment was a breeze. I used Mepitel film so had no redness/burning & didnt have to use any creams. I am on no medication either so was very lucky with my outcome.Good on you if you dont have to have any treatment. be guided by the medical team & the results following surgery. I was like you & agreed with my surgeon to have a lumpectomy over a mastectomy as I thought why take it off if a smaller operation would do the trick. It's a gamble game but i am happy with my decisions & the rad provided me the extra protection without having chemo.All the best & stay positive & strong. love & hugs xx

@Pip47 Many ladies on this forum have used Mepitel & I know that Giovanna is a huge advocate of it also. I have a link below which describes it to you. I had my treatment at a private hospital & they used it often.https://store.independenceaustralia.com/mepitel-film-1-7dc7538f41cbee2be86aa2559ade080c.htmlIt is reasonably new & my onc was very much in favour of it. It is like an invisible film that sticks to your body over the radiation area. It is VERY important that the film has no tears or bubbles in it so I had a nurse check me every day before treatment & if needed, performed & nip & tuck to ensure it was sticking directly to my skin. They may replace it entirely if it starts to lift at all but best to leave it in place. It basically reflects the rad beam so it doesnt penetrate your skin. The film stays on you the entire treatment plus around 3 weeks after treatment has finished as that is when the radiation hits it peak, which does seem strange I know. The great thing about mepitel is that you dont use ANY creams throughout the whole process. You can shower normally also but try not to rub vigorously or the film may come off. Yes, you may initially feel like a cryovac chicken but you do get used to it. My 3 y.o. great niece called it "my special skin" as she knew it was protecting me!Its so important that if you feel any bubbles in the film, that you let the nurse know as bubbling actually makes it worse. The rad beam actually reflects back into your skin. The nurse at the hospital checked me every day & they dont mind as that is there job. You may as well see them every day to ensure it is OK otherwise it defeats the purpose.I finished 3 weeks of treatment with no redness, burning or peeling. You wouldnt have even known I had rad treatment. I couldnt believe how good my skin looked, just as it did before. I was very lucky to have been offered this product. I took the film off myself around 3 weeks after it finished & then I just used a Vit e non-scented moisturiser over my skin just because it has been wrapped up in film for 5 weeks.You need to use fragrance free & non scented bodywash using the treatment also just to minimise any reaction.I do hope you can get hold of it or ask for it if they can get it in. i know it can be different in private & public hospitals. I am a huge supporter of this product if you maintain it well. I have seen pics of rad burns that really shocked me so i know I have been lucky.Good luck & let us know how you get on. Love & hugs xx

Thanks for your post. I'm waiting for a full diagnosis and plan so not quite up to where you are. Good luck with your surgery and thanks for sharing the choice that you made.

@pip47 Mepitel is a film that goes on the skin to be irradiated. It affects how the radiation enters the skin (somehow - can't quite remember - by changing the depth, I think). It doesn't make the treatment any less but does protect the skin a lot. I was treated in a public hospital and had to ask for the film. No problem in getting it but it wasn't offered up front. There was a couple of days when I had a slight gap between two pieces. In that short time, I got a dark tan line so I know it did do a lot to protect me. It stayed on all week during treatment and then I could take it off for the weekend and moisturise the area. I had no real problems with my skin except for a red tender spot 3 weeks after treatment finished.

Very Hopeful | BCNA Online Network

25 Replies

Sister
Member
7 years ago
@pip47 Mepitel is a film that goes on the skin to be irradiated. It affects how the radiation enters the skin (somehow - can't quite remember - by changing the depth, I think). It doesn't make the treatment any less but does protect the skin a lot. I was treated in a public hospital and had to ask for the film. No problem in getting it but it wasn't offered up front. There was a couple of days when I had a slight gap between two pieces. In that short time, I got a dark tan line so I know it did do a lot to protect me. It stayed on all week during treatment and then I could take it off for the weekend and moisturise the area. I had no real problems with my skin except for a red tender spot 3 weeks after treatment finished.
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Pip47
Member
7 years ago
May I ask what is Mepitel Film, I have never heard of it. Thank you/
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Anne65
Member
7 years ago
@Pip47 Good luck with your surgery & great that you have your path planned. I also had DCIS, Grade 1 but invasive with no node involvement. I had a great surgeon who decided the best for me was a lumpectomy. Following surgery, I had clear margins & as no nodes were involved, they even debated whether I would even need rad. treatment. After meeting with my onc, we decided I would go ahead with 3 weeks of rad treatment, even though my margins were clear, as my cancer was aggressive. It is that insurance policy in case a little cell was missed!! rad treatment was a breeze. I used Mepitel film so had no redness/burning & didnt have to use any creams. I am on no medication either so was very lucky with my outcome.
Good on you if you dont have to have any treatment. be guided by the medical team & the results following surgery. I was like you & agreed with my surgeon to have a lumpectomy over a mastectomy as I thought why take it off if a smaller operation would do the trick. It's a gamble game but i am happy with my decisions & the rad provided me the extra protection without having chemo.
All the best & stay positive & strong. love & hugs xx
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Felicia29
Member
7 years ago
Thanks for your post. I'm waiting for a full diagnosis and plan so not quite up to where you are. Good luck with your surgery and thanks for sharing the choice that you made.
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Mightystar
Member
7 years ago
All the best for the surgery. I couldn’t bring myself to do reconstruction, the cancer diagnosis was enough for me at that point. I believe that we make the right decisions for ourselves at those times. Take care x
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