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

Anne65
Member
6 years ago
@Pip47 So happy to hear your news & such great path results from your surgery. Fingers crossed your polyp test comes back OK too.
After my DCIS surgery, I had clear margins so I was borderline whether to have rad or not, like you. I went to a rad onc to discuss & after discussion, we decided to go ahead only because my cancer was aggressive. They really left it up to me to decide. I learnt at the recent BCNA conference that doctors are now looking to do less rather than more, when it comes to treatment so that is why we are hearing many stories of people not having rad/chemo/medications. I guess every case is different so speak to your rad expert & write down any questions you have. One thing i ask mine was "If it was your wife, would you recommend her have rad treatment if she was in my position" & he said yes so that was good enough for me! Stay strong & positive & look after yourself. let us know what you decide to do. xx
Felicia29
Member
6 years ago
What a time you've had. I know the haze you have been in as I've been in it too. I was lucky and my bowel screening was clear. I hope you get good results from you polyp test. Take care xx
arpie
Member
6 years ago
Woohoo @Pip47 !! You've had a helluva few weeks ..... Great that both your procedures have been done & surgeons all happy! All the best for your polyp path! Take care & all the best for your ongoing treatment xx
Pip47
Member
6 years ago
Anne65 I saw my Dr yesterday and very good results I'm still trying to process it. He took out the milk duct and a large margin around it free of cancer. His suggestion no radiation, but suggests I see a radiation expert to give me a complete eye view on what could happen in the future. Colonoscopy & gastrophy this morning a polyp was removed and sent to pathology, he also found a hemorrhoid which could have been where the blood came from. Thank you to all I think I have been in a bit of a daze for the last 3 weeks.
Anne65
Member
6 years ago
@Pip47 Hope all went well with your colonoscopy. i guess you are patiently waiting for those results as well as those from your surgery. Stay strong & keep positive. Sending love & hugs xx
Anne65
Member
6 years ago
@Pip47 Oh dear, this was not supposed to happen!! You must not know which way to turn with so many tests/results coming your way. Hard to focus on one thing when you have so much going on. lets get this colonoscopy out of the way & if they do find something, then you can get on to that ASAP. As @arpie said, the prep is worse than the procedure & think of it as a good way to lose a couple of pounds & cleanse your system!!
It is good that they said your BC surgery went well, so thats a positive so now its just the waiting game for the results. Try not to worry as you cant change that result. The more stress you put on your body at the moment is only going to make things worse so try to focus on what you do know & not what may happen.
Such bad luck about the shingles too but hopefully the doctors will have a management plan for you to ease the pain.
Many of us, including me, have had other diseases/problems/recurring symptoms arise following our cancer diagnosis. It seems one thing can effect the other so we are all now forever being monitored/blood tested to make sure we dont develop anything else. Its like a revolving door!! I wonder how any of us have time to work with all the medical appts & checkups we are having now!!
Try to stay strong & keep ticking off those boxes. let us know how you get on tomorrow & the pathology results of your surgery. Fingers crossed for clear margins with minimal treatment & a clear colonoscopy! Love & hugs xx
kmakm
Member
6 years ago
Oh @Pip47, it sure does! Big hug lovely, K xox
arpie
Member
6 years ago
Sending PM, @Pip47 re colonoscopy
Pip47
Member
6 years ago
I start the prep tomorrow I need to know answer in case I have to start radiation on my breast. Thanks for your help.😀
arpie
Member
6 years ago
Bloody Hell - that's a bit tough, @Pip47 - Shingles can be very painful - so I hope they can control that discomfort for you. An elderly aunt who had it, had a Compounding Chemist make up a mix of aspirin that was liquified & mixed into an 'alcohol base' that was gently dabbed onto the rash - and it helped her bigtime! She was 90 at the time.

The colonoscopy is 'relatively easy' (tho the prep leading up to it is rather 'ordinary'!) I had one just 2 weeks ago after a bit of a scare (my results from the Gov one 4 weeks previous had been clear - but I don't always trust these annual tests any more!) - luckily all was good from mine! Just piles & diverticulitis!

All the best with your pathology results - then you'll have a good idea of your plan xxxx