Laura

My new surgeon isn't all that keen on me having both off as he says my right is essentially healthy tissue.

I stil dont know what my treatment will be apart from the definite  mastectomy on the left and arimidex for 5 years after.  It will depend on the sentinel node biopsy and the pathaloogy of the tumour. He reckons there is a 60% chance that I will have to have chemo as well.

I am already 2 years post menopause so i think that makes a difference to what other treatment I get.

I am almost certain that I will be going for a bilateral. Dont want to have to think about it again.

I have to write my surgeon a letter with my reasons for wanting it, not for any legal reason but he says that it helps me to really clarify why I am making the decision that I am.

There aint no going back.

Thanks for your reply. Did you have chemo the second time cos there were nodes involved or because of the pathology of the tumour?

I think there are issues with one or no boobs. For me I just dont want to in this situation again and have to be making decisions. Part of it is fear of it coming back  but part of it is just getting it over with once and for all. As the surgeon said, there was a 90% chance it wouldn't come back in this breast and it did.

If I only have one off then I am worried that I will still be thinking all the time if I should get the other off, whereas if they  both go then that is it.

I am going to have periods of really intense sadness whatever happens. Still cant really get my head around the fact that I have breast cancer a second time.

The sun is coming up. x

I'm in the same boat as you.I had a lumpectomy,full node clearance and radiation in 2003.It came back 7 yrs later in the same spot-I was really shocked,thought I was in the clear. So I  had a mastectomy then chemo in 2010.I have been on Tamoxifen for 2 yrs now. I wear a prosthesis and it's ok. I've thought of losing the other boob and doing recon but I also had 3 surgeries on my ankle between the boob ops and I can't stomach another operation for the moment.Also I have become paranoid about checking my scarline incase cancer comes back again.Like you,I would be limited to Diep recon (cos of the radiation)and that is a long,more complicated surgery.But having one boob is not without it's problems too.You have to buy higher neckline tops or "doctor" your wardrobe.That's probably the case with  no boobs as well.These are all difficult decisions and in the end just go with what you feel is right for you at the moment.

                            Tonya xx

I'm in the same boat as you.I had a lumpectomy,full node clearance and radiation in 2003.It came back 7 yrs later in the same spot-I was really shocked,thought I was in the clear. So I  had a mastectomy then chemo in 2010.I have been on Tamoxifen for 2 yrs now. I wear a prosthesis and it's ok. I've thought of losing the other boob and doing recon but I also had 3 surgeries on my ankle between the boob ops and I can't stomach another operation for the moment.Also I have become paranoid about checking my scarline incase cancer comes back again.Like you,I would be limited to Diep recon (cos of the radiation)and that is a long,more complicated surgery.But having one boob is not without it's problems too.You have to buy higher neckline tops or "doctor" your wardrobe.That's probably the case with  no boobs as well.These are all difficult decisions and in the end just go with what you feel is right for you at the moment.

                            Tonya xx

I had my ovaries out because both of my cancers were very eostrogen positive, and when my blood was tested, my eostrogen levels were very high. Since I already had 5 years of tamoxifen between 2002 and 2007, my oncologist didn't want me having it again. She thought femara would be best for me but as its only for post menopausal women, I had my ovaries removed. I had chemo in 2002, and again this time around. The chemo had put me into temporary menopause, but my ovaries were quite robust and looked like they would kick back into action. I asked my oncologist if she would remove her other boob if she was in my position and she said yes without any hesitation. She is involved with lots of international studies and clinical trials and I trust her advice completely. Her husband is a breast surgeon too. I didn't think I'd be too fussed about reconstruction, but after having no boob for 11 months, I'm very keen to have boobs and a cleavage again! I find the prosthesis a bit of a pain, and my plastic surgeon showed me some awesome photos of his patients who had the same procedure I'm going to have. My breast surgeon who did my lumpectomy in 2002 and my mastectomy in 2011 also agreed having the other boob off was a good idea. I asked her if I was over reacting by wanting it done, and she said that it was a sound medical decision and was very common now. What will your treatment be like this time around? xx Jane

Hi Jane

4am and I cant sleep. Thanks for the reply. My tumours have both been small. Both  about 1.7cm and both times I found them myself.

At this stage my oncologist isn't recommneding having both off.

What reason did you get your ovaries removed and why is the oncologist recommending the other boob.

Did you have chemo second time and are you on tamoxifen or anything?

Even if I choose to have both off  I am pretty certain that I dont want a reconstruction.

Pauline :)

Hi Pauline, I had my first cancer 10 years ago when I was 34. I thought I'd probably seen the last of it, but got a new cancer in the same breast last August. I had a mastectomy this time (for the same reasons as you) and had my ovaries removed in January. On the 6th of September, I am having the other boob removed and a double reconstruction. In the end, the decision to have the other boob off was easy. My oncologist recommended I do it too. Were your tumours very big? Big you find them yourself? All the best xx Jane

First posting for me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time 10 days ago. I previously had breast cancer 15 years ago, when I was not quite 34. At that time I had a partial mastectomy and node clearance. The nodes were clear. I then had 6 weeks radiotherapy. And then had been healthy since. Thought I was well and truly safe from it.

But it was not to be. It has come back in the same breast. I have seen the oncolcogist and because I have already had radiotherapy and it has come back I have no option but to have a full mastectomy. He will also do a sentinal node biopsy and if needed another node clearance.

Not all that happy with my situation. Never expected to be in this positoin again.

Now trying to decide if I will have a bilateral mastectomy so that I never have to worry about it again.

Big decisions.

Anyone else had the same thing. 

Thanks Dan for that and am so pleased that you have a great onc. She sounds as though she is definately listening to what YOU want and I think that, that is most important. Hope your feeling good today :)

Di, how are you going???? Thank you SO much also for the link, I will have a look shortly and hope you are travelling along well!  :)

Loz 

xoxo

Don't mind me butting in, but I thought I'd give you the link to the glossary page in the website, too, in case that helps: http://www.bcna.org.au/about-breast-cancer/glossary.

Di