Fairly new diagnosis surgery questions
Hello :) Gosh its taken me a long time to make the decision to get myself here but finally after lurking around here I am!! I was diagnosed in October 2021 out of the blue as I am sure we all were...
Forum Discussion
Hi @Christabel03
Welcome! We’d all rather not be here and we fully understand the shock to the system of a bc diagnosis. But here you are and I hope the contact proves helpful.
As you will discover, bc is not one thing, it’s many and as the precise nature of our bc varies, so does our treatment and our options. Like you, I had cancer in my left breast - nine years ago, it was more common to do surgery first, chemo second (like you, A/C and Paclitaxel). I had a very short time (3 days) from confirmation of diagnosis to surgery (mastectomy) so discussions about my right breast came much later! But keeping my breast ultimately came down to no family history of cancer at all, no known problematic genes and my oncologist’s view that if I were to get cancer again, it would as easily be elsewhere as in my right breast. If any of those matters had been different, I might have made a different decision. I decided against reconstruction. But if you plan reconstruction, then it’s worth thinking about the degree of surgery, what type of reconstruction etc. You can be referred to a specific part of this website for more detailed experiences and information. As you mention, genetic testing is also an option you may pursue. We all end up being a lot more informed about a subject that we never wanted to know much about, but that’s the only way to decide what’s best for you! Best wishes and good luck with your chemo.
Welcome! We’d all rather not be here and we fully understand the shock to the system of a bc diagnosis. But here you are and I hope the contact proves helpful.
As you will discover, bc is not one thing, it’s many and as the precise nature of our bc varies, so does our treatment and our options. Like you, I had cancer in my left breast - nine years ago, it was more common to do surgery first, chemo second (like you, A/C and Paclitaxel). I had a very short time (3 days) from confirmation of diagnosis to surgery (mastectomy) so discussions about my right breast came much later! But keeping my breast ultimately came down to no family history of cancer at all, no known problematic genes and my oncologist’s view that if I were to get cancer again, it would as easily be elsewhere as in my right breast. If any of those matters had been different, I might have made a different decision. I decided against reconstruction. But if you plan reconstruction, then it’s worth thinking about the degree of surgery, what type of reconstruction etc. You can be referred to a specific part of this website for more detailed experiences and information. As you mention, genetic testing is also an option you may pursue. We all end up being a lot more informed about a subject that we never wanted to know much about, but that’s the only way to decide what’s best for you! Best wishes and good luck with your chemo.