New Diagnosis - DCIS - trying to decide on which surgery to have

Hi @BelindaG
I was diagnosed in Feb this year, also at the age of 39, with no family history. In the beginning, my surgeon suspected DCIS, but it was bilateral and multifocal in the right breast, and the MRI before surgery showed other changes, so we agreed on double mastectomy. I have larger breasts, around a D cup, so there was plenty to lose, but I had a nipple and skin sparing mastectomy on both with immediate insertion of tissue expanders, for later reconstruction. I didn’t get immediate implants in case I ended up needing radiation (which I did) and that would have done damage to the implants. Post surgery pathology showed it was IDC but luckily stage 1, and relatively low grade. I skipped chemo. I’m sort of glad that both my breasts got the same treatment, because as you say, otherwise it might’ve felt weird with one breast one way, and the other another. Plus, I will worry a lot less about getting it in the other, as it already happened 😆, and also because the tissue is all gone now. I’m hoping that, plus the radiation, is enough to keep it away for good 🤞🤞. I can’t say I was happy to lose my breasts, or at least the inside of them, because I’m not. I just wanted the tumours out in the beginning so really wanted the surgery, but now I miss them quite a bit, or at least the way they felt. In terms of recovery, I recovered quite well and quickly from my main surgery. It was annoying at first with all the drains and getting used to the tissue expanders, but after a month I pretty much felt ok again. Now I’m doing pretty well physically. My daughter was 7 when I was diagnosed so also pretty small. She’s been great through the whole thing, but I understand the whole being scared for her thing. I’ve been seeing a psychologist about  the whole thing and she has helped immensely, so I would highly recommend one. But be careful it’s the right fit, as my first psychologist told me that he understood me being sad and wanting to be here to raise my daughter, but that she’d be ‘just fine without me’. She’d ‘get over it and live a happy life’. My current psychologist has apologised on his behalf for those comments.