Newbie
Hi I'm 52 and have just been diagnosed with Stage 1, Grade 2, Invasive Carcinoma (13mm mass) in my right breast. I've cared for many relatives experiencing cancer including my mum, both of my husbands...
Forum Discussion
Hi and welcome. Knowing about it and experiencing bc yourself you might find quite different and be surprised about the fear that comes, in some ways knowing too much isn't always a blessing.
I had a breast surgeon through a public hospital who did my bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction at my first surgery with sentinal node biopsy. He is an exceptional surgeon and using quite advanced methods. He works in private too and my niece chose him to do her 14 year upgrade and very very happy with her result.
One of the reasons I chose mastectomy was to hopefully avoid radiotherapy as I live 500km from the nearest centre (Adelaide ) and didn't want to spend 5 weeks by myself there as we couldn't afford for my husband to be there also. Of course if I was node positive this might have happened anyway but preliminary tests suggested it unlikely. I also would have been very disfigured due to the position of my tumour and would have lost the nipple. I didn't really see the point of keeping my breast without a nipple and chopping up the other one to try to match it. Well that was my thoughts anyway and although I miss my breasts I have no regrets.
I was able to have my chemo at my hometown, the oncologist travelled here monthly and I saw him via Telehealth every second appointment.
All surgery though in Adelaide and I still have a 1000k round trip every 6 months to see the surgeon.
I needed muga scans 3 monthly and either travelled 500k or 300k for the tests (and return)
Kath x
I had a breast surgeon through a public hospital who did my bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction at my first surgery with sentinal node biopsy. He is an exceptional surgeon and using quite advanced methods. He works in private too and my niece chose him to do her 14 year upgrade and very very happy with her result.
One of the reasons I chose mastectomy was to hopefully avoid radiotherapy as I live 500km from the nearest centre (Adelaide ) and didn't want to spend 5 weeks by myself there as we couldn't afford for my husband to be there also. Of course if I was node positive this might have happened anyway but preliminary tests suggested it unlikely. I also would have been very disfigured due to the position of my tumour and would have lost the nipple. I didn't really see the point of keeping my breast without a nipple and chopping up the other one to try to match it. Well that was my thoughts anyway and although I miss my breasts I have no regrets.
I was able to have my chemo at my hometown, the oncologist travelled here monthly and I saw him via Telehealth every second appointment.
All surgery though in Adelaide and I still have a 1000k round trip every 6 months to see the surgeon.
I needed muga scans 3 monthly and either travelled 500k or 300k for the tests (and return)
Kath x