Newly Diagnosis

Hi @Decisions, when I was diagnosed in July 2016 I wanted to have a mastectomy but surgeon said it wasn't necessary so had lumpectomy. Didn't get clear margins so had to have mastectomy anyway. I am a 12B too & was left with half a breast after lumpectomy so wouldn't have been happy long term. I had chemo & radiation & in November this year I am having a skin sparing mastectomy on other side & double reconstruction. My surgeon won't leave the nipple as she said it is where the milk ducts end & potentially cancer could start there. My oncologist is against the prophylactic mastectomy but understands the anxiety around mammograms. It is a huge operation but I have been thinking about it for a long time.  Good luck with your decisions & let us know what you decide. 

I had a lumpectomy but do wonder if I’d be better off going the full hog (mastectomy). It wasn’t offered, but the thought of no more mammograms & worries down the track sounds tempting. I did have *it* in one lymph node though......

It is extreme but doesn't sound excessive, if that makes sense.  I went down the path of lumpectomy and when the path report came back, I needed to have a mastectomy.  On the cosmetic side, being lop-sided means wearing a prosthetic, which I don't like, as it's quite obvious that the breast is missing and looks very odd (I'm on the small side, too).  More seriously, I'm not sure how much I can rely on the scans picking up cancer in the other breast.  It is something that I still don't feel reassured about and I don't know how I would get through another year like this one.

You do whats best 
Very hard decision 
Lets us know on your decision if you like sending hugs 

Hi @kezmusc @Barney74 @Afraser @Sister
Thank you for replying.
Surgeon was happy to do either.  Said my decision. Finally met with my GP last week (he was away when I was diagnosed). I wanted to chat to him about it. He queried my choice of double mastectomy. He feels lumpectomy and radiotherapy is best. After explaining my reasons to him he understands why. I am a very practical person and my decision is based on that. I don't want radiotherapy and I don't want the stress associated with yearly mammograms worried about it coming back. 
I guess that just made me query my decision. It is only 15mm from my nipple. They have already said nipple sparing mastectomy isn't possible. Lumpectomy is possibly going to leave me disfigured (I am a 12b). Surgeon has said there could be an invasive but won't know till pathology done. A second lumpectomy won't be possible, I will lose the breast. If one breast goes,  so does the other in my eyes.  At least they will look the same. 
I don't want it coming back in years to come only to lose the breast anyway. Plus the stress and anxiety of each check up. 
I just worry my decision is excessive for 3cm intermediate DCIS. 
Sorry to ramble.  It late and I tired. 

Hi @Decisions,

I was 45 at time of surgery and had lumpectomy as well. I am completely happy with my choice.  Sometimes it's not offered depending on the size of the lump compared to the breast.  My nasty was 19mm v 14D boobs , so not too bad.  The one in my lymph node was larger 25mm plus there were  smaller ones in other nodes so aux dissection as well, chemo and rads.  Has the surgeon recommended either one?

xoxox

My surgeon recommended a full mastectomy. He would have considered a partial but felt the full would be wiser. I might have been tempted by a lumpectomy if offered, but it wasn't. Turned out one lymph node was affected too. I went for the full mastectomy and have never regretted it. Six years clear in October. Trust in your medical advisers is pretty important, if you don't feel comfortable with someone, it's worth seeking other advice. Best wishes

@decisions I went with what the surgeon recommended which was a lumpectomy (and he did a beautiful job).  Unfortunately the tumour was nearly twice the size expected and he was not able to get clear margins so I had to go back for a mastectomy.  There was also node involvement, which again was unexpected, so I had to have an axillary dissection.  If you haven't already made your decision, listen to what the surgeon recommends and then decide, based on your own knowledge of your circumstances, what you can live with.

Hi @Decisions
Im sorry just seen this post 
I was scared to lose my whole breast so i thought i just do lumpectomy and wait for results to come back 
Im so glad i did because i didnt gave to have to have my breast removed first place.
Hope all goes well with you 

Hi @Barney74,
I was diagnosed last month and I am 42 yrs old. My diagnosis is 3cm DCIS intermediate grade. 
Can I ask why you chose Lumpectomy and are you happy with that decision. I am torn between that and a mastectomy and looking for opinions of others of similar age.
I hope the next lot of tests go well for you