Forum Discussion
kmakm
7 years agoMember
Hi Julie. I had a double mastectomy with skin sparing DIEP reconstruction. I did not have radiation. Nothing left to radiate with all breast tissue removed. I asked my BS if there were circumstances where you would still have radiation. He said yes but very unusual & rare. Ask your BS tomorrow. I'd be interested to see what he/she says.
I had a 16mm invasive ductal carcinoma, nodes clear & two excisions as well. I then paid for the oncotype test to see whether chemo would be curative if there were some random cancer cells looking for somewhere to make a new home. It came back positive so I had chemo and then the op six weeks after chemo finished. I did the test because of my family history (my mother had it at my age & survived, my sister had it and died). Otherwise it would have been straight on to radiation. Whether you have chemo before or after recon depends on your specific diagnosis but recons are usually after chemo.
Whatever you decide and do, at the end of it all, as your cancer was hormone positive, you'll be advised to take a hormone inhibitor, Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, depending on your menopause status.
Clear as mud?! Keep asking me questions, PM if you like. Our cases are quite similar. And don't leave the doctor's office tomorrow until you've asked and had answered all your questions! Hang in there, K xox
I had a 16mm invasive ductal carcinoma, nodes clear & two excisions as well. I then paid for the oncotype test to see whether chemo would be curative if there were some random cancer cells looking for somewhere to make a new home. It came back positive so I had chemo and then the op six weeks after chemo finished. I did the test because of my family history (my mother had it at my age & survived, my sister had it and died). Otherwise it would have been straight on to radiation. Whether you have chemo before or after recon depends on your specific diagnosis but recons are usually after chemo.
Whatever you decide and do, at the end of it all, as your cancer was hormone positive, you'll be advised to take a hormone inhibitor, Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, depending on your menopause status.
Clear as mud?! Keep asking me questions, PM if you like. Our cases are quite similar. And don't leave the doctor's office tomorrow until you've asked and had answered all your questions! Hang in there, K xox