I was diagnosed with a high grade DCIS on 22/3/2011 and had a lumpectomy last Wednesday 6 April. Prior to the surgery I had "wires" inserted. It took almost an hour and a half for the procedure and extra mammograms and ultra sound. If I had know what was involved in the "wiring" I would have opted for a mastectomy.....not a great way to relax before surgery. Anyway, it seems that five and a half centimetres were removed during the surgery, however there is another "edge" which needs to be removed, so this surgery is now booked for next Wednesday. I have many friends etc advising that I should have a mastectomy and therefore avoid further surgery and 6 weeks of radium. If anyone has experienced this, I would appreciate your any comments, advice or good questions to ask at Monday's appointment. Thanks so much.

Hi Anne-Maree, How you will decide might depend on your age,your pathology,treatment choices,boob size,where you live etc..I had my first bout of breast cancer 7yrs ago at the age of 47.It was one small lump so opted for a lumpectomy,full lymph node clearance,followed by radiotherapy for 6wks.At that age I wasn't ready to part with my boob.However,it was never the same after radiation.It was alot smaller and quite alot of discomfort.So it was really only there to fill a bra and have abit of cleavage- not for touching! But I was kinda grateful and really didn't think it would come back.How wrong- last year it came back in the same breast,same spot.Apparently I was in the unlucky 8%.These are the odds after lumpectomy and radiation.So I had to have a mastectomy this time- the cancer had grown 3cm in a year.I then had chemo and am now on Tamoxifen cos the cancer was estrogen+ve(not aggressive).I had to have full body and bone scans which were scary but all clear.Psychologically it's hard to look at my chest scar when dressing but once my prosthesis is on you can't tell and I forget about it.I've had to alter necklines and clothes shopping can be abit trickier. Chemo was harder to do than radiotherapy I thought losing my hair was hard to take.I had really nice straight blonde hair all my life and now it's dark and curly.It has taken 8 months to grow 2cms and I have just stopped wearing headbands.Your self confidence takes a real hammering. If I ever want a reconstruction there might be problems because the skin isn't elastic after radiation.At 55 I was more ok about losing my breast than at 47 Looking back,I suppose if I'd had a mastectomy in the first place I may have avoided radiation and chemo.But you can't forsee what's ahead.My advice to you is to gather all the information you can and then go with what feels right for you at this time.Everyone will have their own personal slant on it and how they feel about the various treatments. I'm so sorry you have breast cancer but this site will be a great support to you in the coming weeks/months.Good luck with your decision and also for Wednesday. luv Tonya xx

Dear Tonya thank you so much for your reply.....I am very appreciative of you sharing your story, particularly the effects of the radium treatment. I am almost 54 and my husband would prefer I kept my breast based on the surgeon recommending cutting out the next bit, so am trying to weigh up this against the advice of friends etc. Once again, thanks so much for responding to my question/dilema so promptly. Good luck with your journey. Love Anne-Maree

Dear Kath Thank you so much for responding to my dilema/questions.....I really appreciate you advice and lookk forward to any other questions that perhaps I could ask on Monday. You will be pleased to note that I have taken your advice and enjoyed a couple of glasses of Clare Valley Riesling with my garlic prawns in the courtyard.....my lovely aunt (my Dad's twin) who is 86 is here for the night to offer support and be a part of all this "stuff". I am so sorry that your double re-constructive surgery has not been as successful as you would have wished.....I shall now look at your blog. Wow....this network is really impressive. Love Anne-Maree

Dear Leonie Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my dilema and questions; particularly as you are currently having chemo at the moment.......I wish you all the best. Love Anne-Maree

Anne-Marie, I am new to this , only found out I had breast cancer 10th March 2011. It has moved so fast. I had to make a decision if I was going to have a mastectomy or have a lumpectomy, my Dr told me it was my choice and gave me the odds for each. I chose to have a mastectomy and all nodes removed as this just gave me a little more chance of it not coming back. I am 53 and at first my husband did not want me to have a mastectomy , but said it was my decision and for me I feel I did what was right for me. It will be 3 weeks this Wednesday since my operation. Only you can make that decision , the ladies are so supportive and I could not have got this far without them. When I need to know something there is always someone to help and on my down days I get on and say how I feel and it makes me feel better as you get a lot of support. I call them my angels. Take care big hugs Debbie.xx

Decisions... Help and Advice Please

22 Replies

Anne-Maree
Member
15 years ago
Dear Tonya

thank you so much for your reply.....I am very appreciative of you sharing your story, particularly the effects of the radium treatment. I am almost 54 and my husband would prefer I kept my breast based on the surgeon recommending cutting out the next bit, so am trying to weigh up this against the advice of friends etc. Once again, thanks so much for responding to my question/dilema so promptly. Good luck with your journey.

Love

Anne-Maree
TonyaM
Member
15 years ago
Hi Anne-Maree,

How you will decide might depend on your age,your pathology,treatment choices,boob size,where you live etc..I had my first bout of breast cancer 7yrs ago at the age of 47.It was one small lump so opted for a lumpectomy,full lymph node clearance,followed by radiotherapy for 6wks.At that age I wasn't ready to part with my boob.However,it was never the same after radiation.It was alot smaller and quite alot of discomfort.So it was really only there to fill a bra and have abit of cleavage- not for touching! But I was kinda grateful and really didn't think it would come back.How wrong- last year it came back in the same breast,same spot.Apparently I was in the unlucky 8%.These are the odds after lumpectomy and radiation.So I had to have a mastectomy this time- the cancer had grown 3cm in a year.I then had chemo and am now on Tamoxifen cos the cancer was estrogen+ve(not aggressive).I had to have full body and bone scans which were scary but all clear.Psychologically it's hard to look at my chest scar when dressing but once my prosthesis is on you can't tell and I forget about it.I've had to alter necklines and clothes shopping can be abit trickier. Chemo was harder to do than radiotherapy I thought losing my hair was hard to take.I had really nice straight blonde hair all my life and now it's dark and curly.It has taken 8 months to grow 2cms and I have just stopped wearing headbands.Your self confidence takes a real hammering. If I ever want a reconstruction there might be problems because the skin isn't elastic after radiation.At 55 I was more ok about losing my breast than at 47

Looking back,I suppose if I'd had a mastectomy in the first place I may have avoided radiation and chemo.But you can't forsee what's ahead.My advice to you is to gather all the information you can and then go with what feels right for you at this time.Everyone will have their own personal slant on it and how they feel about the various treatments. I'm so sorry you have breast cancer but this site will be a great support to you in the coming weeks/months.Good luck with your decision and also for Wednesday.

luv Tonya xx

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Decisions... Help and Advice Please

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