Recurrence in same breast

Hi Tonya,

Thank you for your reply. I originally thought, back a few years, that if I was told I had a recurrence that I would opt for a mastectomy without reconstruction because I was concerned that a further recurrence would be harder to detect.  But now that it has happened and I raised that question with my breast surgeon he said that there is no problem detecting a recurrence if you have a reconstruction because it would usually re-occur in the breast skin or under the breast in the ribs or elsewhere in the body.  All of which he said they can detect.  So now I am asking the question of myself - do I have the mastectomy at all or take my chances of yet another recurrence and possible spread or do I have a mastectomy or a mastectomy with reconstruction.  And as you have said do I then do the one breast or both.  It is very difficult to make the decision.  I would like to know some really true statistics on the chances of yet another recurrence after our type of history.  But I guess there are no crystal balls and the doctors are doing their best based on what they do currently know.  For myself, I seem to keep feeling a gut feeling that if I do nothing it will come back.  Partly it is just a gut feel and partly from things I have been reading.

I have had an appointment with a plastic surgeon brought forward to next week.  I am going to find out what my options are for reconstruction and hopefully that will help put a few more pieces together.  From what I have been reading inplants are not always an option for anyone who has had previous radiation treatment.  I was not a big fan of that as an option for myself anyway so had been considering DIEP reconstruction if I have any.  I am thinking that if I have the mastectomy then reconstruction is probably the right choice for me as I am not a big person but have quite large breasts for my build and being with only one breast may be a bit of an issue.

Anyway, I may know more after next week's appointment.  Again, thank you for your reply.  I hope you too find some more answers soon.

Cheers, Pauline