the straw that broke this camels back

Im with DanBoobs..

Get another opinion, HOW BLOODY RUDE...

I am a public patient and I have been treated amazingly by my surgeon, he is taking my other breast becasue I asked him too, due to my family history, he asked the genetics clinic to BRCA test me, I have some extra scarring under my breast where the skin has sort of stretched and left what I can only describe as a triangle of close together stretchmarks, the rest of my scars are fine, which is AMAZING since I reacted to the steristrips and blistered etc, and they have still healed fine.

I got all of the hormone and such testing done at the biopsy and the mastectomy.

If it is "just" DCIS, it seems to be quite extensive as you have been back for 1 revision already haven't you? I think you have EVERY RIGHT to ask to have your tissue hormone and HER etc tested to see what other treatments you should have and what your chances are for recurrance etc.

You also have the right to say - enoughmy expanders are big enough I DO NOT want bigger. and to take a pot luck and puncture one leaving you with a slow leake is just not right.

I don't think it is that you are a public patients I think it is that your surgeon is a down right B!tch, with no concern for her patients, there choice or fears, It alsmost seems like she is blaming YOU for not having clear margins, like it is YOUR fault, that your cancer is more extensive that she though, like it is a personal attack on her.

Can you see another surgeon (even as a public patient you have this right), and maybe ask to see a plastic surgeon to look at the scarring (especially if they have to go back in to give you clear margins).

I mean what woman would go through all the surgery and stuff, and then live with not having clear margins, for goodness sake, wasn't that the reason you have the surgery in the first place (this surgeon makes me VERY VERY mad).

Have you seen a medical and radiation oncologist to talk over what if any other option you have,  would wether she recommends it or not, and they can get the tissue sample tested for HER2, and Hormones etc (I also thought it was routine to do pathology on ALL tissue taken under these circumstances). If she wont refer you ask your GP, (or another you can trust at the hospital), to refer you (if you need a referral at all, and sk you colleagues, who they would recommend if it was them or there wife, mother, daughter).

DanBoobs is also right, we put our lives in their hands, but WE suffer the consequescene if they are wrong, it doesn't help if in 2 yrs time - she says "oops soory I was wrong we SHOULD have done that", it doesn't effect her that much but could have major effects on you (Like the specialist who told me my breast cancer was nothing but a band of fibrotic tissue, and not to worry about it, it isn't anything and there was a less than 2% it would ever become anything over my life - and I had grade 2 stage 2 breat cancer, luckily I couldn't deal with that and demanded another mammorgam and ultrasound (he used the one I had had done in April - 6 months earlier, which showed nothing), becasue it showed the 2.8cm malignanat looking lump and I had 4 core biopsies done then and there).

It is OUR lives and OUR health and if something doesn't seem right, or a doctor is NOT listening to YOUR wishes, I say see another one and anothe rand another until you get one who will listen and act to YOUR liking.

(Sounds like your surgeon is one of those specialists who has a GOD complex - I HATE them).

Good Luck and I am sure it is Nothing, but you have the right to KNOW.