What to do
Hello all
I haven't been on for a while, so hope all going ok for everyone
I'm now at the stage where I have to choose mastectomy or lumpectomy. My Dr is saying my best option is mastectomy and I would have been ok with this if all options where explained to me many months ago.
I have a HER2 positive aggressive cancer at 8 o'clock and a smaller cancer at 12 o'clock. My last MRI has shown the larger cancer is not present, but if I choose a lumpectomy I will have to have this area removed. The other cancer has shrunk from 1cm to 5mm.
So here is my dilemma. Im in the public system and was told many months ago, if I choose mastectomy I would have an expander put in and then 6 months later have a prosthesis put in, well this did not sit right with me. I was also told flap reconstructions wasn't done at the hospital I go to. I was 4 days out of chemo at this appointment and thought because I was in the public system I could not even consider a flap reconstruction.
So I went home and decided to do some research and found I could have this option. I am a little disappointed that when we see a specialist like the breast Dr, it is hard to make another appointment. I was deterred from making another to discuss other options, many missed phone calls followed and communication brake downs with the receptionist. At my last appointment I was told it is too late to look into a flap reconstruction.
Having breast cancer and getting my head around what was happening, I originally went into this deciding to go with what Im told because the Dr's know best, however some things didn't add up, the more I got use to chemo and all the processes I had to go through, the more I started questioning the system.
I have only recently had a long talk with my breast nurse about not being given all options, my dilemma being i don't want the reconstruction I was offered, and I would have more than likely chosen flap over prosthesis, and now lumpectomy over prosthesis.
I am now being told by my breast Dr that if I have mastectomy and expander put in, I can have flap reconstruction down the track. Is this true, does anyone know? Has anyone had this done? I was told earlier on that once I choose an expander I could not have flap reconstruction. Perhaps the people who run this site can let me know this one. I have till the end of the week to find out. I will see if I can talk to someone in the public system about this before the end of the week, so I can make a more informed choice.
i don't think it should matter if your in the public or private system, having a breast removed and or reconstruction is a huge deal, and a rest of your life decision to make. Laying all options on the table would have been great earlier in the piece, so I had time to decide.
I had 8 months chemo before getting to this stage, I couldn't imagine having to make this decision first up, like others have, and chemo after.
I have had the best oncologists, nurses and doctors, however along the way I found those few things that could have been improved.
I have sought a lot of alternate therapies along the way, healthy eating mainly and found doing both chemo and natural has help me immensely. Having a public system that offers body, mind, spirit and natural eating tips etc, as well as being able to talk to someone and delving a little deeper without the same standard answers (I found someone in the end) may have made my huge decision a little easier.
What to do, What to do???
