Lumpectomy
Hi lovelies I’ts crunch time for me with decision making for surgery post chemo. I’ d love to hear from anyone who’s had a successful lumpectomy +/- recon and how it all went. Tossing up between...
Forum Discussion
@Caz1 I had a lumpectomy just before Christmas Dec. '17 so I'm a few weeks away from my second anniversary. Before visiting my surgeon for the first time, i was thinking I would have to make the decision, like you, whether to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy but my surgeon made the decision for me & I have never regretted it. She was very decisive in her plan for my surgery. My DCIS was very low in my left breast so she removed the cancer & then filled the gap with some surrounding tissue so my breasts would be the same size & they have always been small!. The small scar is right under my breast & you would hardly even know I had surgery. My DCIS was aggressive but was stage 1 & as my margins were clear it was up to me whether to even have rad treatment. My rad onc thought it would be best so I did go ahead due to the aggressive nature of the cancer but I didn't have chemo or any medication.
i am very lucky as my life is back the same as it was pre cancer apart from a small scar & regular medical checkups/mammos to ensure i keep on track. the decisions you have to make along the road are hard & you have to try to keep focused on what you know about your diagnosis as we are all different. Dont worry about what may happen in the future as things may change along the way. Deal with what you do know. Not sure if you are having rad treatment but if you have rad then you have limited options regarding recon if you go down the path of mastectomy followed by recon as rad treatment effects your breast tissue thus making it harder.
Looking back now, I often think "Why would you cut off your leg if you had a sore toe?" so the thought of a drastic mastectomy for a stage 1 DCIS was overkill to me & I'm glad my surgeon agreed. It would depend on your grade & type of cancer & I'm sure your medical team would have an opinion on what they think would be best but the decision is yours. I recently went to a BCNA conference & the speakers told us that now surgeons are looking to do LESS when it comes to surgery/treatment options compared to that in the past. I guess treatments have side effects so you have to weigh it all up. With all the stats/percentages out there, you do have to take a chance sometimes & roll the dice & hope it comes out in your favor & the odds are with you. Good luck & let us know what you decide. love & strength xx
i am very lucky as my life is back the same as it was pre cancer apart from a small scar & regular medical checkups/mammos to ensure i keep on track. the decisions you have to make along the road are hard & you have to try to keep focused on what you know about your diagnosis as we are all different. Dont worry about what may happen in the future as things may change along the way. Deal with what you do know. Not sure if you are having rad treatment but if you have rad then you have limited options regarding recon if you go down the path of mastectomy followed by recon as rad treatment effects your breast tissue thus making it harder.
Looking back now, I often think "Why would you cut off your leg if you had a sore toe?" so the thought of a drastic mastectomy for a stage 1 DCIS was overkill to me & I'm glad my surgeon agreed. It would depend on your grade & type of cancer & I'm sure your medical team would have an opinion on what they think would be best but the decision is yours. I recently went to a BCNA conference & the speakers told us that now surgeons are looking to do LESS when it comes to surgery/treatment options compared to that in the past. I guess treatments have side effects so you have to weigh it all up. With all the stats/percentages out there, you do have to take a chance sometimes & roll the dice & hope it comes out in your favor & the odds are with you. Good luck & let us know what you decide. love & strength xx