Gah. Back again.
Almost seven years ago I roller-skated through Olivia Newton John hospital to Xanadu for my last radiotherapy session, post lumpectomy. Here I am again... another oestrogen positive cancer, same stoopid dense breast. It was picked up on MRI as it couldn't be seen through my milky dense breast tissue and after an MRI biopsy (such fun!!!) I was diagnosed last week. So now I'm up for a double mastectomy and trying to make reconstruction decisions. I'm thinking I may need to go the Johnny Diep Flap. Seeing the plastic surgeon tomorrow. Really glad you're here....
Double Masectomy or radiation
Hi, I'm new to this forum, I'm 42 and was diagnosed with early breast cancer 7 weeks ago. Hormone +ve herceptin -ve I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy and am healing well. The nodes came back clear (yay what a relief) but the lumpectomy showed 2 additional smaller tumors that the original MRI didn't pick up. (I have dense breasts so Mammogram/ ultrasound didn't pick up anything). I've been having yearly MRI for 15 years. I have a family history of breast cancer, my mum and 2 aunties and possibly my grandmother. All diagnosed below 50. I don't have a breast cancer gene. I have to decide (quickly) either to go ahead with radiation or have a double masectomy to reduce my future risk. I had basically decided on masectomy but then the gene test came back clear and threw my decision making process into disarray. Has anyone on here, at high risk decided to have a double masectomy (with implant reconstruction) even when they didn't need it to treat their cancer? I'm wondering how you made your final decision? A few things holding me back from making the big decision, is the -numbness across my chest after the masectomy (did ladies find this hard to get used too)? - with the under muscle implants, did ladies find they caused any muscle weakness long term? I'm finding it a really hard decision. My mum fought hard to keep her breasts (and so far is still clear 18 years later) and I'm leaning towards the full masectomy, as I'm a single mum with a 4yo and the weight of another cancer weighs on me. Sorry for the long ramble 😁