DCIS diagnosis & double mastectomy
Hi all! I am 38 with 2 young kids - 5 and 1.5, based in Brisbane and working full time. I was diagnosed with DCIS on Monday and am booked in for a double mastectomy, also removing some lymph nodes and a reconstruction in 2 weeks time. I have an appointment with the plastic surgeon to discuss reconstruction options on Friday, so this is all happening really quickly. There’s no family history of cancer and it basically came down to “being really unlucky” - but also lucky that I found lumps in my breast and followed through with all the medical appointments and tests. It’s overwhelming and I’ll be honest, I am angry at the world but it also is what it is so just need to tackle this head on. Any advice and tips in regards to what to expect after surgery, aftercare, exercise are greatly appreciated. Thank you.33ViewsSign in to react to this post1Comment
A crazy ride
On 22 October I went for my annual screening Mammogram and ultrasound. Whilst there they found a small cancer and performed a biopsy. Since then I have had a CT, bone scan, MRI, another Biopsy and a couple of specialist appointments. They are incredibly proactive and thorough. On Wednesday this week, I hope to find out if I will be having a lumpectomy or Mastectomy on 8 Dec. Surgery has been delayed to let me have a prebooked holiday which I am really looking forward to. If anyone has some advise on questions that I should ask my doctor about my surgery and treatment. Please let me know.76ViewsSign in to react to this post2Comments
Advice on how to prepare for TC chemo?
Hello everyone! First time of me starting a thread on here, hoping to get some advice from someone who’s had experience going through TC (Doxetaxel & Cyclophosphamide) chemo recently? I’ve just had a mastectomy with an implant reconstruction on my left breast after I had a recurrence after going through lumpectomy followed by radiation in 2024. It’s been very traumatic to say the least! Now I’m really freaking out about having to go through chemo as I’ve already been swapped to letrozole and Zoladex instead of tamoxifen which I was on before and I’m already having loads of hot flushes etc so adding other side effects on top of that feels very daunting! If anyone have any advice how to manage side effects that would be amazing! I’d love to at least attempt to not lose all my hair and eyelashes, eyebrows and maybe there’s some supplements I could take to make sure my skin doesn’t get too damaged during treatment? I’m going to bring in ice cubes/lollies to suck on as I’m having the treatment done but wondering also if there’s anything else I should be doing or bringing with me to the appointment? Thank you so much!142ViewsSign in to react to this post7CommentsOff for surgery
Morning All, Really grateful to have found this forum. I was diagnosed last week, 6 Oct, and like many of you, came as a total shock. I have invasive ductal carcinoma, 95mm, ER+ PR+ HER2-. I’m have a double mastectomy on 3 Nov. I’ve been reading a lot but was after some tips for hospital and anything you found helpful to help recovery. Thank you all x164ViewsSign in to react to this post5Comments
Prepations for mastectomy + lymph clearance + DIEP + potentially removing port surgery
For the short read: What exercises for PRE-surgery and items to have onhand for POST-surgery do you recommend? I have about 2 months time, am 45 and generally fit except for limited mobility in one arm due to a pesky port that won't ever heal properly (see deep read below if interested). For the deep read: So I hear this is a 10 hr surgery with my arms up over my shoulders and people leaning over them. Obviously lots of incisions and wound care to follow as well as time appropriate physio and exercises. I'm still 2 months out from surgery and would like to be as prepared as possible since I've previously suffered shoulder bursitis and subsequent frozen shoulder on both sides (at different times fortunately!) that lasted many many months (less the 2nd time as I could feel it coming on and do exercises). Any pre-surgery exercises to recommend? I also have had problems with scar healing. My port insertion was the first time I've ever been cut and stitched up. I had it first become dehiscent, then redone 6 weeks later, then lots of spitting sutures. After another 8 weeks the skin was irritated from taping so stopped that. But in this last week, the scar has widen without taping and is now 2cm wide! Have now started back on with stratamed and taping but using a gauze over the wound because it now got a bit of exudate. Yes, nurses and doctors monitor it, I have suitable antibiotics on hand, but since they saw how bad it got last week I've been told to be extra vigilant and go straight to ED with a low tolerance of anymore funny business or temperature of course. So stretching back on the port side is currently difficult. I understand I'll be a fairly sedentary for the first while. For items after surgery I found such things - any comments? Any brands or items you tried that were no good? Mastectomy ice pack strap thingy https://ebay.io/m/lgO8Mh Wedge pillows https://ebay.io/m/l4HXiR Different ones https://ebay.io/m/YhKxGI https://onelink.shein.com/58/65zvq6nbsrcr Will I need a girdle? Where to get, what to look for? Skins brand compression items were mentioned elsewhere in forums. Any relevant for my case? A bit of chest compression with this chest binder? I'll be a 10A-B with DIEP flap https://onelink.shein.com/58/65zwsvn5cwfj Or this just looks like a tight tank top https://ebay.io/m/DeByYA Best wound healing products? I've got stratamed (didn't use from beginning or consistently. Just started again now). Tips for use other than what on the package? Any tips for avoiding spitting sutures? Yuck and annoying! 😭 Many many thanks for all you lot helping each other out ❣️10ViewsSign in to react to this post0CommentsRecently diagnosed
It's been a week!! Breast screen contacted me Tuesday with my biopsy results. Currently on holidays visiting a sick friend in Canberra so my conversation with Breast screen was in a video link. Had not expected to hear Breast Cancer. Dr advised lumpectomy and I now have an appointment with a breast surgeon back in my home town, Adelaide. Seeing her 26th Oct. I am approaching my 69th birthday and feel my girls have served me well. I am seriously considering double mastectomy, no reconstruction, going flat. Has anyone else had these thoughts? I have a maternal history of breast cancer and have been having breast screening every 12 month. I have always referred to my screenings as Russian Roulette....93ViewsSign in to react to this post1Comment
Dbl or single masectomy? public health
Hi, ive been diagnosed with dcis in left breast Aug 2026, but breast specialist says likely invasive too as its large, will need masectomy and probably need radiotherapy after too. Right has shown something of concern but cant get in for a biopsi via mri for 2 weeks but need to make decision asap as they want left off. Do i get left off and wait for right biopsi results, or get both off now? If i get right off without mri they say unlikely to get sentinol node biopsi done too yet i saw a private reconstruction specialist who has recomended both the sentinol nodes to be biopsied during bi lat masectomy and has helped inform my decison for a dble masectomy in terms of reconstruction outcomes, individual risk factors etc. I know if the results come back invasive cancer in right it will be hard to do biopsi of sentinol node and likely need all nodes stripped which can lead to lymphodema and those issues. Amyone else have any ideas? Public system challenges?51ViewsSign in to react to this post0CommentsEndoscopic BC surgery available at Princess Alexandra Hospital Qld - minimally invasive
A new surgery procedure is now available in Qld - it has been used successfully previously in Asia - It is minimally invasive & usually results in a shorter recovery time. While new to Queensland, the technique is well-established and has been performed for years across Asian countries like Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore. Dr Khoo noted that its popularity there is partly due to the suitable anatomy of Asian women, who tend to have smaller breasts on average. Endoscopic Breast Cancer surgery is now available at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Qld - for suitable patients. ... “The procedure can be achieved with a 3-4 centimetre incision placed away from the breast and enables us to do a full implant or autologous reconstruction using the same incision,” Dr Khoo said. Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Brisbane has introduced an endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy, marking the first time this groundbreaking keyhole surgery technique has been available in Queensland. Brought to the state by oncoplastic breast surgeon Dr Jeremy Khoo, the minimally invasive procedure has already helped five local women and is expected to benefit 250 to 300 patients annually at PAH. Key Features and Benefits Faster Recovery: Patients can typically return to normal activities within two to four weeks, compared to four to eight weeks required for traditional open surgery. [1] Shorter Hospital Stay: Shorter hospitalisations mean patients frequently spend just one to two days in the hospital. Reduced Scarring: The procedure uses a high-definition camera through a small 3–4 cm incision away from the breast, preserving cosmetic outcomes and significantly minimizing physical and emotional scarring. Immediate Reconstruction: The approach combines the mastectomy with an immediate implant reconstruction. The technique will not replace conventional open breast surgery entirely. It is only suitable for selected patients, including women diagnosed with breast cancer or those at high genetic risk who opt for prophylactic risk-reducing mastectomies. https://www.metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/about-us/news/pa-hospital/queensland-first-surgical-technique-at-pah-to-benefit-breast-cancer-patients44ViewsSign in to react to this post0CommentsSurgical options
Hi all, I have been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and I have my first meeting with the surgeon on Thursday. I know to expect surgery soon but dont know if this will be lumpectomy or mastectomy. I know that this will be one of the things to discuss on Thursday but I am curious if there is a 'choice' - in a sense part of me just wants to be told which option but I wondered if anyone here made a decision one way or the other and how they felt about that? How long do you get to make any decisions if a choice is available? Am also put this query in the recently diagnosed thread as I have not posted before and not sure which is better for this. Thanks for any thoughts.167ViewsSign in to react to this post5CommentsOncotype testing
Hello everyone, I had a double mastectomy with Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy with expanders on 24th August. ER+ PR+ HER2-. Pathology shows clear margins and cancer not detected in Lymph Nodes. Left Breast -DCIS of low and intermediate nuclear grade. Right Breast - Multiple foci of invasive carcinoma LCIS. Six foci of grade 2 invasive lobular carcinoma and a 5mm focus of grade 1 invasive carcinoma. Extensive classic LCIS. I mainly have one question, and I am hoping you can all help me. This diagnosis happened so quickly it was like a whirlwind. Between diagnosis and surgery, I was overwhelmed with information and decisions that needed to be made. At that stage I did not even know about Oncotype testing. My question is can I still request oncotype testing 3 weeks after my surgery? I feel silly that I did not know about this and therefore request it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.119ViewsSign in to react to this post2Comments
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