DCIS

Jantique
Jantique Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I have DCIS. They SAY just a lumpectomy and radiation and I'll be fine, although there is always the possibility of recurrence. Is this "bad" enough to join a support group? I don't want to be disrespectful of someone with invasive disease.

Comments

  • jackiemanz
    jackiemanz Member Posts: 85
    #2
    Welcome to our club. Sorry we have to meet like this but no its not bad of you. This site is for anybody that needs help or just needs to ask a question. It's not just for us you have BC it's for family members and caregivers also. So pop in anytime you want too.


    Jackie
  • 3cbrca
    3cbrca Member Posts: 206
    #3
    Hello
    I know just how you feel. Before I had breast cancer I had colon cancer with multiple non-invasive adenomas. I had my whole colon removed but was able to move on after a year and felt embarrassed when people included me in the survivors who had been through so much. But, you still have cancer and you still belong. It's scary - at my first annual checkup I had another polyp and it was terrifying waiting for the path results. I look back now with the support I've gotten for breast cancer and realize how much good a support group would have been 3 years ago. I'm having my four year colon checkup next week and I'm nervous as a cat.

    You definitely deserve to be be here. Welcome!Best to you.
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #4
    Welcome! I have stage 1 breast cancer and stage 1 lung cancer. You have stage 0 breast cancer. That we caught it in an early stage was just our "luck". Nobody gets a choice in this disease. Some get stage 4 at first diagnosis, some stage 0. Some have easy treatment; some not. Believe it or not, emotional response to cancer can be just as traumatic for those of us in stage 0 and 1 as it is for those who have later stages of cancer. And we all need support when we get overwhelmed by the thoughts of having cancer. I have learned enough to realize that I am lucky to have been diagnosed at stage 1 twice. I certainly did not feel lucky 5 years ago when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. But it gives my doctors more options and me less medical treatment with stuff like chemo. I needed more support than my doctors could give. Fortunately there are lots of support groups around. This one is great: great company, easy hours, easy on the pocketbook, and lots of great information. But there are also support groups in the community. I know I don't need the ones specifically designed for the folks undergoing chemo (at least not yet). But emotional support, nutritional news, hormone treatment possibilities, how to handle the hot flashes, avoiding lymphedema, and lots of other cancer topics interest me. My quality of life has been improved by the information I have learned. The time I have spent with survivors of other stages has made me more aware of treatment options and more open to medical treatments that might save my life. This support group has great ideas on coping with side effects of cancer treatment. So I belong however unwillingly(I mean, who wants to get cancer to join up!). So don't have any second thoughts. You belong too!
  • Susan956
    Susan956 Member Posts: 510
    #5
    Welcome to our crew. Please feel welcome... we all come here to ask questions...just share... and we make each other feel better.... So drop by... ask questions.... and know that everyone here cares...

    Also....just a lumpectomy & radiation... I don't think "Just" fits. Anytime you hear the C word and have to have any treatment it is a big deal... but one that all of us have learned can be survived... you will pass this bump in the road and be back on with your life before too long.

    Take Care... God Bless....

    Susan
  • ladybluepgh
    ladybluepgh Member Posts: 76
    #6
    Hello and welcome...9 years ago I was diagnosed with DCIS...I had a lumpectomy and f/u radiation...this year mine recurred and I had to go for further treatment...but I made it through 9 YEARS..thats a biggie!!!...so consider yourself lucky and pamper yourself abit and then get on with your life and keep in touch with us...we are lucky to have each other and we are ALIVE...take care of yourself.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #7
    Breast cancer is breast cancer. Sigh...sorry to 'meet' you this way...but this is a great place to be!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • toninasky
    toninasky Member Posts: 102
    #8
    Ditto what Kathy said. Welcome. No matter stage 0 or stage 4, its a great place to visit.

    God Bless Toni

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