Mastectomy questions

Hi Heather!
My oncologist and plastic surgeon both recommended that I get a lumpectomy with radiation treatments. I had a very small tumor and my node was clean, so, they saw no need to have a mastectomy, unless I wanted one. A lumpectomy with rads has the same chance of a recurrence and survival rate as a mastectomy. I hate to sound vain, but, my breasts are very important to me, to my feeling like a woman and to my sexual being. And, I saw no reason to even consider having a mastectomy on one or both. But, this is truly just a personal decision. Everyone is different in the way they feel and in their choice of surgery. Quite honestly, I couldn't even comprehend getting a mastectomy, but, that is just me. After all, it isn't enhancement surgery, it is reconstruction. I know for some they have no choice and are very, very happy with their reconstruction. And, I applaud them. I think it is wonderful how far they have advanced in reconstructing breasts for bc survivors.

I wish you the best of luck Heather. You make the right choice for you, and, you alone. Don't rush into any surgery until you are absolutely sure. Trust your doctors and their advice too.

I bet you look beautiful with your new "do"! Post a pic when you can.

Take care,

Sue

xxoo
Hi Love,

You're going to get a ton of different responses on this one so here's mine.

#1 Do what feels best for you.

I was diagnosed with DCIS in the right. My onco told me that you have a 50% chance of coming back with cancer a second time any way you slice it.

To me, when a meteorologist tells you there is a 50% chance of rain...it rains.

I have two young daughters, work full time and couldn't see myself going through this potentially twice.

I opted for a double mastectomy and have never looked back.

I too put this out on this discussion board the night I was diagnosed.

Right off the bat 5 out of 6 said they either had done a double or wished they'd have done a double.

I felt in a hurry like you to make a decision.

A mastectomy though does not guarantee you that you won't get cancer ever again.

It does however, in your case, like mine, at a low stage, put you pretty much in the clear.

But, but, but I'm not a doctor so please take this as my story and not advice.

The mastectomy is no walk in the park so be prepared. I am way past it now in the reconstruction stage and honestly feeling amazing.

If you're interested, you can see my photos and story at my website in the Member Resources Directory. You'll see my profile photo when you're there.

My blog documents all this as well under the CSN Expressions Gallery under SamuraiMom: Follow the Bouncing Boobs.

Good luck sweet friend!

xxoo,
SamuraiMom

It a tough decision to make,
It a tough decision to make, but like you there was nothing in my left breast, only right in the bottom right side. After reviewing all of the pros and cons, talking to others, reading this site and finally talking with the surgeon, I'm opting for a lumptectomy. I know that if I don't get clean margins or if they're in my lymph nodes, then I will need to do another surgery and then decide how much he may need to take out to have clean margins. I really don't want to go through another surgery, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it all.

When I was first diagnosed, one month ago, I just wanted it off. Plain and simple...I just wanted the cancer out of me. But now, one of the main reasons why I finally decided to do a lumpectomy is one of the many things my surgeon said. He said that if I decide on a mastectomy then there is no turning back. He can't just put the same breast back on and I would need to decide on what type of reconstruction. However, if I decide on the lumpectomy and things go well, then I'll be fine (I know that there may be chemo and rad involved, but at least I'll have my breast). But for me to keep in mind that if he doesn't get clean margins then at that time, I may need a mastectomy. But again, I'm just hoping for the best and being optimistic that things will come out fine.

It was one of the toughest decisions to make, I'm just hoping that I'm making the right one. You will need to ultimately decide which would be best for you after you talk with all of your dr's.

Good luck with your appts and keep us posted.

Patty

Hi Heather
I was in your shoes last October!
I found that cancerous lump in my right breast and 2 days after being diagnosed with bc they had me in surgery doing a lumpectomy. I was not big breasted like you are so when they did the lumpectomy they removed half of my right breast, cuz once they were in there they found it had spread to my tissue. Man did that look weird! But if your big breasted others have told me that after the lumpectomy it just leaves a dip in your breast but again it depends on the size of the lump and how much tissue they remove with it.
After the lumpectomy they said i could keep them deformed as it was and have chemo or have a mastectomy (As much as they removed i thought i already had the mastectomy). They also told me either way that i had a high risk of reaccurrance in the same breast or getting it in the left side a couple years down the road and they recommended both breast be removed.
So for me it wasnt that hard to decide so i had them both removed and even though i have in the expanders and im done doing my fills i can say im happy with the size i am now and i get my implants in July 14th. Also if it wasnt for the mastectomy i might not have known in time that my lymphnodes were also cancerous as they were tested during my mastectomy and all my doc's and ultrasound ect said the cancer was just in my breast tissue and they were surprised when they turned up positive...so i had a total of 12 nodes removed in my right arm.
Since i had the lumpectomy first the dr's pretty much knew what they were dealing with and it made the decision easier for me...even thou i didnt have a sayso about the lumpectomy...everything happened way to fast. I got lucky there that everything worked out.

Once i started loosing my hair is when i cut it off so it just touched my shoulders....and i cut off 17 inches...i never had short hair except when i was 8-9 years old, so for me it was a major deal...but now its not...it didnt take me long to get use to it...i think it took my family and friends longer to get use to it than me! But i did donate mine to locks of love...it made me feel better that some little kid will get a wig from it!

Sorry that you have to make such a difficult decision...but keep us posted!

Dawne.Hope said:

My story
Dear Heatherbelle,

Samuraimom is right, you're going to hear all kinds of answers. We're all different. Here's my story:

I was diagnosed with DCIS moderate grade(1cm) in my left breast, had a biopsy which was essentially a lumpectomy, clear margins, E & P positive.

Met with an onocologist and she recommended radiation followed with Tamoxifen. My mom and my grandmother had BC. Tested negative on BRAC1 and 2. Met with a radition onocologist and he told me that the studies for DCIS and radiation are mainly on post-menopausal women. Hmm, I was pre-menopausal. Was it the same? I don't know. I was deeply concerned about the long-term effects of radiation.

After a loooong and painful struggle, I decided to have both breasts removed. I had incredibly dense breast tissue which would have made it difficult to find any recurrence, even with a yearly MRI. My mom was one of the rare ones who developed endometrial cancer from the Tamoxifen and for me, when I wrote out a list (which some wise women on these boards suggested that I do) of the all the pros and the cons there was a clear decision.

I would encourage to do the same. Write out the pros and cons of mast. vs. lump and rads. Your answer may be right there. A double MX does not guarantee that you won't get breast cancer, but it sure does lessen the chance. I had a 14% of it coming back if I'd chosen the radiation. Now I have 2%.

You'll know in your gut what your supposed to do.

Hugs,
dh

Decisions....
Decisions....
Heatherbelle,
Wow. Sorry to hear about your news but you seem positive and in charge. This is the key.

Your decision depends on your cancer and your history. I think I bugged my doctors but I needed answers. I had the same decision to make not too long ago. At the breast center where I found out that I had breast cancer, a great dr. told me to treat my whole body. Local is for the breast cancer but you want to take care of your whole body. If I was going to do reconstruction, to start it at surgery. I was still in shock. I couldn't even say the word cancer for awhile. Take the time to find out what is best for you.

My breast surgeon (cancer) explained everything, including all my options. I am not as young as you (49) but I felt too young not to consider everything; including reconstruction. I have seen cancer in my family. (Hopefully this is not your case). Not all of it turned out good. ** So I have this weighing on my decision. I did go through genetic testing. It takes time... (that was frustrating). You need to consider what you are comfortable with. I wanted to do this once and never have it reoccur.

I read about a lot of women having surgery and radiation and then the cancer comes back. What is with that?? Some even mention that they later had the mastectomy. (I had only one breast affected). Bottom line: I felt I would rather regret doing too much that regret not doing enough.... I am at 6 weeks after surgery (bilateral mastectomy with expanders) and I have no regrets.

You are not alone. I have gained a lot of insight from the amazing women at this site. If I can help more, please ask.

Take care

VickiSam said:

Wonderful and sound advise from my
sister's in PINK .. I can not add anything.

Please take care and best of luck these next few weeks.



VickiSam

My oncologist had to offer
My oncologist had to offer the choice to me of a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. But, he recommended for me a lumpectomy with radiation. He stated that with radiation that my chances of anything happening in the future would be equal to having a mastectomy. And, because I was young, and, did not want to lose my breasts, I chose the lumpectomy and am so happy that I did. I got thru radiation without any burning, just very uncomfortable.


For every woman diagnosed this is a tough decision. What should I do? It all comes down to doing what you want, IF you have a choice.

Good luck to you with whatever surgery you have.


Hugs, Megan

mimivac said:

Hi Heather
It's a pretty personal decision, and you should make it with as much information as possible. I had a very aggressive tumor and still had a lumpectomy. I saw no compelling reason to opt for mastectomy if a less invasive procedure was possible. The statistics and advice I got from my doctor all pointed me to lumpectomy. My chances for recurrence are not increased and I was comfortable with that. One thing that might have changed my mind was if I had tested positive for either of the BRCA genes. Have you been tested yet? This does increase your risk of a second cancer and may make mastectomy the right option. Good luck with your decision.

Mimi

Hi Heather. Sorry that you
Hi Heather. Sorry that you have these tough decisions that you have to make: the waiting and the decisions are the worst part of this disease. But, it sounds like you are preparing yourself well, and I am so glad that you are seeing your oncologist and plastic surgeon so you can be well-informed.

I had a lumpectomy and radiation for a small amount of invasive cancer and DCIS in 2000. In 2009, DCIS was discovered in the same breast, and I was advised to have a mastectomy. At that point, after a lot of soul-searching and praying, I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction (using abdominal tissue to replace the breast tissue). I had been told that I wasn't a candidate for the reconstruction using expanders and implants because of the radiation that I had had nine year earlier. But, the DIEP was great, so I have no regrets.

I also have no regrets that I chose to have the lumpectomy and radiation when I was first diagnosed. I wasn't ready to lose a breast at the time, and the reconstruction procedures advanced tremendously in the nine years.

As far as recovery is concerned, I missed very little work with the lumpectomy and radiation; I just ended up being very tired at the end. The recovery for the bilateral mastectomy and the reconstruction was 8 weeks. You will need to be prepared for this with little children, if you have the mastectomy; you will need help.

Your doctors may strongly recommend one route over the other. (In fact, there is a possibility that they will say that the cancer is such that you need a mastectomy). Do not make your decision exclusively based on their recommendation, but take their advice seriously, especially if you trust them and they have had a lot of experience treating someone with your tyoe of cancer.

I wish you the best. If you have other questions, please ask.

Joyce

24242 said:

36 and wasn't attached
I am sorry you too will have to face this fight. My mother was a palliative nurse and grandmother had her own fight with disease when I was very young so had a realistic view of cancer at the time of my diagnosis.
I have only heard the advice given to me I haven't heard others given the same advice but it was suggested to me that I worry about the side with cancer since it was stage 3 with 11 out of 21 positive nodes HER triple negative IDC breast cancer. I had always wanted the bilateral mastectomy but did listen to the advice my mother and surgeon both gave and only had the cancer side removed and then a year later had the other removed and it continued to produce lumps though benign. I did not have reconstruction since had so many other problems couldn't see me going through more than I had to. I am not sorry for making that decision and 14 years later the feeling is returning in my chest and arms something I never thought would happen.
I was more of the thinking if I was going to survive I would give myself all the years I could get out of all forms of treatment. Radiation gave little success rate but did it anyways since it did have some benefit and I thought I should get all the benefits I could.
Good luck to you and coming to terms with what it is you truly want to do for yourself.
Be good to yourself always,
Tara

I, like Mimi, saw no need to
I, like Mimi, saw no need to have an invasive procedure when a lumpectomy and rads would give me the same recurrence and survival rate. My tumor was also very small, invasive bc and my nodes were clean!

Rads gave me a 20% more success of no recurrence, so, it was a really good choice for me. Rads are very doable and I feel very good about going thru the treatments. Several on here have posted about recurrences with a mastectomy, and, none of them had rads.

What you do is your own personal decision. There is no wrong or right, just what you want. I am so very grateful that I still have my breasts.

Good luck!

♠♣ Susie ♠♣

Heatherbelle said:

I'm so glad to have so many
I'm so glad to have so many responses & that you all are sharing your experiences with me. I'm not afraid of losing my breasts, actually -or my natural ones, I should say, I was planning on a lift & small implants next year before this whole cancer mess started I think I'm going to stop pressuring myself to make a decision & wait until I talk with my doctors this week, so that I can learn more about my cancer and my options. Thank you all again, I wish I could reach out and hug each and every one of you!
Heather

You are doing a very smart
You are doing a very smart thing Heather by just waiting to talk to your doctors. They are the ones that will guide you and tell you what, if any, options you have. Some have no options, they have to have a mastectomy.

Try to relax, spend some fun time with your family and let us know what you find out.

But, take your time in this decision.


Sue