so scared

cctiz

Dear Lori
I can only
Dear Lori
I can only imagine...it is like dejavu to all of us, but you have to be strong and brave, one day you will have a chance to have your life back, im currently working on it
Also, the stage of your cancer can only be determined after surgery, once they open and see what they are dealing with your team can give you an idea of what is going on, be prepared that this is only the very begining - this is pretty standard - you are going for surgery and that is a good start.
I was DXed with infiltrating ductal carcinoma with lobular features and also LCIS, pr/es+ after surgery i was told it was stage 1, the sentinel node biopsie came negative and after the genomics test we knew it was grade 2 - give it some time - you want to know everything now but it is not possible yet, time will come and your team will be there with a detailed plan, usually the surgeon will know for sure what is the best for you.
send you love and best luck!

Cinkal

It is a difficult and
It is a difficult and personal decision to make. I was given the choice of lumpectomy or mastectomy as well. I went for a second opinion to ease my mind. Both surgeons gave me the same choice. The surgeon I chose gave me statistics of recurrence with both methods and I chose lumpectomy. The surgeon also told me it was not a medical emergency, that the cancer had been there for awhile and to not make a decision based on fear. That was hard for me because the tumor seemed to appear out of nowhere and I was afraid of it spreading. If you choose lumpectomy you will need radiation. For me, I felt like a lumpectomy would be less traumatic than a mastectomy and didn't want to go through the reconstruction. I do not remember the statistics but there was not a significant enough difference for me to choose mastectomy.
But it is a personal choice. It is your body and you must make the final decision. Ask a lot of questions and do some research.
Good luck to you

disneyfan2008

sorryI am not much help I
sorryI am not much help I wasn't given a choice just said I needed Lumpectomy and radiation. Sorry you are going through this...it's been 3 + years since I went through it all -journals helped me

camul

Welcome Lori,
Glad you found this site, you will get some amazing information and the ladies on this board are great!

Hard decision. My breast surgeon couldn't get a needle biopsy so she put me out, woke me up in the middle and told me it was positive, I asked her recommendation, she advised mastectomy as she didn't have clear margins, it had spread out of the initial tumor.

I chose a bilateral mastectomy but insurance company denied it! That was February 2002, I was 44. So, 12 days after mammogram, I had a single mastectomy, and only regret was that they didn't take both at that time. I never looked back or second guessed my decision.

But every one is different. Can't advise, can only give my story. Good luck on your decision.
Carol

cahjah75

Lorie
I'm sorry you have such a hard decision to make. My breast surgeon sat down with me to discuss options, his recommendation after all the tests I had taken. It was an easy decision for me as I'm the 5th in my family and because my tumor was large. I had bilateral mastectomy June 2010. Ask your dr all the questions you are having and hopefully he'll be compassionate enough to give you the advice you need to make your own decision.
{{hugs}} Char

DianeBC

ladyg said:

Hi Lori
Sorry you have to join our group but glad you did. I made my decision based on what the surgeon and onc told me. I had a lumpectomy and radiation because they both said that was all I really needed.

Hugs,
Georgia

I forgot to post to you that
I forgot to post to you that I had a lumpectomy, followed by rads. My tumor was small and contained, so, my doctors saw no need for a mastectomy as the survival rate and recurrence rate are the same.


Good luck!

pinkpalette

cahjah75 said:

Lorie
I'm sorry you have such a hard decision to make. My breast surgeon sat down with me to discuss options, his recommendation after all the tests I had taken. It was an easy decision for me as I'm the 5th in my family and because my tumor was large. I had bilateral mastectomy June 2010. Ask your dr all the questions you are having and hopefully he'll be compassionate enough to give you the advice you need to make your own decision.
{{hugs}} Char

Lori,
First, I am so sorry you found us, but welcome to our group. You will find a wealth of information and compassion from the women here.

When I was diagnosed a few months ago, it was absolutely mind-numbing. I didn't know what to think and what to do. My tumor was 2 cm. and that was not known until it was removed. When I went for surgery, I didn't know if I would wake up with a breast or a lumpectomy. The tumor had to go and the surgeon said he would make the best decision based on the tumor and his experience. I woke up with a lumpectomy. I needed to go for additional excision and lymph node removal in an additonal surgery - but he is confident because I had clear margins and no lymph involvement that I have an excellent prognosis. I am now in treatment with chemo and radiation to follow for 1 year total.

I wish you strength and hope! We are all in this together as we slay this beast we call cancer.

hugs, pp

Ritzy

disneyfan2008 said:

sorryI am not much help I
sorryI am not much help I wasn't given a choice just said I needed Lumpectomy and radiation. Sorry you are going through this...it's been 3 + years since I went through it all -journals helped me

A lumpectomy with rads was
A lumpectomy with rads was recommended to me by my team of doctors, so, that is what I had. I will be praying for you.


Sue