I've just been diagnosed

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SCmom
SCmom Member Posts: 46
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, the tumor is only 1cm. From the biopsy, they say that it is In Situ Cancer, but tell me they won't know for sure until surgery. I meet my surgeon on Monday. I've been reading the messages for a few days and find them informative. I'm scared and hopeful at the same time. My question, what is the most important question to ask surgeon?

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  • pamelaa
    pamelaa Member Posts: 10
    #2
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    I was diagnosed about six weeks ago with lobular carcinoma in situ. Basically it is stage 0 cancer and is not invasive, but has the potential to become. after meeting with an oncologist and looking at all my risk factors (lost younger sister to breast cancer) i opted for a bilateral masectomy.(for peace of mind) surgery was two weeks ago and pathology came back good, but i have no regrets. Surgery was not as bad as i anticipated and feel pretty good aside from tightness under arms. I do plan to have reconstruction in a few months and from everyone i have spoke with like the results! My prayers are with you as i know the anxiety can be overwhelming, myself, i turned it over to God and have been at total peace with diagnosois and treatment. Most women don't die from breast cancer!!!! Just keep telling yourself that and do what you must to bearound for your children. I am also a nurse and know form experience that you are soooo lucky!! n situ is as good as it gets!! It means you caught it brfore it had a chance to grow! Pam Feel free to email me at Lambypa@aol.com is you'd loke to keep in touch or have someone to bounce things off of and help you to be proactive. Pam
  • SweetSue
    SweetSue Member Posts: 217
    #3
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    Mom of 2...great that they caught your cancer so early. I can't think of any questions for u to ask because my breast cancer was more advanced, and my mom died from breast cancer. So my questions were of a different nature.
    Try to keep your spirits up and God bless you.
    sweet_onion
  • ksfc
    ksfc Member Posts: 251
    #4
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    It's great that you've caught it so early! I would ask your surgeon to explain all of the options to you - lumpectomy (with rads or not), mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, reconstruction at a later date or no reconstruction. Ask him about recovery time, difference in prognosis with each choice, etc. My best advice is don't be in a hurry. You have plenty of time to make the right decision for yourself.
    Don't rush into anything. Also, it's often advisable to get second opinions on everything. I'm in a smaller town so I started by sending away my slides to get a second opinion on pathology and then spent a day at a larger cancer center to get opinions there. I was still able to be treated right here at home. Take care - Diane
  • sandytrif525
    sandytrif525 Member Posts: 106
    #5
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    momof2 I really didn't ask too many questions. Just kind of did what they said. My cancer was advanced as well. Great that yours was found early. Will keep you in my prayers. sandy
  • raku
    raku Member Posts: 23
    #6
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    Hi Momof2,
    Like you, my breast cancer was in-situ (I had ductual and lobular) but mine was spread over a larger area (6cm). I had a biopsy (really a lumpectomy) but the surgeon didn't get clean boarders and recommended that I get a mastectomy. I heard this and was upset because I thought going in that I would probably have a lumpectomy followed by radiation (in other words I would get to keep my breast(s)).
    So I sent my slides to a hospital that specializes in cancer...in my case it was M.D. Anderson. I wanted to make sure that I had cancer before I had a mastectomy. Well, after the second opinion came in I found out that I did indeed have cancer and needed surgery for sure. I found out in Feb. (original cancer diagnoses) and didn't have surgery until May.
    In my case, the "in-situ" diagnose meant that I had more time to decide what to do but it also meant that different doctors had different (conflicting) treatment plans. I was so confused. So I researched the topic. Like the ladies who responded mentioned earlier, ask about the different options available, reconstructions, drugs available after treatment. For instance, my mother had had uterine cancer so taxoxifen wasn't a wise choice for me. Also I met with the radiologist and radition wasn't recommended in my case.
    So I slowly eliminated my choices by what worked best for me. The final choice, bilateral mastecomy wasn't exactly great but it gave me the best survival rate for my situation. You will know more on Monday. I know it is really hard waiting through the weekend. You have a right to be scared. The good news is that is was caught early and you have options available to you. I strongly recommend a second opinion. Take care and I'll be thinking of you.
  • tonyasaleeby
    tonyasaleeby Member Posts: 2
    #7
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    I was diagnoised with breast cancer in mid January. Tumor was just over 3cm. I had lumpecomty than mastecomy. Surgeries went very well. A few weeks after I started chemo ...dense dose theraphy having it every two weeks. I now have one more treatment to go and am feeling incredible. I am 36 years old with two children...almost 4 and almost 2. You were very lucky to catch it early. Educate yourself as much as possible!!! If you have any specific questions, please feel free to email!!!

    God Bless!!

    Tonya:)
  • Twila
    Twila Member Posts: 1
    #8
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    pamelaa said:

    I was diagnosed about six weeks ago with lobular carcinoma in situ. Basically it is stage 0 cancer and is not invasive, but has the potential to become. after meeting with an oncologist and looking at all my risk factors (lost younger sister to breast cancer) i opted for a bilateral masectomy.(for peace of mind) surgery was two weeks ago and pathology came back good, but i have no regrets. Surgery was not as bad as i anticipated and feel pretty good aside from tightness under arms. I do plan to have reconstruction in a few months and from everyone i have spoke with like the results! My prayers are with you as i know the anxiety can be overwhelming, myself, i turned it over to God and have been at total peace with diagnosois and treatment. Most women don't die from breast cancer!!!! Just keep telling yourself that and do what you must to bearound for your children. I am also a nurse and know form experience that you are soooo lucky!! n situ is as good as it gets!! It means you caught it brfore it had a chance to grow! Pam Feel free to email me at Lambypa@aol.com is you'd loke to keep in touch or have someone to bounce things off of and help you to be proactive. Pam

    I was diagnosed in december and had masectomies in january. I started chemo in febuary and just finished this past may. I was given a perscription for the tamoxafen, but i have not started it yet. I am not sure if i should. The question I have is did any one else start getting hot flashes after chemo?
  • JanAnnK
    JanAnnK Member Posts: 6
    #9
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    Twila said:

    I was diagnosed in december and had masectomies in january. I started chemo in febuary and just finished this past may. I was given a perscription for the tamoxafen, but i have not started it yet. I am not sure if i should. The question I have is did any one else start getting hot flashes after chemo?

    I did have hot flashes after chemo when my periods ceased. I took tamoxifen for about 6 months. I didn't like the side effects and quit taking it. That was four years ago.
  • JanAnnK
    JanAnnK Member Posts: 6
    #10
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    My first breast cancer, in 1988 was very small too. My surgeon recommended mastectomy. I got a second opinion at a cancer research hospital and was told I was a good candidate for lumpectomy. The advice ksfc gave was very good. Don't be in a hurry. You do have time to research your options. If you can, get a second opinion at a major cancer treatment center.
  • minnie112256
    minnie112256 Member Posts: 49
    #11
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    Hi I was diagnosed with about the same as you. I had a lumpetomy but my oncolgist did not like the margins and suggested a mastetomy. I think it was for the best. I had chemo but no radiation. I would ask your doctor your options and decide what would make you the most confortable. I felt that if I had the mastetomy and chemo I would not worry as much. I am also on tamaxofen for 5 years. Good Luck and God Bless you. Minnie
  • 24242
    24242 Member Posts: 1,398
    #12
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    You have found a good place. Ask him what he is prepared to give you if you do experience pain. It would be good to know that he won't let you suffer because it can be painful for some and others don't have that experience everyone is different remember that. Cause they will forget.
    Be good to yourself,
    Tara
  • phylise
    phylise Member Posts: 5
    #13
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    I was diagnosed May 2002, at 46 years old. I had a mastectomy, 4 rounds of A/C chemo..Finished in August 2002...Lost my hair, but it started coming back in November..I now have a head full of thicker and curlier hair...I am on tamoxefen..I also have some lymphdenma in my left arm..My cancer was also 1 cm with no lymph nodes involved. I joined a group on yahoo " bosombuds" that has helped me the most..If I can help, please feel free to ask...My diagnosis and mastectomy were within 2 days, so I really did not have the time to question anything ( worked out great because I could not worry about it too much)..Be sure to ask about the special care you need to take ( to avoid lymphdenma )...You are truly in my prayers..
  • SGH
    SGH Member Posts: 1
    #14
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    Hi Momof2,
    I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma n Jan 03. My tumor also was about 1 cm and Stage 1. I initially had a lumpectomy with sentinel node mapping. Lymph nodes were negative, but a second tumor was found as a result of the lumpectomy. I also had excessive amounts of lobular carcinoma in situ. As I was 36, the recommendation was a bilateral mastectomy with four cycles of A/C. Fortunately, my nodes were also negative the second time around. From the beginning, the lumps could never be felt via self-exam by me or by OB/GYN, Radiologist, or Surgeon. I was told I have dense breasts. The answer to your question is not simple. I think it depends a great deal on your age, desire to have more children (I was just married and have no children...I have 50% chance of becoming infertile due to the chemotherapy), ER/PR status and potential effectiveness of hormonal therapy (i.e., Tamoxifen), plan for lymph node removal, etc. I know all of the information you'll be exposed to is overwhelming, but I hope that you'll have the same good fortune as I did in having skilled, knowledgable providers who were able to explain the technical aspects, effects, and prognosis. My husband and I spent over an hour with the surgeon on our first visit and called a few times over the weekend to ask more questions about options, course of treatment, etc. Also, my surgeon insisted that I speak with an oncologist and plastic surgeon before making my final decision. You didn't mention what actual type of cancer you have. The type I was diagnosed with had about a 30% probability of appearing in the other breast (and higher since I was subsequently found to have "excessive amounts of lobular carcinoma in situ). I hope you are a candidate for breast conservation therapy (lumpectomy), but if a mastectomy is recommended, ask your surgeon what s/he believes about removing both breasts instead of one. In hindsight, the bilateral mastectomy was one of the best decisions I made. Though I knew there was a chance that a healthy breast would be removed (which is what ended up happening), I just didn't think I could stand having diagnostic mammograms for the rest of my life...wondering if a negative result was correct. My second tumor never showed up in mammograms, and now that I've almost finished my chemo (2 weeks left in this cycle), I would be mortified if I had to go through all of this again for the second breast...I still don't know if my period will resume, but I can't imagine that I'd be able to keep my fertiity in tact if I had to do chemo again.
    I hope you are able to be at peace with whatever you decide...and that you and your husband have a reliable support system. Best wishes.
  • chemoqueen1
    chemoqueen1 Member Posts: 50
    #15
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    Looks like you have caught this very early. That is very good. I would recommend going over the pathology of the tumor carefully with your oncologist. There are factors in a tumor that would play a big role in treatment, like if the tumor is ER/PR positive or Her2 positve. Ask alot of questions about the pathology report. It really is important information.
  • jake10
    jake10 Member Posts: 202
    #16
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    The comments and info from everyone was great, but...... For a newly diagnosed some of the terms and abbreviations are lke another language.
    1. ER/PR- is your tumor estrogen and/or progesteren receptive?
    2. Her2+ - This is a tumor that is more quickly spread and grows as quick. Treatment is different for the number following the Her2. The higher the number the more aggressive the treatment.
    3. Surgery - Lumpectomy: They remove the tumor. This is ussually completed on biopsey now. The pathology and the tumors borders will determine if a mastectomy is neccessary. Mastectomy: There are different degrees of Mastectomy. Agian the pathology and the Her2 help to determine what degree is necessary.
    4 Chemo and Radiation: The need for either or both is determined by the pathology and if your lymphnodes are positive or negative.
    5 Lymphnodes: They shorten this to Lymph. Prior to a mastectomy or a lumpectomy they do a procedure called sentinal lymph node flagging. They inject a dye that will flow to the lymph and the surgeon will be able to see which lymphnode is the first node. This elliminates the need to take excessive number of nodes for pathology. They can be sure they get the right ones to test.
    My story is similiar to yours. I had a 0.6cm tumor show up on screening mammogram. The biopsey (lumpectomy) showed cancer and the borders were not clear so further surgery was required. I opted for a mastectomy with reconstruction at the time of the mastectomy. I met with an Oncologist, plastic surgeon, radiation oncologist and a surgeon. The one thing I wish I had done before surgery is to see pictures of the reconstruction option I chose. It was a lot bigger procedure than I had anticipated. I had an abdominal Tram Flap.
    Remember no question is stupid and that the physicians are being paid not only to do the treatments but also to give you the information you need to get to the right decision for you. I recommend a second opinion on the Plastic Surgery. Interview the Doctors like you would anyone you were hiring to do a job for you. Bring a list to your appiontments and take notes during them. Discuss your concerns with your clothes on! If they start talking to you and you are exposed or undressed and uncomfortable, ask them to let you dress and then discuss thier findings and recommendations. It kind of is mind game and puts you on more equal ground with the physician. I know my plastic surgeon seemed to be very comfortable talking to me with my breast exposed, I however was not as comfortable. Good Luck! God Bless! (Please forgive any spelling errors, especially with the technical terms) It is hard to think about the fantastic survival rates for breast cancer when you have just been diagnosed, but try to stay positive, talk to your husband, mother, sister, preacher ....cry a little, worry a bit and try to remember you are a suvivor!!!!! Beth

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