Hi, newbie here..
Comments
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Hi
So sorry that you are here because of bc. I don't know factually, but, I think it is pretty common that a lot of times the plastic surgeon has to go back and do a re incision to take more tissue to make sure that you have clean margins. Several on here have posted about it. I had a lumpectomy and am very happy that I could. I had radiation treatments afterwords that I finished this fall. Noone can answer if you made the right decision except you. I did for me is all that I know. I wish you good luck and pray that your next surgery will show clean margins.
♠♣ Christmas Susie ♠♣0 -
Thank you for your postsusie09 said:Hi
So sorry that you are here because of bc. I don't know factually, but, I think it is pretty common that a lot of times the plastic surgeon has to go back and do a re incision to take more tissue to make sure that you have clean margins. Several on here have posted about it. I had a lumpectomy and am very happy that I could. I had radiation treatments afterwords that I finished this fall. Noone can answer if you made the right decision except you. I did for me is all that I know. I wish you good luck and pray that your next surgery will show clean margins.
♠♣ Christmas Susie ♠♣
Thank you for your post Susie. I personally have had a lot of criticism on my decision so I think that's why I'm second guessing, and of course the fact that I now have to go in for more surgery. But I have great faith in the Lord and He has lead me to this decision and I also have faith in my surgeon that she won't steer me wrong. Thank you for your good wishes. I send good wishes and blessings to you as well.0 -
Hi Misann ☻misann said:Thank you for your post
Thank you for your post Susie. I personally have had a lot of criticism on my decision so I think that's why I'm second guessing, and of course the fact that I now have to go in for more surgery. But I have great faith in the Lord and He has lead me to this decision and I also have faith in my surgeon that she won't steer me wrong. Thank you for your good wishes. I send good wishes and blessings to you as well.
I want to welcome you to the site that noone wants to belong to, but, are glad that it exists. A reincision of the original tumor site is pretty common, so, don't feel like you are alone in that. Anyone that would criticize your decision is a fool and ignorant. It is your body, your treatment, your life, your decision! Always remember that. YOU have to live with whatever you decide, not anyone else. You take care and God bless you!
Kristin ♥0 -
Thank you Kristin! I don'tKristin N said:Hi Misann ☻
I want to welcome you to the site that noone wants to belong to, but, are glad that it exists. A reincision of the original tumor site is pretty common, so, don't feel like you are alone in that. Anyone that would criticize your decision is a fool and ignorant. It is your body, your treatment, your life, your decision! Always remember that. YOU have to live with whatever you decide, not anyone else. You take care and God bless you!
Kristin ♥
Thank you Kristin! I don't want to belong to this site but am so thankful for it! It has helped me for days and days before I had the courage to join. Love and best wishes to all of you wonderful women out there fighting this disease. We will win!!0 -
DCISmisann said:Thank you Kristin! I don't
Thank you Kristin! I don't want to belong to this site but am so thankful for it! It has helped me for days and days before I had the courage to join. Love and best wishes to all of you wonderful women out there fighting this disease. We will win!!
Hi Misann. Somebody told me, there are good things and there are bad things about DCIS. The good thing is, the cancer is confined to the duct, not invasive, and therefore, you don't need sentinal lymph node testing or chemo. The bad thing is, the ducts in your breast wander all over the place, so the cancer cells could have followed a duct, stopping and starting at various points, making it possible for a lumpectomy to miss some.
My surgeon took a HUGE cavity to be sure to get all my DCIS because I have big breasts. I have no doubt that she got all of it, as verified by post surgery mammograms.
For your surgeon to go back in and get the rest is a real pain, but not too hard to do (from the surgeon's point of view)if the remaining DCIS is just in one spot. Let's hope and pray that is your situation, because you deserve to get through this quickly and easily, right?! We all do!
Good luck. I'll be looking for any further posts from you.
Connie
p.s. - I had DCIS in June and had lumpectomy and 5 day radiation, and I'm DONE! Hope your path is as easy as mine was.0 -
Welcome Misann,crselby said:DCIS
Hi Misann. Somebody told me, there are good things and there are bad things about DCIS. The good thing is, the cancer is confined to the duct, not invasive, and therefore, you don't need sentinal lymph node testing or chemo. The bad thing is, the ducts in your breast wander all over the place, so the cancer cells could have followed a duct, stopping and starting at various points, making it possible for a lumpectomy to miss some.
My surgeon took a HUGE cavity to be sure to get all my DCIS because I have big breasts. I have no doubt that she got all of it, as verified by post surgery mammograms.
For your surgeon to go back in and get the rest is a real pain, but not too hard to do (from the surgeon's point of view)if the remaining DCIS is just in one spot. Let's hope and pray that is your situation, because you deserve to get through this quickly and easily, right?! We all do!
Good luck. I'll be looking for any further posts from you.
Connie
p.s. - I had DCIS in June and had lumpectomy and 5 day radiation, and I'm DONE! Hope your path is as easy as mine was.
I had 2
Welcome Misann,
I had 2 lumpectomys before my bilateral mastectomy and in hind sight yeah I should have done the mastectomy from the get go but I feel like I made the best educated decision that I could and no one gets to be judgemental and critical of your choice you have to do what is best for you and though its nice to have input ultimately the decision is yours good luck to you and in my thoughts and prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kim0 -
Hellokimber10 said:Welcome Misann,
I had 2
Welcome Misann,
I had 2 lumpectomys before my bilateral mastectomy and in hind sight yeah I should have done the mastectomy from the get go but I feel like I made the best educated decision that I could and no one gets to be judgemental and critical of your choice you have to do what is best for you and though its nice to have input ultimately the decision is yours good luck to you and in my thoughts and prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kim
Hi Misann! I had a lumpectomy followed by rads. I was so happy that I could do that as I don't think I could have handled a mastectomy very well. DCIS is ( if you have to have breast cancer ) the best kind to have, from what my oncologist said. So, I am sure that you will be fine. If the surgeon has to go back in to get a clean margin, he will probably just use the same incision and you will heal just fine. You want clean margins. I don't know what other treatment you might have, maybe none. I know that sometimes with DCIS, you have the lumpectomy and that is it. I pray that is all that you have to have. Please post as much as you want here. We will help you thru all of this!
KYLEZ ♥0 -
Misann, I've done tons of
Misann, I've done tons of research on this topic and spoke with several surgeons before choosing a lumpectomy + radiation for myself. I also needed chemo because mine is invasive. Here's the scoop: 10+ years ago the standard of treatment for DCIS was mastectomy. That is not the case now. The recurrence rates are exactly the same if you have lumpectomy + radiation or mastectomy. What a lot of your friends may not realize is that the cancer can return even if you have a mastectomy...it's just harder to detect because it comes back in the scar tissue. In other words, you cannot make a wrong decision. They are both correct and will give you the same results. Obviously, if you have the lump + radiation, and it comes back, that can lead a person to wish they had just done the mastectomy...but we forget it comes back that way too, at the same rate. Therefore, make a rational decision...not one based on fear. It only depends on what you feel more comfortable with doing. This decision needs to be made by you with your surgeon. Talk to him/her about your concerns and find out the scientific reasoning behind his recommendations. Good luck! Pitt0 -
Welcomepitt said:Misann, I've done tons of
Misann, I've done tons of research on this topic and spoke with several surgeons before choosing a lumpectomy + radiation for myself. I also needed chemo because mine is invasive. Here's the scoop: 10+ years ago the standard of treatment for DCIS was mastectomy. That is not the case now. The recurrence rates are exactly the same if you have lumpectomy + radiation or mastectomy. What a lot of your friends may not realize is that the cancer can return even if you have a mastectomy...it's just harder to detect because it comes back in the scar tissue. In other words, you cannot make a wrong decision. They are both correct and will give you the same results. Obviously, if you have the lump + radiation, and it comes back, that can lead a person to wish they had just done the mastectomy...but we forget it comes back that way too, at the same rate. Therefore, make a rational decision...not one based on fear. It only depends on what you feel more comfortable with doing. This decision needs to be made by you with your surgeon. Talk to him/her about your concerns and find out the scientific reasoning behind his recommendations. Good luck! Pitt
Welcome to the sight noone should have to need. I am sure you will find great support here. Pitt is right, the decision was yours and they are not understanding the stats are the same. Was your sentinal node clear? It is definately a bummer having to go back into surgery. But how awesome that they have come this far. Not so long ago the mastectomy was the standard treatment because they could not test the margins as well. Ask tons of questions. Come back here with what you are told...reask the questions. Someone here will know the answers or direct you to them. I wish you well on this journey. I will be praying for quick answers and a clear treatment plan.
becky0 -
Welcome, misann. I, too,
Welcome, misann. I, too, had a lumpectomy and it was not an easy decision to make; however, it was the decision I made. As I'm sure you've seen with many other decision in your lifetime, you can't please everybody. But, you know what, the only one that needs to be pleased with this decision, is YOU. It's your body. I think it's somewhat common for second surgeries to obtain clear margins. Do what you feel is the right thing to do. You will probably have radiation after you heal but that too is very doable. Keep us posted on your progress and now that you've taken the plunge and posted, continue to post. Good luck to you. We'll be there with you every step of the way!0 -
Hi Misann, I too had to have
Hi Misann, I too had to have a second surgery to get clear margins. The second one was an easier recovery because I had a local instead of a general anesthesia. I have (had) both DCIS and IDC and my surgeon said the survival rate is the same with lumpectomy and mastectomy so I'm went with the lumpectomy with chemo, radiation, herceptin, then tamoxifen. I'm in the radiation part now. Try not to worry about "next" and concentrate on "now". You can make yourself crazy with woulda, coulda, shoulda. I'm just very thankful the margins are tested now because the cancer would have come back if that wasn't done.
I wish you a speedy recovery on this rough road we're traveling.
Sher0 -
hiSher43009 said:Hi Misann, I too had to have
Hi Misann, I too had to have a second surgery to get clear margins. The second one was an easier recovery because I had a local instead of a general anesthesia. I have (had) both DCIS and IDC and my surgeon said the survival rate is the same with lumpectomy and mastectomy so I'm went with the lumpectomy with chemo, radiation, herceptin, then tamoxifen. I'm in the radiation part now. Try not to worry about "next" and concentrate on "now". You can make yourself crazy with woulda, coulda, shoulda. I'm just very thankful the margins are tested now because the cancer would have come back if that wasn't done.
I wish you a speedy recovery on this rough road we're traveling.
Sher
hi i just wanted to wish you luck and i to had a lumpectomy my surgeon also told me the survivol rate is the same..good luck to you hang in there.teresa0 -
Welcome
Hi Misann - Sorry you had to find us this way, but am sure glad you did! I too had a lumpectomy - none found in the lymph nodes. I don't know why there was no decision to be made by me, my surgeon told me a lumpectomy would be the best followed by chemo and rads. Ask your doctor for the Oncotype DX test, which is where they take part of the tumor and send it for tests to find out what the rates of reoccurance are. Mine was pretty high, so that's why 6 chemos and 36 rads. Its been a little over a year for me, but my first mammo showed something in the other breast which turned out to be nothing but a hematoma. Gotta watch those doorknobs!!! I offer my best wishes to you and please listen to these glorious ladies on this site, we've all been there and honestly know what you are going through!
cyber hugs - pat0 -
misann... I had to go back
misann... I had to go back too.. just to make sure they got clean margins... that is a very important step that we want to make sure they do... don't worry about mistakes in your postings.... there aren't any... spelling here doens't count... no wrong question...
I am really sorry for the reason you are here, but glad you found us... you will find a wealth of information, support, friendship... a true bond between the members here... they are all wonderful...
As far as what next... take a deep breath, try to relax... and ask as many questions as you need to... we are all here to support one another.
Gentle hugs to you.
~T0 -
Welcome, Misann, but sorrytaleena said:misann... I had to go back
misann... I had to go back too.. just to make sure they got clean margins... that is a very important step that we want to make sure they do... don't worry about mistakes in your postings.... there aren't any... spelling here doens't count... no wrong question...
I am really sorry for the reason you are here, but glad you found us... you will find a wealth of information, support, friendship... a true bond between the members here... they are all wonderful...
As far as what next... take a deep breath, try to relax... and ask as many questions as you need to... we are all here to support one another.
Gentle hugs to you.
~T
Welcome, Misann, but sorry you have to be here. You are already receiving good advice and experience from all the posts here already. No one should judge you for your decisions. I haven't had surgery yet but if I have the choice I would go with lumpectomy + rads but my surgeon thinks I will need a masectomy. I'm going Friday and she's going to have to convince me that its the best choice for me. Listen to your heart, and always go with it after looking at all the options. Looks like your situation is pretty common so don't spend any more time worrying that you made the wrong choice. We're here for you. Please keep us posted and let us know how you're doing.0 -
Hi SunraeSunrae said:Welcome, Misann, but sorry
Welcome, Misann, but sorry you have to be here. You are already receiving good advice and experience from all the posts here already. No one should judge you for your decisions. I haven't had surgery yet but if I have the choice I would go with lumpectomy + rads but my surgeon thinks I will need a masectomy. I'm going Friday and she's going to have to convince me that its the best choice for me. Listen to your heart, and always go with it after looking at all the options. Looks like your situation is pretty common so don't spend any more time worrying that you made the wrong choice. We're here for you. Please keep us posted and let us know how you're doing.
I am sending good luck to you for your appointment on Friday. Please let us know what you find out!
♠♣ Christmas Susie ♠♣0 -
Hey Misann
Misann, I think this happens a lot with the plastic surgeon not getting clean margins. So, please try to not worry about it. I was lucky that I got them the first time with my lumpectomy. A lumpectomy was the right choice for me. Your choice is just that, your choice. Good luck to you!
HUGS0 -
I want to welcome you misannmisann said:Thank you for your post
Thank you for your post Susie. I personally have had a lot of criticism on my decision so I think that's why I'm second guessing, and of course the fact that I now have to go in for more surgery. But I have great faith in the Lord and He has lead me to this decision and I also have faith in my surgeon that she won't steer me wrong. Thank you for your good wishes. I send good wishes and blessings to you as well.
I want to welcome you misann to our great site. If you have faith in God, your surgeon and yourself, don't worry about others. Sending you lots of prayers and positive thoughts.
Angie0 -
I am sorry that you are heremisann said:Thank you Kristin! I don't
Thank you Kristin! I don't want to belong to this site but am so thankful for it! It has helped me for days and days before I had the courage to join. Love and best wishes to all of you wonderful women out there fighting this disease. We will win!!
I am sorry that you are here too misann because of bc. However, as you can see, everyone is so helpful and so supportive. Glad you finally found the courage and posted. I wish you all the best.
Debby0 -
Hi Misann and welcome to thesurvivorbc09 said:Hey Misann
Misann, I think this happens a lot with the plastic surgeon not getting clean margins. So, please try to not worry about it. I was lucky that I got them the first time with my lumpectomy. A lumpectomy was the right choice for me. Your choice is just that, your choice. Good luck to you!
HUGS
Hi Misann and welcome to the site. Glad you posted. I had a lumpectomy back in June and I was told then, that if they did not get clean margins that there would be another surgery. I did not have this, but I think it is common. If you trust your medical team, then listen to them.
Again welcome0
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