New here and Intro

cinnamonsmile said:

i found my lump oct. 20th or
i found my lump oct. 20th or so. had the test with the bigger needle, came back precancerous but the lump was too DCIS, early stage. however, they couldnt find the clean margins and seems to be widespread in the ducts. given that and how hard it was to recover from the lumpectomy, i chose to do a mastectomy. an mri only proved what the dr. had already known, but also showed a one inch lump in the other breast, so i chose i double mastectomy for several reasons. i dont want to go in for one or more lumpectomies looking for clean margins in either breast, my DCIS seems to be widespread and with the amount of precancer and cancer present, i just feel safer. for some reason i think my breasts like to be host for that type of cancer. this way, i have very few breast cells left after the mastectomy for cancer to grow again. everyone is different in the journey through breast cancer.

pbrndm5 said:

Hello V
Welcome V-I know this is probably not the discussion board you wanted to be on this time of year. Just know that you can talk about anything here. We are all here to listen and offer encourgement.

I was diagnosed with breastcancer in November and have my lumpectomy scheduled for Jan.4 and I'm scared. Not so much of the surgery itself, but how it's changed my life forever. I can't understand how you feel being only 25, because I am old enough to be your mother and it would devastate me if it was my daughter in your shoes.

I know it's hard, but I truly beleive that having a positive attitude helps. That being said, don't be afraid to show your emotions..beleive me I've been through them all--why me?, anger, frustration, fear and everything else in between.

This discussion board is wonderful place to vent and know that we are all here for you. Hugs and I'll be thinking of you....

Denise

Heatherbelle said:

Hi V,
I'm so sorry you have
Hi V,
I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I understand the difficulties that go along with going through breast cancer treatment while having young kids - i have 2 daughters, 9 yrs old and 2 yrs old. I was 34 at the time of my diagnosis. My mom was diagnosed with BC 2 months after I was -other than us 2, we have no other family history. I'm glad that you have your Aunt who has gone through it to support you. I also found my lump myself. I had stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma in my right breast. I had the sentinal node biopsy done at the time of my bilateral mastectomy. I decided to have both removed (with immediate reconstruction started, with tissue expanders placed) because my cancer was pretty aggressive & rapid growing, and to do whatever i could possibly do to help insure that I don't have to go through this again. I'd rather look back and think that I did 'too much' to fight this beast, than with regret and think that I didn't do enough.
I would suggest to maybe have a consultation with a plastic surgeon before you decide on your surgery, if you're unsure. I did and am so glad. He told me what kind of plastic procedure I would have if I had a just a single mastectomy (i would have had to have a breast reduction and lift in my remaining breast), or double. I also met with my oncologist before making my surgical decision - he went over the different treatment plans that I would have whether I went with lumpectomy or mastectomy. Speaking with both doctors before hand really made it easier for me to make my decision -once i had all the options and treatment plans laid out in front of me.
I had 6 chemo treatments over this summer/fall (i was diagnosed in June, mastectomy in July, started chemo in August) - every 2 weeks. Finished in October. I had my exchange surgery to replace my tissue expanders with my silicone implants in November. I'm getting my strength and energy back, feeling better every day, have a head full of soft fluffy hair (albeit very SHORT fluffy hair!), eyelashes and eyebrows back in & thicker than before, and my scars fade a little bit more each day. Everything happened SO fast from the day I was diagnosed, but I wanted to let you know that you can & will get through this, and we'll all be here for you to help you along the way. Please feel free to send me a private message if you'd like, I'd be happy to talk with you I'm also on facebook, if you are (it seems like EVERYbody is!) - my name is Heather Kaylor Grontkowski. Like I said, I know how hard it is going thru everything with young kids, and every little bit of support that you can get really helps. I'd also recommend the book "The Breast Cancer Husband" for your husband to read. We got a copy at the cancer center that I went to & my husband found alot of great information & piece of mind from reading it (and he never reads - ever!).
Best of luck to you V!
*hugs*
Heather

Boppy_of_6 said:

Welcome V
So sorry for your need to be here but you will find so much support and caring here. There are so many wonderful people on this site that will have good advice and answers to your questions. God Bless
(((Hugs))) Janice

MyTurnNow said:

V, I wanted to welcome you
V, I wanted to welcome you to this site. You are my daughter's age and BC is something I never want her to have to deal with. But, you never know if it's your turn. It does sound like you have a support system that will help you as you journey through your treatments. I was dx in June 2009 with invasive ductal carcinoma. I had a lumpectomy, at the recommendation of my surgeon, then 4 rounds of chemo and 33 radiation treatments. I completed these treatments Christmas Eve 2009. A week or so before my first post-treatment mammo, I found another lump in the same breast but in a different location. I then went through the mammo, ultrasound, MRI and needle biopsy only to be told that the cancer was back. In August 2010 I opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. The reconstruction was a bit more involved due to the radiation on the left breast. The surgery was August 2010. I had the expanders exchanged for implants in November. I have recovered nicely and am now living my "new" normal.

This site with all the wonderful members helped me tremendously. There are many caring, knowledgeable, supportive and loving sisters here. No question is off limits. So, while I am sad that someone so young has to be here, I'm glad you found us. As you get more information regarding your particular type, please feel free to ask questions. I guarantee that someone will be able to share their experience.

ladyg said:

Welcome
I am sorry you had to find us but so glad you did. This is a great place to get answers to questions, support and just vent when you need to (there will be those days). I got a lot of help here from all of the wonderful pink sisters.

Hugs,
Georgia

TraciInLA said:

Welcome, V
I want to welcome you, and encourage you to bring any and all your questions here -- I've been a member here for a year and a half, and, IMO, these women and men are the best support you will find.

Both my paternal aunts are breast cancer survivors -- and, while not as young as you, I was also on the young side (40) when diagnosed last year. I had bilateral lumpectomies, 4 rounds of chemo, and 7 weeks of radiation, and have been on Tamoxifen for a year. Next week, in fact, is my 1-year anniversary of completing active treatment, and I'm doing very well -- you will get through this, too!

Have your doctors also told you your ER (estrogen receptor), PR (progestin receptor) and HER2 status? That's very important to know when making decisions about treatment. For example, I was ER positive/PR positive/HER2 negative, which is the most common diagnosis -- other results may require some special forms of treatment.

Let us know how we can help you, anytime.

Traci