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Klawless9

Hello everyone



I've just been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. My story goes as follows.



I'm 34 and my mom had breast cancer. She was 46 when she had her booby removed, she's 70 now!

On august 18, I had my first mammo and ultrasound ever! 2 weeks before my appt I felt the lump but thought it was due to my period coming. After the mammo and ultra they did a needle biopsy. Two days later I got two results...literally...at 2:02 I was told it was benign and at 2:52 they called back saying it was malignant.

I met with a breast surgeon who double checked that labs results and he got a confirmation from his lab folks that it is cancer. I was scheduled to get a lumpectomy this monday but due to the lump being so close to the nipple, I have to get a mastectomy instead.

So as of now I have to set up dates for ct scan of chest,abdomen and pelvis and a bone scan (slightly nervous about these tests...I've never had any health issues to warrant testing ever! And of course now I'm feeling all sorts of aches and praying it doesn't mean its spread) to see if its spread and then we'll schedule the mastectomy.

This whole thing has been a crazy whirlwind!!!



And naturally, 3 months before all of this came about...I met a guy that I like and whom I have not shared this with yet.

So here I am...I need to get these last path results because I don't know type, size etc... Or do I find that out once the tumor and breast are removed???



Kendall

Morgan513

Your doctor should meet with you to go over your pathology report and you should get a copy.  Also consider a second opinion.  It can't hurt!

Good luck!

Lorrie 

BlessedOne2

Kendall,  I'm glad to see you hear but all of us no one ever wants to be hear.  I pray that God will give you the peace you need for this journey.   Although I am a bit older, I was diagnosed with IDC in April.    After your biopsy, you should get a copy of that pathology report.  It shouldl give you  "preliminary" results for the type,  tumor size and grade (I, II, or III)(This is not the same as the stage).  It is only after you have surgery and that pathology is evaluated that you get a "final" report that will include the stage (0, I, IIA, IIB, IIA, IIIB, IV).  The report after surgery is considered final because the tests have been completed to determine is the dis-ease has spread and the doctor should have removed the tumor and enough surrounding tissue to get clear margins, etc.         My apology if I have given you too much information.  

Wanda  

Klawless9

Thank you!

my friends on another forum are suggesting that i get a second opinion. it seems everyone is feeling a certain kid of way about the need for a mastectomy due to the lump being close to the nipple. the doc said that a lumpectomy would leave me looking distorted and that he would tell the same thing to a woman with bigger boobs (i'm barely an A cup). this is all sooooo confusing! 

thanks for that info Wanda....keep it coming....info is never too much!

Kendall 

Dolores81035

Good Luck Kendall. It is very important to get a second opinion or even a third and then make the decision yourself. If you make the decision yourself you can live with it. If  the doctor makes the decision then you will regret it.

malaika

Hi Kendall,

I agree with everyone who recommended a second opinion. My lump was in the areola area and just under the nipple. I found a really good surgeon who specializes in breast surgeries. I am young too, and haven't had children. I want to breast feed maybe. I want the option. That was my motivation, and although I have an alternate, I decided to push for preservation for a myriad of reasons.

Take the time to figure out what you want to do and move forward. YOU are your own best advocate.

Good luck 

malaika

Hi Kendall,

I agree with everyone who recommended a second opinion. My lump was in the areola area and just under the nipple. I found a really good surgeon who specializes in breast surgeries. I am young too, and haven't had children. I want to breast feed maybe. I want the option. That was my motivation, and although I have an alternate, I decided to push for preservation for a myriad of reasons.

Take the time to figure out what you want to do and move forward. YOU are your own best advocate.

Good luck 

Lcharmie

Hello Kendall,

Everything sounds and feels so over-whelming right now,  your feelings are appropriate--that is OK.  Take your time, ask questions and read any and everything you can for information that concerns you.  Take your thoughts to the Dr.   Like the ladies say--"you make your own decision" after you both have discussed this matter.

Keep us posted.  We are here for support.

Take Care of You.

Linda C.

Sable43

Kendall,

First of all so sorry to be meeting "this" way but the support on this site is wonderful. I'm also relatively new to this site. I was diagnosed on my 20th wedding anniversary on Aug. 11, 2009. Stage 2 IDC. What was thought to be a 1 cm tumor turned into two with the larger being slightly less than 5 cm. Initially a lumpectomy was planned with radiation to follow but because I wanted to preserve my breast tissue and the tumor being larger than what was shown on the first ultrasound ( I had a needle biopsy/MRI), I am currently having chemotherapy tx's. A PET scan made my decision for me, after showing a questionable invasion of a lymph node. I'm going to share a little of my journey with you.

I've had a mediport placed prior to my second round of chemo and I still have 4 more treatments to go before the "planned" lumpectomy and then radiation. I lost my hair after only 2 weeks and the neuropathy along with joint pain has been harsh, but I thank God everyday. I'm still here. The cancer could've been dismissed. It was a radiologist who suggested I get a second opinion and for that I'm truly grateful. It was last year's mammogram that was looked upon as benign. I would hate to think what could've happened if I had never relied upon the suggestion of the radiologist a few months ago. He even mentioned that he didn't feel comfortable not suggesting that I see a specialist and was surprised that his colleague didn't do so last year. His colleague was a woman. I never imagined a woman wouldn't tell another woman to get a second opinion, but I remember her reasoning was how the suspicious lesions were picked up digitally in one view and weren't in another. When she left the room, the sonographer said "You do have two small cysts but as the doc mentioned, there's nothing to worry about. She said they were benign." I blame myself for not following through but the radiologist had transcribed on my report "...benign. Suggest routine yearly mammogram."

As mentioned by a few posts ago, you are your own best advocate. My breast specialist created a notebook for me; brochures regarding my diagnosis and treatment plan, all of my previous mammograms and ultrasounds, doctor's numbers, and a list of support groups that included this one.

My prayers are with you. Stay strong and remain positive.

God bless!

Ondagrow

I am 37 years old and no one in my family has a history of cancer...  I went for a routine GYN examination and my GYN found a lump May 24^th...  June 2^nd I had breast ultra sound and mammogram... 

It ended up being two clusters of micro calcification in my left breast...  My stereotypic biopsy result that I received Monday stated that one cluster was pre- cancerous and the second cluster is stage two cancer...  I am scheduled for a lumpectomy tomorrow Wednesday June 30, 2010.  I went through two days of shock...  Look, this is too much to deal with uuuggghhh... radiation, chemo uuuggghhh...  Is this real...I am lost...am I on this site, because I have cancer...This is...I am teary eyed, this a lot to take in...  I have no family and I am wondering how I am going to get through this, I am lost...

  

                                                          

Klawless9

Hi sohard

I haven't been on the site for quite awhile but when i saw this i had to respond because folks did it for me....First things first, you're gonna get through this. I believe it was August 22, 2009 when i was diagnosed with IDC after having my 1st mammo on Aug 18. I was 34, now i'm 35. Its June 30th and since that shitty day i have had both breasts removed, reconstructed, and completed 5 1/2 weeks of radiation and been on Tamoxifen for 5 months. 

Let me tell you, I feel like it was yesterday that i went to my dad's grave and screamed and yelled and cursed and just had a fit after getting "the call"....and now its done...and i'm moving on.

There is just something that happens within us that puts us in a place of "ok, i gotta do what i gotta do to get this shit done and over with". I never had any health problems, never stayed in a hospital, NOTHING. Scared shitless of needles, just a big old baby! And the courage and strength that came upon me (from God I know), still has my friends and family talking and me saying "Go girl!".

My advice to you: 1-breathe, 2-don't rush into things, think on them and really listen out for your gut feelings (Oprah once said that she feels that "gut feeling" or the "something told me", is God speaking to us), 3-don't focus on other folks' experiences (at first i was and then my doctor told me "stay off the damn computer", i did and my experience was totally different then what i had read and was assuming would happen to me), we are all different.

I hope everything went well with your lumpectomy today and please feel free to send me a private message if you wanna chat.

Kendall 

Anonymous

Hi Sohard, thinking about you today.  Kendall gave you excellent advice.  I only say to take any posts about bad experiences very lightly because they are not your story they are the poster's.  Each journey is different, maybe slight, maybe vast, but different.  You can get lots of excellent information on these threads; many have been helped because they received informatin on navigating this journey that they could not get anywhere else.

HUGS.   If you are up to it, please let us know how you are doing.

4LuvofZ

Sohard, I'm usually on the other threads but went browsing today, saw your post and just knew I had to respond because we seem to have a bit in common (other than the obvious BC!)  

I'm 42, no family history of cancer of any kind. I had a routine mammogram in April, had two areas of calcification in the left breast; biopsy on May 14 that showed IDC and DCIS. I opted to have a unilateral NSM (niplle sparing mastectomy) with immediate reconstruction; surgery was June 29. I feel blessed in that my lymph node biopsy and final pathology reports came back clean and now I'm just focused on recovery.

You've already been given great advice by Patoo and others above, and I second it all. I just wanted you to know you're not alone. There's a TON of information on this site and a huge family of women with a vast array of experiences and information who are happy to share. I'm happy to share any of my experience - although we are all learning as we go.  Feel free to PM me if you prefer. Keep in mind that every decision and situation is truly an individual one.

Life can still be wonderful. Stay positive!