Diagnosed this afternoon with DCIS

texaslonghorn31

Hello everyone. I am new here and as of this morning never had a need to come to a site like this. Things sure can change in a heartbeat though as I am sure all of you know. My biopsy from last week came back and I was diagnosed with DCIS. The doctor called me this afternoon to tell me. There is no history of any cancer at all in my family but I guess like normal I have to be the first! So far I am not totally freaking though hearing the words "you have cancer" today threw me off the deep end for a bit. No one I know has ever had this. But I am glad I found this site so I don't feel so alone. My family and friends are very supportive but don't understand.

I go to meet with a surgeon tomorrow to discuss next steps. Any advice on what I should ask? I am going by myself and scared.

 Thank you.

Hummingb1rd

Hi Texaslonghorn31. Guess you live in Texas? Hi I am fairly new here too & wanted to give you a great big welcome. This is a wonderful place to get support, ideas & direction. There are some ladies on here that have been here a long time who are dedicated to the ladies who have come after them. How great huh?

I was in your shoes just this last Feb. & wish I had found this site sooner. It really would have helped me as I don't have too much emotional understanding or support around me. Here is the good news....you have the best type of breast cancer there is! I know it is overwhelming right now but just take one little step at a time.

1. I would ask your Dr for a copy of all your tests and start a file where you can keep everything. I got one of those big, zippered, ring binders that also had a section for files. You'll want copies of all your tests from now on.

2.Ask if they have any brochures or printed material. Ask where you can get some info if they don't.

3. Your biopsy report should tell you if you are estrogen & progesterone positive or negative, (sometimes %), whether you are Her2 positive or negative. Ask him/her to explain it to you. 

4. Ask your Dr. if there were clean borders around the biopsy. That just means there was healthy skin around the cancer & what was the measurement in millimeters was.

5. You'll want to confirm that it is not invasive which Ductal Carcinoma in situ means, that it is confined to the ducts & hasn't spread. That is fabulous news DCIS because it hasn't spread! 

6. Ask what type and grade it is, what stage it is at and is it aggressive, what size is it?

7. Ask what type of treatment he/she is suggesting & why.  

I hope I'm not forgetting anything....I'm sure they'll be someone else who will chime in. I don't want you to be too overwhelmed, so I think the above questions will get you started. You can ask the Dr. if there any info that he/she thinks would be valuable to know & what your next step will be.

I want to encourage you based on my situation and that of my aunts. My aunt chose to have radiation & Tamoxifen, (hormone treatment medication). She just finished her radiation and did very well. She said she got a little tired at the end, but that was all. She worked a very demanding job the whole time. I had bilateral mastectomies, one was nipple/skin sparring and the other just skin sparring. The surgery wasn't too bad, pain meds worked great and the pain after a week not bad at all. This whole process has not been as hard as I thought. I'm at the Tissue Expander stage before implants. I know all our situations are different, but for me it really has been way better than I anticipated.  I even wore a bikini two weeks after surgery. 

Take a deep breath and know we all will be there with you in spirit. Hope soe of the info helps Big hugs.