Newcomer to the board, nearly finished with treatment.

wobyon

Hello, friends.  I have lurked on these boards for the last eight months, and finally decided to register and post.  I was diagnosed last november with DCIS in my right breast, multi-focal, grade III with necrosis, 13x9 cm area of involvement.  It was also discovered that I am BRCA2 positive.  I had a bilateral skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate DIEP/SIEA flap reconstruction on January 4th of this year.  Due to poor margins, I had to go back on January 19th for re-excision where they took more skin that was too close to the cancer.  Last week, I had my revision surgery and nipple reconstruction and am still recuperating.  No chemo.  No rads.  No tamoxifen.  Thank god for that. 

 While the last eight months have been no picnic, I can say that I am pleased with my surgeons, and pleased with the outcome of my reconstruction.  I would be glad to provide support and information to anyone considering or preparing for tissue transplant surgery.  

Here's what I need help with, if anyone has any insight...how do you deal with the fear of recurrence?  Does it just take time and several clean checkups?  Being BRCA2 positive, I have watched most of the women in my family eventually succumb to this disease, even though all of their oncologists all-but-promised they would survive at the time of their initial diagnoses.  I want to believe it's gone, and gone forever, but I just can't shake the idea that there are still rogue cells left, waiting to mutate and invade.  I would love to hear from some other survivors out there, because I realized I don't know any survivors.  Thanks.