Just Diagnosed and really scared

lala4life

Hello,  I am new here and was hoping for some insight, support and direction. I am 30, married with 2 kids ages 4 and 1.  Never expected this news and I am scared and can do nothing but cry for the last two days.  I wanna be strong for myself and my family, but I guess the intial shock is overwhelming. According to the biopsy reports I have DCIS in my right breast and suspicious possible DCIS in my left breast.  From what I have been reading this is not an invasive cancer but can turn into one.  I see many people getting surgery and treatments and being cured, and some not.    In my left breast, I have had a fibroadenoma since like 1999.  I was simply going to get a mammo and ultrasound because i felt like it was getting bigger and wanted to have it removed because it was bothering me now and had an appointment with a breast specialist to have it removed.  All these years i was told it was non-cancerous.  Never biopsied though. 

Well 07/13/11, I left the diagnostics office crying because the radiologist was concerned more with my right breast that showed a linear area of micro-calcifications that could be cancer.  The next day I went for a biopsy and got the results yesterday from my primary.  I was diagnosed with DCIS according to the biopsy report.  I have not actually seen the specialist yet,  I have an appointment this friday.

My results were; In my right breast I have 2 areas indicating DCIS.  One is 0.7 cm, nuclear grade 3 comedo and ER & PR positive according to the biopsy report.  The second is 1.6 cm, grade 3 solid and comedo, ER positive.  Research that I have done shows that is the highest grade and most agressive, which scares me.  Also hormone activated. And higher chance for recurrence. In my left breast, the report says suspicious for malignancy due to abundant necrotic debis and clusters of atypical ductal cells. Highly suspicious for DCIS involving infarcted fibroadenoma.  They are recommending excision of lesion for further evaluation.  I guess they could not come up with a conclusion because it states evaluation of specimen limited by necrosis and hemorrage. 

So where do I go from here? I know that I should consider everything after speaking with the doctor... but I see people taking other routes than what the doctor suggests? Should I get the gene test? I dont know of anyone in my family that had breast cancer. Only skin, prostate and stomach cancer. Seems like it runs on my father's side. Has anyone had success with just Lympectomy and radiation?   I see alot of people are just having a mastectomy. 

The radiologist was right on about everything that he saw, but he re-assured me that it was 100% curable since it was in the early stage and that I would just need probably surgery to remove those little areas and then a couple radiation treatments.  After reading everyone else's diagnosis and the measures that are being taken.... I am not reassured anymore. It looks like I have the worst kind of DCIS with it being more agressive.  I am afraid that it is going to turn invasive.

Anyone's experience,support and/or advice would really be appreciated.

Bren-2007

Lala .. it's normal to be afraid at this stage.  But you are not alone, we've been there and can help you through this.

Once you consult with a surgeon you will have more information about a treatment plan.  A surgeon can outline all your options for you.

I had a lumpectomy and radiation on the left side.  I also had a friend who had cancer on both sides at two different times.  She elected to have a lumpectomy and radiation on both sides.

I wish you all the best .. please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Bren

3monstmama

Hey THere!  First off, many hugs from another one in the boat.  The "plus" side of DCIS is that you have time to do your research and find the best doctors and team for you. 

I was diagnoised in November 2009 and didn't have surgery until February 2010 and it was fine.  I met with 2 different breast surgeons, 2 different plastic surgeons, 1 radiation oncologist and one oncologist before I fully settled on my treatment.  I had a lumpectomy with a reexcission.  Then I did 6 weeks of zaps and now I am on tamoxifen and monitoring. 

With 3 kids I wanted to do everything I could to make sure I never had another diagnosis.  For me that means surgery, zaps and tamoxifen just like my oncologist and all recommended.  I will tell you my treatment decisions were also impacted by a collection of women I had known in my life who were diagnoised with breast cancer all around the same time.  Of the four of them, 2 did all the traditional stuff their doctors told them to do.  And 2 did not.  One declined surgery but did chemo, one did surgery but declined most everything else.  Of the two who took the traditional, one died of old age.  The other is still alive and enjoying her grandchildren.  Of the two who took a more alternative approach, both died and not in a terribly pleasant fashion.  I am the sort of person who believes that if you decide to become a parent, then there are things you don't get to do because you owe your kids and your family.  So no sky diving for me and no treking up mt everest.  I say this to you because with three kids, I also felt I did not the right to goof around with my breast cancer diagnosis.  My job was to kill the beast.  So no alternative meds for me--doctors said surgery and I did surgery.  Doctors said zaps, I did zaps.  Doctor said tamox and well, here I sit enjoying my hot flashes.

You and I seem to have the same kind of DCIS.  As my oncologist described it, DCIS grade 3 with comodo and necrosis is the kind where it is not a question of will it become invasive but reather When will it become invasive.  Still once you get it out, the odds are quite in your favour.

What that means, in my experience, is that you want it out and you sure as heck don't want to ignore it but still, the odds are in your favor.  At this point, they see no signs that your DCIS is invasive.  Hurrah for you!

Do your research.  Find a surgeon who makes you feel comfortable and safe--one that you can talk to and when you have questions, come and ask them.

take care!

GraceAnn

Lala,

My story starts off negative and scary, but has a happy ending, so be encouraged.

I was diagnosed with DCIS in June of 2007, 9 centimeters (yes, that's 9 centimeters) in the right breast. My breast was removed and I was told I did not need chemo or radiation because my "margins were clear" and the sentinel node looked fine - no cancer there (pathologist was wrong, 2 later path reports showed micro-invasion). It is important to have different labs look at your tissue. 

Two years went by and I assumed I was over the cancer scare. All the while, some micro-invasive cells had indeed gotten out, probably into the blood during the invasive surgery.

In June of 2009 I learned I had 6 tumors in my liver and 17 of 22 lymph nodes in my arm and many other lymph nodes were loaded with cancer. Mine was Her2 positive, high grade.

I immediately went to MD Anderson in Houston and my oncologist there put me on Abraxane (almost no perceived/felt side effects other than hair loss) and Herceptin. After 5 months all the tumors everywhere were completely gone and have stayed gone for the last 2 years.

I wanted to go after the cancer with big guns, a variety of raw food from God's arsenal and the chemo/Herceptin from the doctors' arsenal, which I believe He gifted and equipped. So at the start of my chemo I read the book Cancer Cure by Bill Henderson (I highly recimmend, go to his website to order and read what he researched). I began a mostly raw diet, dropped refined sugar, caffeine, red meat (most meat, actually), dairy, and began drinking purified, mineralized water, green tea, miso soup, and taking many different supplements, including the Moringa plant in both a capsule and wonderful drink mix, which has 96 nutrients. I drink barley grass, wheat grass drinks and keep my body alkaline. My tumor markers remain normal, around 13-15.

For me, allowing conventional medicine and foods in their natural raw state, along with detoxing, worked amazingly well and continues to work well. I just read above about the 2 people who died in spite of the alternative treatment. I am sorry to hear that and I do read and understand that in some people, especially those who are not radical about it and steadfast with it, there is little or no response. On the other hand, there is a plethera of accounts of cancer stalling and reversing with various treatments (natural). Again, there must be a multi-prong approach. It is also deep breathing, exercise, forgiving, avoiding toxins, ceasing with the microwave, eliminating metals, detoxing, laughter, rest, and my goodness, check your VITAMIN D level!!! A Vit. D deficiency is at the root and core of most diseases, especially breast cancer, MS, etc.

My two years of research has shown me that chemo/radiation alone will not give you good long-term results. It may quench the raging "fire," aka the rogue cells initially, but the immune system is so compromised that its ability to continue to go after the cancer cells is impeded. There will be a small remnant of cells that morph and will be resistent to the chemo, especially in a recurrence. This is why it is essential that you fortify your immune system through nutrition. Raw sprouts are amazing, especially broccoli sprouts for breast cancer combat! So it is crucial that you compliment what the doctor does with a strict and rest-of-your-life regimen of chemical-free food, low on glycemic index, among too many things for my ability to list right now (well, I started to list a few above). Everything you take needs to be approved by your doctor. If your doctor says to just continue eating as you always have, consider changing to a doctor who has done the research in nutrition's role in cancer. Read the book Anti-Cancer, a New Way of Life, and ask your doctor if he would be willing to read this highly regarded book written by a well-known and respected doctor who got cancer, tried conventional medicine only, and it came back. Then he did the research on food's role and has been cancer free (brain tumor-free) for many years. This doctor is now with MD Anderson, spearheading a program there in integrative medicine. He is now teaching doctors about this, many of whom only touched on this lighly in med school.

Raw food has components that break down and have specific duties at the cell level. They can change cells, and command cell behavior to change. You can do the research. The Internet and bookshelves are loaded with rich material backed up by clinical studies. 

If you have the funds, you may want to consider looking into a respected immune recovery clinic like Hippocrates Institute in Florida - one that has a high cure rate. You can ask about their track record, read the testimonials from people who were stage IV, etc. I just read a testimonial of a woman who was stage IV melanoma (recurrence) and was sent home to get her affairs in order. She went to the Hippocrates Institute and after doing all they said, her tumors began to shrink (they were scattered throughout her body) and continued to shrink-- by raw food, detoxing, breathing right and deeply, etc. I have read so many stories, and I know many people personally who have seen cancer turn around due to a very, very VERY clean and raw diet. Again, too many things to write here but you can google "Benefits of raw diet and cancer."

I wish you the best my friend! May God bless you and heal you. This link to a flash dance tribute to women who battle cancer will bring a smile to your heart...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcKvevod3k&feature=player_embedded#at=55 

JAT

I would just like to add some thoughts about your next steps in this process:

- Your BS should be ordering a breast MRI to see if anything else looks suspicious--this will help you determine if you need a lumpectomy vs. mx; my DCIS was multifocal and I was so small-breasted that a lumpectomy would have left me with nothing anyway, so I had a MX;

-- My BS suggests that anyone under 50 get the gene test; you are very young for this diagnosis so it is something to consider, and it's a gene mutation that you can pass to children of both sexes; at least meet witha genetics counselor to help you decide if you should do the test; the results may also help you decide between lump vs. mx or even a bilateral mx;

-- get second opinions-- I had 2 breast surgeons look at my mammograms, MRI, and initial biopsy-- they came to the same conclusion and that made me feel comfortable with my surgeries that followed; I also had my final path slides read by 3 different hospitals and met with 2 oncologists to compare notes on post-mx follow-ups; you should meet with an oncologist--I did this after my mx but wished I had done so before just to have all of my questions answered;

-- if you are considering a  mx and want reconstruction (you're very young--I was 43 and  reconstruction was important to me), meet with a plastic surgeon to  learn about the different options, see his/her "work", etc-- my BS and PS work as a team so it was easy for me to do this-- ask your BS if she does as well.

 -- the hardest part is staying calm-- your kids may or may not understand what is going on-- my daughter was only 2 so I was able to hide everything from her-- I cried a LOT, but did it all in my car; I also tried to immerse myself in nonsense (silly dvds and magazines,, etc) to ease the anxiety of waiting for surgery and to not over-google which will drive you crazy.

You've come to the best place for advice and support, but you also have to work with your team and ask them all the questions you need to (keep notes, bring someone with you to all appointments in case you get emotional and miss anything important; ask for copies of all reports);  whatever route you go, we will answer your questions about what to expect and what you'll need (for surgery and recovery, etc).  I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.--Julie 

--

IronJawedBCAngel

So sorry you are having to deal with this, and at such a young age.  Take some deep breaths and do your best to educate yourself on all aspects, so that you can make the best choices for you. I was diagnosed six years ago at the age of 47 with grade 3 ER/PR+ DCIS, and have done great with my lumpectomy, rads and tamoxifen. I have no regrets, and do not worry about recurrence, but I am diligent about getting my followups.

This site, Komen, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and dcis.info were my best sources for info.  Some will tell you to stay off of the internet and only talk to your doctors.  I figured out very early on how invaluable talking to other survivors can be in terms of practical advice, and learning to advocate for myself.  Do not let anyone rush you into making choices out of fear, you have cancer, but it won't hurt to take a little time to become informed and make educated choices that you are comfortable with.  You want to be an active member of your cancer team, not just a bystander.

I advocate for Komen and Kentucky Cancer Program, and we all talk about how lumpectomy and radiation is equal to mastectomy in early stage breast cancer in regards to survival rates.  I will say that due to your age, discuss all aspects with your doctors, and do not be surprised if they recommend fairly aggressive treatment, such as a bilateral mastectomy.  Younger women tend to have more aggressive cancers, and many doctors feel that more aggressive treatment equals better survival rates in that population.  The goal is to only have to deal with this once in your lifetime, and you have every chance of living a long and very healthy life, once this is all behind you. Because of your age, I would pursue getting the gene testing.  I know several women that were diagnosed before the age of 50,had no family history, and they tested positive.

As Julie said, write down your questions, take someone with you to appointments, and if you can't, some women like to take tape recorders.  We are so stressed and overwhelmed with the whole process that many times we get home and can't remember what the doctor said.  You are in the most terrifying part of the roller coaster ride.  It gets better.  Hugs to you.

lala4life

Thanks so much everyone for your response.  I appreciate everyone's input and experiences.  I am beginning to see why many have chosen mastectomy because last night I was considering the same thing.  But this morning something different.  So your right, I need consult with the BS and my team of doctors before I make this decision.  And I am terrified that it will come back and as something worse. Does a mastectomy guarantee a non-recurrence?  I am definetly gonna ask for the gene test before I make my decision. I do have large breast, somewhat out of porportion with my body.  I am a 36 F, size 11/12.  Because of that, I always feared something like this would happen.  So it seems like there would be enough tissue to take for lumptectomy,  without any need for cosmetic surgery, however it seems like there is more tissue for cancer to invade.  I am so confused over everything.  I am an emotional reck behind closed doors... I dont let my children see.  My husband is very supportive and my family who knows as well.   But obviously they cannot relate like all of you. I just need to know how to get past this emotional state... what else can I do to become stronger for myself and to cope? I know that this form is aggressive, has anyone heard of any cases that are my age and have just done the surgery, radiation and hormone therapy?  3monstmama, how old are you?  Did you do the gene test? Are the hotflashes all the time or just here and there?  JAT (Julie), I will definetly make sure that I get an MRI, Because I want to make sure that there is nothing else that was missed. I am terrified of that. If I go with a mastectomy, I will want reconstruction so I will have more questions about that. GraceAnn, thanks for all that great info...I know that my diet will have to change to a more healthy one for everything that is upcoming.  And you make a good point about the vitamin D deficiency. IronJawedBCAngel, Thanks so much for your input.  I will definelty check out those sites you listed.  My next stop was Komen.  Did you have have the gene test done?  You had the same type as I do, but I know there is an age diffenrence.  So are you saying that the younger that I am, it is believed a more chance of recurrence?  That is what I am afraid of.  And I definelty would be on top of my check ups for sure.  I want to be an advocate too... i dont want to fall into a depression or anything... but I feel like I am overwhelmed with this right now.  How long does it take to get past this stage and feel normal again?  What did everyone do to get out of this initial period?  I am trying to keep busy... but when I am alone, that is when I think about it.  How does everyone work?  Did you take a leave when you found out or did you wait until surgery/treatment started?  Right now I cant even concentrate on anything but this and I would be useless at work. 

Bren-2007

Lala .. good questions about working through treatment.  I was very fortunate that I work from home as a transcriptionist.  I was able to work full time through my lumpectomy and 8 weeks of radiation.  I did become fatigued towards the end of radiation, but I was able to rest a couple of hours during the day and continue working at night.

I think I would wait until I had a treatment plan before I decided on whether to work or not.  I can imagine how hard it is to try and concentrate at work right now.

Keeping you in my thoughts,

Bren

3monstmama

Hey lala4life

HUGS! HUGS! HUGS! HUGS! HUGS!

first off everything you are feeling is completely normal.  In my experience, it will pass when you figure out what you are doing--the up-in-the-air stage was definitely the worst.  I don't know where you are but my breast surgeon worked with a therapist who specialized in dealing with cancer patients.  In the begining I was Ms. Strong while it piled on.  My tentative breast surgeon sent me for an MRI--no one told me in advanvce that MRIs show every bubble and wrinkle so when they came back saying I needed more tests for the "something" in my lung and the "something" in my liver and the "something" in my thyroid, I lost it.  I still remember sitting in my office, door locked sobbing because I knew I could deal with breast cancer (cut the stupid things off!) and I knew I could deal with thyroid cancer (remove and take meds!), liver cancer, that was something you died from.  The surgeon who ordered the MRI in the first place appologised and explained that there are all sorts of things in our bodies which are not abnormal, which are just there, and we never even know about them.  Sort of like our liver gets a cyst like a hair folicle gets an infection and really it doesn't mean anything. And she was right.  I did a CT scan and a thyroid biopsy and what have you and all was fine.  So I get through all that and I get through the lumpectomy and I get through the reexcission and I'm sitting in my surgeon's office for the post reexcission check-up and I just start crying. . . .Want to get a fast appointment with the new therapist?  Have a breakdown in the surgeon's office?  I saw her for a bit over a year and got a prescription for an antidepressant and it REALLY REALLY helped.  I would, however, strongly urge other women not to wait until they have the breakdown to get the help.

The center where I did my treatment had LOTS of options for support.  In addition to my therapist, I joined the weekly knitting group.  All women dealing with cancer.   We mostly just knit but if you had a test coming up or something going on, everyone was there to listen and everyone knew what it was like.  That really really helped me. 

Re Work:  for me, maintaining the facade of normalcy demanded that I go to work.  I am the income stream in our family and want to conserve all leave for when I really needed it.  I took a few days post lumpectomy but worked all through zaps.  Oh I left a bit early some days but I set things up to do the zaps in the middle of the work day.  I used that time to walk to and from zaps because my doctors said ( and they were right) that exercise was the best way to get through it.

re Vit D---many many women find they are very low on Vit D when they are diagnoised.  As yet, no one is sure if the Vit D shortage comes first or the BC comes first.  I do believe there are studies that show higher rates for both BC and MS in the PNW.  (curiously I don't think the Scandinavian countries --which have the same lower levels of sunlight--have the same higher rates.  My unscientific observation is that those countries eat more fish oil and get more D that way)  Either way, its something easily remedied.  I do drops of 1000 IU--drop it up on your hand and lap it up.

eatting eatting healthy is good--we should all do it.  The average american diet is godawful as proven by the fact that many are now saying the next generation will have shorter lives than their parents.  But I'm opposed to the idea of jumping on every fad as to how to eat.  I am one of those women who has pretty much (say since college) eatten healthy.  I have shopped almost exclusively at farmer's markets for over 20 years.  I don't use prepacked anything---I even soak beans in lieu of canned--I don't even step into fast food places.  I don't own a microwave.  And yet, here I am with breast cancer.  I do think that my healthy living has aided greatly in my recovery.  I had minimal problems with radiation and looking at badboobie, you can hardly see a scar.  So fix your diet, eat better, but don't blame the victim and don't think that because you ate dorritos and micky ds, you put yourself on the path to breast cancer.

gene testing:   I was 48 at time of diagnosis.  To the best of my knowledge there is no BC on the family tree though my tree is missing lots of branches on my father's side and I could not really explore family history with my mother.  She was 81 at time of my diagnosis and dealing with major heart issues and I elected not to tell her.  I was advised to do the gene testing and didn't do it.  Part of me didn't want to know if I was going to be more inclined to cancer--already felt like I had the sword of Damocles hanging over my head, why add to it?  BUT--and its a big but--I didn't have biological children so I didn't have to worry about passing it on to anyone else.  If my monsters were biological, then I would have had the test.

Treatment plans  Regretably, a mastectomy does not guarantee that you will never have another diagnosis.  My understanding is that there is no way to make that guarantee because even with a mastectomy there can be cells of breast tissue left behind and one cell is another.  BUT DON'T panic!!!  Remember we have the f-ing good kind of BC, even with our wretchedly aggressive version.  So even if there is a lot of it, the odds of it changing into something invasive are REALLY REALLY REALLY SMALL.  And because we will be monitored out the ying-yang (and you even more so because of your age), anything that might happen will get spotted and dealt with.  I know this to be true from personal experience--I"ve already gone through another biopsy on the other booby which turned out to be nothing. As my surgeon said, if I hadn't had the BC in badboobie (okay she doesn't call it bad boobie, I do, but anyway. . . ), it would have been a wait and see approach but with the BC in bad boobie, anything unusual gets jumped on.  I am smaller breasted and the first surgeon I met with said that she would do a partial lumpectomy and that I would need a PS for reconstruction. That was quite a blow to take.  Then I saw a PS and he said if I was seeing him post-lumpectomy, something had gone wrong!  I found another surgeon who I felt more comfortable with.  She did an amazing job.  Despite taking out a big "chunk" you can't really see any difference.

kids  kids is hard.  No denying it, no way to sugar coat it.  In my case, one of my monsters was just developing boobies so I felt I needed to be extra careful not to scare her but I couldn't hide what was going on either.  But you know what?  Kids are tough and they can cope with more than we might think.  One thing that I considered and would have done had my BC been more serious was to get them in a support group for kids with parents with cancer.  I am one of those who feels it always helps to know you aren't the "only" in your situation.

hotflashes come and go.  Honesly if they were there all the time, it would be EASIER!!! because I'd just wear shorts!    They were getting annoying but I split my dose into twice a day and that seems to have helped.

okay that should be enough for you  to read......I will check back later in the day if you have more questions or you can PM me.  Hang in there!

MissyMouse

Hi Lala,

I was just diagnosed on 7/11/11.  DCIS, high grade, comedo necrosis, ER99%, PR 77%, HER2 (positive 3+).  I was scheduled to undergo lumpectomy this Friday but when my MRI showed additional areas (multi centric disease) and after being advised by the oncologist that I was not a good candidate for radiation, my surgery was cancelled so they could reschedule bilateral mastectomy.  I am seeing a plastic surgeon tomorrow.

Your feeling of being reall scared is well understood and well shared.  Good luck to you.

Missy

DeeLJ

Take a deep breath, all advice here is good. Too bad you had to join the club but glad to have you.

Bring a notebook to every appointment, and take notes while the doctors speak to you. Record appts, phone numbers, all sorts of stuff. My notebook has become a datekeeper, journal, and diary and is invaluable.

Try to maintain a sense of humor after you get thru the initial shock. I remember the shock feeling and I ended up missing a week of work just to get my mind wrapped around the diagnosis, never mind the appts. and treatements etc.

Later, when i got my bearings, I started making little jokes. Some people looked at me like I was nuts, the rest seemed relieved that I could joke and it took the burden off all of us a little bit.

I am not downplaying the severity but it makes it easier to deal with when you make it something you can laugh at.

Good luck hon. We are all here for you.

3monstmama

Hey MissyMouse

here are some extra <<hugs>> for you!!!! you sound like you have earned them!!!!  Re plastic surgeons, feel free to see more than one.  The first one I met with was brilliant---showed me lots of photos of his work, spent a lot of time with us.  The second one I met with had, uh, uh, dirty fingernails.  Apparently she had been gardening.  Now I didn't think about it so much but when we got out of the appointment, DH said "that woman is NOT operating on my wife, with her dirty fingernails!!!"  it was very sweet.

But seriously, take the time to find the PS you feel good about.  And try to find one who works regularly with your surgeon.  It seems to go better that way.

hugs to all....

Kristi_in_MO

LaLa,

You are not alone in feeling all of the emotion.  It does feel like a ton of bricks at times.  You and I sound like fairly similar scenarios.  I am 40 a mother of two boys (9 and 10) and just went in for a routine mammogram and was diagnosed with DCIS in my right breast.  Had a bilateral mastectomy the day you were diagnosed on the 13th.  I liked what one of my surgeons told me when I asked him what he would suggest to his daughter if she had this diagnosis.  He said, "I'd tell her that in the realm of BC DCIS is preferable as it allows you the most options for treatment.  I'd tell her to take all of the information I've shared and decide what is right for her as it is a very personal decision and each woman should decide for herself."  This site is an amazing wealth of information with so many wonderful women sharing their knowledge and has helped me so much.  Just remember you are allowed to feel however you feel at the time.  It doesn't mean you are weak, it means you are human and will have your ups and downs.  Sending you hugs and prayers from MO.

cinnamonsmiles

I chose mastectomy to treat my DCIS for several reasons. Hopefully I remember them all. After my surgeon explained the amount of cancer and precancer from the lumpectomy, drew a picture showing how it all seemed to be located in the ducts, it seemed like too much and she did not get positive margins for my lumpectomy. At that point, I decided in the appt. that I wanted a mastectomy.I did, however think about it overnight just to make sure, but my decision was easy. The cancer and precancer seemed to be running rampant in my milk ducts and not contained in  nice neat little area. I just wanted it all out and not have breast tissue left for cancer to grow in,I didn't want another surgery, possible another to get positive margins, and then go through radiation, too. Please note that not ALL breast tissue is removed with mastectomies, mastectomy does NOT guarantee  you will not need radiation, and that mastectomy does NOT guarantee of never having a reoccurence. Given my personality, my preferences, and the information provided by the surgeon about my cancer, mastectomy was the best and only choice for me. I had a bilateral mastectomy with bilateral sentinel node biopsy and right axillary node dissection with no reconstruction and am happy with the decision I made.

I am the first to get breast cancer in my family, along with many, many, many other women. I,too, just had two grandfathers with skin and/or colon cancer.

I have decided not to get the genetic testing. It is apprx. a $3000 test and I don't really care if I have it or not. I got breast cancer and thats enough for me.

Seeing that it is DCIS, we have a little more time to decide our treatments as opposed to other cancers.

And yes, DCIS is "easy" (easy compared to chemo but in no way minimizing what we go through) to treat surgically and with or without radiation depending on your treatment plan. But, I read these boards, and the ones at csn.cancer.org (the american cancer society website) and NED is a better term than cured. NED is no evidence of disease. Some say cancer is not "curable" some say it is. Even with DCIS, there is a small chance that cancer could come back. I know of at least two women who had DCIS and had it come back, one was even after a mastectomy. She had DCIS in her scar tissue.

BriteKid

I knew I had breast cancer back in 2005, didn't get insurance until 2008, had lump removed, 8 lymphnodes, 4 good, 4 bad, then they wanted me to do chemo and radiation, I said no way, so I started educating myself about cancer, I stopped eating all meats, no poultry, I go to a Holistic Center, I do my own Iscador injections 3 x a week, I do herbs, I don't eat junk food, I eat organic, I don't drink tap water, I take a lot of supplements.  I still have cancer, but I can live with it, it seems I lived with it 10 years before they found it in 2008.  First off don't be SCARED start building up your IMMUNE SYSTEM, do your homework you, what feeds cancer?  Sugar and bad estrogens, so stop eating meats or anything that fuels bad estrogens, stay away from sugar or any starches that will turn to sugar in your body. 

Eat only fresh organic fruits, vegetables, brown rice (which is high in IP-6), beans, wild caught fish. 

There are so many good books out there on naturally healing cancer, but one I highly recommend is by Donald Yance. 

Do whey protein powder, I like Dr. Mercola's, protein powder. 

Start taking and I mean like now, Modified Citrus Pectin, IP-6, Maitake D Fraction extract, RM-10 by Garden of Life, Vitamin D, I take 10,000 IU a day with Super complex K by Life Extention, Vitamin C, I take 5000 mg.  These are just a few things to get you started.

Here is the deal, the real treatment to killing cancer cells is your immune system, chemo and radiation kill cancer cells, but not like your immune system, so first you want to stop feeding the cancer. 

Your body is amazing and it can heal itself if you give it the right tools.

There are lot of woman who come to the Center who have had chemo and radiation and it still came back, so it doesn't matter what treatment you choose as long as you build your immune system as your doing your treatments.

Many blessings to you and your family,