LCIS Diagnosis and lumpectomy questions

dawnmarie1017

Hello everyone. 

New here but I have been reading for a short time.  Have had 6 biopsies in the last 18months and this time came back as LCIS  (this resulted in 2 mri guided biospsies that both came back clear).    Based on family history and my risk I am scheduled to have a lumpectomy the 24th.  Im fairly open with my doctor and trust him 100% (he is also my mother surgeon).   We spoke of the lumpectomy and based on everything he said he will be removing between and walnut and a golf ball.  No PS right now as he really just wants to get it out and no issues.   (I ended up with a 3rd degree tape burn on the same breast from one of the biopsies that has taken me since april to close and heal).   I dont google about this like google everything else in life since I know that no 2 people are alike but I do have a few questions...

- After doing some reading I see most charts show the walnut being the larger but im between that and larger....   im guessing this is going to result in a  more noticable difference than what the dr seemed to describe.   Has anyone had that much taken and not had this crazy difference?  I am having this with oncoplastic reconstruction.   Does anyone have experience with the results? 

- Dr said I can go back to work the next day if I thougth I can tolerate it.  I can be a crazy person and think i will be the hero that goes in but is this being completely unrealistic? 

- How long after surgery did you know if you needed radiation?

Thank you all for taking the time to answer

Moderators

Hello dawnmarie and welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're glad you've found us. We're sure you'll be hearing from others who can share their experiences shortly. In the meantime, you might want to check out our pages on LCIS and Treatment for LCIS.

(((Sending hugs)))

The Mods

Anonymous

DawnMarie--everyone worries about the amount taken out during lumpectomy, but it is really amazing how the body "fills in the gap" over time.  I had about the same amount removed, and ended up with just a small little divet (dimple), even i can hardly notice it anymore.  I took it easy for a few days after my lumpectomy and was back to normal activities in less than a week. Going back to work the very next day might be too much, you need to let things heal. Radiation is not a treatment given for LCIS.  Have the doctors discussed preventative meds with you? (generally tamoxifen, but evista and now aromasin used if you are post-menopausal). I was diagnosed almost 11 years ago and my risk is further elevated by family history of ILC; so I do high risk surveillance of alternating mammos and MRIs every 6 months with breast exams on the opposite 6 months, took tamox for 5 years, now have been taking evista for about 5 years. Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

WhiskeyGirl93

DawnMarie, sorry that you have to go through this, but like awb said, the body is an amazing thing. I had a 5cm mass of LCIS removed in my excisional biopsy, which doubled as a lumpectomy. My surgeon knew I was following this up with a breast reduction (which is how we found out I had "problems") so she took a lot to avoid doing a lumpectomy once confirmed. Unless you knew where the excision happened (at 12 o'clock if the breast were a clock) and I contorted in just the right way, you couldn't tell I was missing tissue. However, I made the mistake of going back to work 3 days after. I'm a teacher and moving my right arm not only hurt, but I pulled the stitches. If you don't do anything other than normal desk work, you would be okay going back to work in 2-3 days. If you move more than that, I would be cautious, depending on where your stitches will be and how arm movements affect that area. 

I have since had the reduction and have started Tamoxifen because of my calculated risk. My reduction found more instances of LCIS in my right breast (always the "problem child") which wasn't surprising. Other than the tamoxifen, the only other thing is getting imaged every 6 months. I'm on a mammo/us in October and MRI in April schedule from here on out. You should be referred to an oncologist who will go over your risks and options with you. I just started this path in June, so if you have any questions or just want someone to talk to, PM me and we can walk together.

leaf

I had about 2 tablespoonfulls taken out on my excision.  I imagine that your breast size may influence how much this may affect your breast shape.  I have a B cup, and the excision was on the upper side of my breast.  I had lots of bruising, but after a few months the 'cave' filled in completely.  After a few months, my bruising cleared up.  (I had a hematoma, and the bruising took a lot longer to clear up than the indentation.)  After a few years, I can't hardly tell where the incision was; its a fine pink scar that's barely visible.

I work the graveyard shift.  I worked the night before surgery. My surgery was during the day shift, and, because my surgeon had a family emergency that day, I didn't get out of the recovery room until about 8pm.  I slept that night, then went back to work the next night.  (So I took off 1 full shift.)  My work usually doesn't involve more than carrying 5 pounds. It probably would have been better had I taken off an extra day, (from the anesthesia mostly), but it was do-able for me.  I probably had less excised than you are having, though.  For me, tiny ice packs, if you have access to a freezer, were more helpful for the swelling and pain than was pain medications.

I had a pair of breast biopsies a year after my breast excision (which showed nothing worse than what I already had).  I took 5 years of tamoxifen.  I have had no further breast issues, and my oncologist doesn't want to see me anymore.  Per the NCCN recommendations, though, I will still be having twice-a-year clinical exams and yearly mammograms.

jrsno1fan

I had lumpectomy last Monday. I took off the day of surgery plus 3 more days. On the 3rd day I was up and about and if I had to could have gone back to work. I'm a 911 dispatcher so I sit for 12 hours with no lifting. The first day back I was a little sore from the movement of switching screens while typing but nothing I couldn't manage with an ice bag. Went for follow up today and dr says my incision looks good and I can start peeling the steri-strips off now when I shower. There's still a little swelling and bruising but no more pain. Good luck to you.