Diagnosed yesterday with IDC

Lmonelli

Hi,

I was diagnosed yesterday with IDC and have til next week to decide what option I want to take. I am so un educated about any of this. The waiting over the last couple of weeks have been torture. I had biopsy done on Monday and yesterday the results came back positive for IDC er+/pr+.

Doctor says I can have mastectomy, double mastectomy, lumpectomy with 36 rounds of radiation. I always said these girls would come right off if I ever got cancer. Now I have cancer and I do t know what I should do. I am 54 years old.

I am hoping someone can shed some light on this for me.

Desperately seeking answers,

Lori

Beachbum1023

Lmonelli, well first you need to relax and breathe, then gain some control. You will feel better looking at the info with a clear head. There are a lot of threads here that you can read. Stay away from Dr. Google, most of the info there is outdated, or just wrong. I had a mastectomy, chemo, and just finished rads. Do you have to go to chemo, if so which one? What order for the treatment?

Check out the threads, and post any questions that you have from them. You will have your answers, the Ladies here are great about sharing and helping. Take Care!

Sjacobs146

Lori, first, hugs to you. I'm so sorry that you have joined the club you never wanted to be in, but let me tell you that the nicest people are in it. You will find a ton of.i formation on this site, I'm sure the Moderators will chime in shortly with some links for you to check out.

A lot goes in to making a treatment decision. Did your doc give you any guidance on the pros and cons of each path? Take your time deciding. The Cancer took a long time to get where it is, a few days or weeks won't make a difference in outcome. As you can see, I personally opted for lumpectomy primarily because the survival rate would be the same for me as if I chose mastectomy. I wanted to do the least invasive thing possible.

lgoldie

Lori,  this is a big challenge with alot of decisions.  I, too, chose the lumpectomy and I am triple negatie, but had an itty bitty  tumor 8mm.  I had chemo and radiation.  Did I do all the right things?  We'll see.  If you can afford it, get a counselor or some kind of psychologist.  Big help for me.  I'll be praying for you   Leah

Melrosemelrose

Lori- Welcome.... there are many here to give your support through the beginning of this adventure. Keep taking deep breaths . I recognize those feelings you are having right now.... somewhat confusing..... somewhat overwhelming.... just a a lot all at once. This is the emotional roller coaster ride one gets on here.... so tighten that seat belt and hold on and scream and yell and laugh while we ride this ride together. Glad you found this website and posted. I know you probably thought as I did, what the heck and how did I end up here. There are no real answers for some events in our lives..... just that things happen and we just have to try to do our best. As for deciding what surgery to have, that is such a personal decision and not an easy one to make. I consulted with 2 breast surgeons and an oncologist before my unilateral mastectomy ( UMX) and was told the same thing..a UMX best for me and that I didn't need to have my healthy breast removed. I had a lumpectomy aka chunkectomy which removed the inital BC and had the UMX to get clean margins and to get other possible problem areas in that breast which were discovered during the MRI I had a week or two before my UMX surgery. I was also told during one of my oncologist appointments that radiation would probably be necessary even with a mastectomy. A final decision for for radiation was made post surgery and towards the end of of chemo rounds. My medical case went before the hospital tumor board several times during my active treatment. I did not have any reconstructive surgery and don't plan to have any . The decision to have or not have reconstructive surgery is not easy....just as difficult as deciding which initial surgery to have. For me, I did a lot of soul searching and thinking about my age (56 1/2 yrs at diagnosis), how I felt about my outward appearance and how I might feel about my body after surgery. and what I was willing to physically withstand. Try to remember that your decision will be the best one for you and only you since everyone is unique and different physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Wishing you the best and hope you find some calm and peace.

Fe_Princess

Hi Lori, I felt the same as you when I found out. I knew nothing. I did stay off the internet though. It will literally paralyze you. In the last month, I have educated myself as much as I can. Like everyone said, wait until you get your personal diagnosis. You get to decide your treatment plans. I read a book by Cathy Hitchcock called, Breast Cancer, what you should know (but may not be told). It helped me decide on Mastectomy and no radiation or chemo. I really researched internationally on long term results of chemo & rad. I got a lot of information from women that I work with too that have had cancer and survived it. I see everything as a resource. I will have you in my mind and want to know what you decide. Sending you love.

Anonymous

Lmonelli, Welcome to BCO. So sorry for the reason you have to be here. The beginning really is the hardest part. I've included a link below to give you some info about lumpectomy vs. mastectomy.

Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy - CLICK HERE

Here is some more information from the 2014 ASCO Breast Conference.

Info From The 2014 ASCO Breast Conference - CLICK HERE

It really is a personal choice - everyone is different. Once the burden of all the decisions are made, it does get much easier. Please come back here often, and let us know how you are doing. You are not alone in this, there are many wonderful women here to help.

Gentle hugs to you!! Sending my best wishes to you!

april25

Definitely talk to your doctors more about what they recommend and what each entails... Sure there are lots of ways to go, but you'll need to know more to make a decision that's best for you! If they are difficult ("oh, it's whatever you want!" then put it like this-- "if it were you, or your relative, what would you recommend? and what are the pros and cons of each?") . And maybe see another doctor for a different opinion. (I got a 2nd opinion and it really helped me make up my mind.) Maybe see an oncologist if you've only seen surgeons. Being informed will help ease your mind.

I think things like your grade, lymph involvement, size of tumor, etc., could also make a difference. It's good to find out as much about your diagnosis as you can first...

But take deep breaths and don't panic. You've got time. You've got courses of treatment to choose from that will make you better. Things will work out.

Holeinone

Lori, if your Dr. said you could chose lumpectomy with radiation he must be confident that it is not in your nodes. When I chose my lumpectomy I did know that I had one node malignant. It turned out much worse than that. Did they do a punch biopsy on your sentinel node when you had your Breast biopsied?

My surgeon & personal Dr. were both very pro lumpectomy. I thought, like you, that I would have a mastectomy if I was dx. Changed my mind. I have read lots of horror stories in the last 16 months of Breast reconstruction. I am sure like most things, if all is good & no problems they don't need to talk about it.

We all know how scary & anxiety filled this is. My best advice is to follow your heart. This is the time in your life to put yourself first. Be selfish, take care of you. Lots of support here.