Undecided on what surgery to have.

gindy

I have been diagnosed with both DCIS and LCIS in my left breast. Non-invasive. But a 3rd spot showed up on MRI, and we do not know what that is yet. And we found these because I found a lump in my right breast(which turned out to be just a cyst) Now I am trying to figure out the best surgery for me. I have tested negative for the BRCA 1 and 2 gene. But breast cancer is in my family history. I am torn on how to proceed. If I get the lumpectomy with radiation, It will be very noticeable due to the size. My thoughts are this, I am 50, will I be able to recover better now from a MX or BMX, then having the cancer reoccur and have to deal with this again down the road? Or should I not worry about the future? I can't seem to find stats on recurrence. I see my surgeon on Wed, to schedule the surgery. And I have a list of questions I know and need to ask. But I keep second guessing myself, if I have thought of everything.

Moderators

Bumping for gindy's questions. Can anyone offer advice/experience?

gindy, here is a useful list of Questions to Ask Your Surgeon from our main site. Hope this helps!

The Mods

Sjacobs146

There is really no right or wrong answer, just what is right for you. Before making a decision, see what your surgeon has to say, and schedule a consult with a plastic surgeon. Write down what is important for you. Are looks important? Are the sexual aspects of having breasts important to you? Etc. There are some good threads on these boards dealing with how best to make the decision. You should also know that while having an MX does reduce your risk of recurrance, it does not eliminate it. I personally know two people who had recurrances following BMX. Good luck to you

reflect

Hi gindy, It's all so individual. I started off wanting a BMX, then decided MX, then after a 2nd opinion put lumpectomy on the table, I chose that. I was going to have rads anyway, and studies show no difference in outcomes. I'm so surprised at how my thinking changed after asking lots of questions and reading lots of studies, and following some threads here. Good luck, and whatever you choose to do, don't look back, it was the right choice.

gindy

Thank you for responding. And yes, I have a list of questions for my surgeon. When first diagnosed, first thing that came to mind was no matter what do a MX. But the more information I got/researched the more questions that arose. Overwhelming so. Also, with friends now knowing as well, friends I have known for years are coming to me with their stories. Putting more info into my already exploding head! I am really surprised at how many of my friends that have had breast cancer and I never knew. Where with me, I went and did a video and posted on my fb page. To bring awareness to having Mamo's every year. See I missed my 2015 mamo. We don't know if it would of showed up then or not, but do to the sizes of my lumps, they probably were there.