I Found out 3/9/17

vjenelle

I had a mammogram & sonogram on 3/1/17 & biopsy on 3/8. The next day, my primary care physician's office called me back with the results. The next week, I learned that I will need to have a mastectomy. After a lot of tears, I have accepted the fact that my left breast will have to be removed. At this point, I am concerned about survival. I am 40 years old, married, with a 25 yr old stepson and 2 biological children. My daughter is is 21 years old, and my son is 14.

I went earlier this week for the CT scan and bone scan. The results determined that the cancer has not spread my bones or major organs but there is lymph node involvement. I'm due to have surgery on 4/6. Since I didn't test positive for BRCA gene, I understand that only one breast will be removed. I really want to have a double mastectomy because I have already had a lump in the right breast. It turned out to be benign but that does not put me at ease. Also , the Breast MRI discovered a second lump in the affected breast that was not detected on the mammogram.

My husband wants me to get a second opinion but I don't want to delay treatment any further because the medical oncologist says that I'm in the beginning of Stage III. So many decisions to make. This is mentally exhausting.

Meanwhile, I am doing things on my own to help with my healing by exercising and eating healthy. The doctors say that this could help with my treatment. I am praying for a cure for not just myself but for everyone that is battling this disease. I want us all to win.

Hopfull2

vjenelle,I'm so sorry about your diagnosis. I know it's emotionally and mentally draining. You should see if they can do the double mastectomy I'm getting my "good" breast removed within the next couple months. I'm also brca negative but because of my age and family history (my mom also had BC) my team of Drs are all on board to do the mastectomy on the other side. That should b your choice not theirs. You will be in my prayers.

Hugs

SusanaQ

vjenele. I was diagnosed with DCIS in 2002 and after failed lumpectomies(doc couldn't get clear margins) I was fed up with it and requestedbilateral mastectomies. Surgeon refused. Fast forward 14 years, new primary in right breast diagnosed june 2016, with 2/3 positives nodes. Finally tested for brca and i am positive. A bilateral mx would have saved me enormous anguish.

LM070917

I was dx 1.5 year ago. Had lymph node involvement during biopsy so had uni mascretomy within 1.5 weeks, as I was also stage 3. Had lumpectomy of other breast which had calcifications and turned out to be benign. Tested inconclusive for brca genes, but always been a bit worried about other breast. My surgeon advised because of my age 36 now, might want to think about preventative..so I am own thinking about recon for both sides in June..at the time I was so relieved to have the bc removed, that I really didn't mourn the bad breast.

Amanda702

Prayers for you. Hang in there.

Juls4

One note getting a second opinion. I totally understand you wanting to start treatment right away, but could you do both? Maybe begin moving forward with treatment, but also get a second opinion in the meantime? I say this because when I was diagnosed, I was told I had IDC that was ER+ , that my lymph nodes looked fine, and that the first step was surgery. They said after surgery, they would stage me and let me know if I needed chemo. When I got a 2nd opinion at a large cancer center, they told me I was actually triple negative, was definitely stage 2, had 2 suspicious lymph nodes, and that I definitely needed chemo. Probably wouldn't have changed by prognosis at all, but it did completely change my plan because I decided I wanted chemo before surgery so that they could track how the tumor responded to chemo. It also connected me with a breast cancer surgeon who does literally nothing but breast cancer surgeries and she did a fantastic job. You should do what's right for you, but if the second opinion is bothering you or your husband, just know there's no reason why you can't work on scheduling that while getting treatment.