Newly diagnose, introcuding myself.

1ofHissheep

Thank you. It certainly is a confusing journey thus far to sort out the information and figure out "what is right for me."

Hariry

Hi Jodie, I was dx 2months ago. The journey so far has been full of ups and downs (yeah, a roller coaster like the Mods say)... every day was a torture. Many times I woke up in the morning hoping that "it is just a dream"

I got all my things done rather fast- biopsy, ct scan, bone scan, echocardiogram, port insertion etc bc I work in the healthcare system. My onc once teased me "all onc patients are inpatient, you guys want everything done FAST" Damn it, of course we want everything done FAST can you imagine keeping that "thing" in our body....

I feel your pain Jodie. But as I moved on I slowly find peace in me. I'm sure your team of doctors will plan it well for you. I'm sure God will take care of you. Take one step at a time. Cancer cells take months to years to decades before they become visible. Not to panic not to despair... you are not alone

Sorting out through Dr Google, that's something controversial. You get some good information and some outdated/misleading/scary statements. I'd rather wait to talk to a trustworthy and experience d MO.

Rose (hariry)

Icietla

Welcome, PomegranatePeaches. Beautiful work! So glad your treatment has been going well.

Welcome, 1ofHissheep.

>>I'm wondering if the follow ups then are MRI rather than mammogram and U/S since apparently this is harder to catch that way.<<

That is a very good question.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/113/topics/820712?page=1

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/113/topics/805330?page=1

Please look through my first post on new member Lg2213's thread here__

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/5/topics/861241?page=1#post_5118666

Please know that this is not to influence you; this is only to inform you. The best choice for you is the one you make yourself, for your own best quality of life. We will support your choice.

Anonymous

Jodie, sorry you have to join us, but we are a closeknit and helpful group on bc.org!

Consider if you've ever gotten a mammogram reporting "dense breasts". I had very dense breast tissue, which hides tumors, and coupled with the knowledge that ILC is harder to detect with scans, I determined that I'd get a BMX with immediate reconstruction too. I did nipple sparing and my PS did biopsies on both nipples to make sure there wasn't something involving them. Had they come back positive, I would have had them removed.

I relied on the reports from my five previous mammos before I was dx: they all reported "clear", and I felt I was falsely protected. I didn't know that I should have asked for US and even breast MRIs because of my dense breasts, so for five years or more little c was lurking and growing, probably.

I just couldn't allow myself to trust scans ever again. The BMX was kind of a non-event, as was the immediate reconstruction. I stayed small (was an A/tiny B cup always) and didn't have to do expanders, etc.

Although the surgery was easy, the loss of sensation makes me a little sad. I had to weigh that before surgery, and then decide what I could live with. I traded loss of sensation for more reassurance.

Something to consider...

Claire in AZ

1ofHissheep

I appreciate your welcome and sharing a bit of your journey. I have only been looking on websites like this one that are recommended by the Doc. No Dr. Googling for me. I believe I could find anything or any angle I was looking for there which would only further confuse me and perhaps undermine the trust I have in my Docs. Initially I was diagosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and when final pathology was sent and returned from Mayo it was ILC. This afternoon I have a second visit with the surgeon to see how ILC might affect the initial recommendations and then go from there. I initially learned I had cancer in my breast Dec 15. I think the holidays and celebrations with family helped keep me peaceful . Today and yesterday were much harder to be patient and peaceful. Also had a mild flu bug yesterday which doesn't keep a person in the best frame of mind. Anyway, I hope for some clarity today. My main man (husband of 33 years) has canceled his patients this afternoon to come with me. He is awesome to have at my side on this journey. Counting my blessings....1ofHissheep

1ofHissheep

The do describe my breast tissue as dense so that is definitely a consideration and something I'll discuss with my physician today. Thanks for your input. 1ofHissheep

EastcoastTS

Jodie:

Lumpectomy or mastectomy (UMX or BMX) is such a personal choice, as Beach stated. But I'll tell you my story in brief if it helps. I also have ILC.

(1) I had small breasts and lumpectomy would have taken quite a bit. (2) Somewhere along the way, the MRI showed another area of possible concern (turned out to be benign) but that was my UMX deciding factor. Instead of another biopsy, I was pretty close to surgery anyway. (3) Mammogram did not catch my lump. I found it myself and mammo showed NADA while it was sitting there with me telling them: it's here. US was even vague. So -- I just could not leave myself with dense, small breasts and mammograms every 6 months.

Go to the ILC forum and post the question or read some things there. There are some EXCELLENT lists on here with pros and cons of each. Search for them. It's good if your BS is supportive of what you need to do.

{hugs}

miranda2060

Hello, introducing myself. I'm Pamela from OH, newly diagnosed ILC right breast. I have the report in hand but still processing emotionally and am writing things only from memory of my surgeon consult yesterday. The tumor is invading chest muscle, and surgeon has recommended mastectomy, with the added pain of taking some muscle too. No lymph node involvement, and my "biology" (hormonal) is excellent. There's a second, smaller suspicious area, and I will have that biopsied tomorrow.

I'm 56 and married, no kids. BOTH of my sisters had b/c, one died at 42 of a very aggressive cancer. Her suffering and death haunts me considerably. She passed in 2000, and I am thinking that treatment has improved in the last 17-18 years. My other sister was successfully treated with radiation (I think; we are somewhat estranged so I don't know all details of her case). My general health is very good, and hoping that helps.

The plan is most likely mastectomy followed by chemo and radiation. I will meet with the oncologist tomorrow; the surgeon is consulting with the oncologist on whether to do chemo (to shrink the tumor), then surgery. The surgeon thinks that is less likely.

Because of my family history, genetic testing also recommended. This scares me, of course, in that the surgeon was recommending double mastectomy and ovary removal if test of positive for BRCA.

I have very large breasts (36D), especially the affected right breast. Trying to take one step at a time, but of course thinking about what would be best in terms of reconstruction or not, and all the other considerations. The chemo scares me terribly, but I think I need to focus on getting rid of the cancer and living the rest of my life with my wonderful husband.

Before hearing the facts laid out yesterday, I was fairly certain I was going to die soon, and was incredibly relieved, almost elated. Of course, then the reality of what I am actually facing set in, and I was sleepless most of last night. I am sure everyone here has been through the same emotional roller coaster, positivity and determination alternating with fear and despair and anger and everything else. I look forward to sharing with all of you. It feels good just to be able to talk about it.