Lumpectomy or Mastectomy? - first breast surgeon appt

Cindymb

Hello ladies. Is there a good chance that I will at the very least know if I will need lumpectomy or a mastectomy at my first visit with the breast surgeon? I was diagnosed with IDC. Wanting to tell my adult children about my diagnosis on the weekend of posdible. Thank you 🤗

SLL101984

unfortunately there are going to be a lot of factors that YOU will want to take into consideration before making a decision. Sometimes the answer is black and white, yes or no, so it all depends on your particular situation. Do you have any details about your tumor? Just one? Er and pr + or -? Her2 status? Are you doing or have you done genetic testing? Size and location of your tumor compared to your breast? Any other health issues you may have that could make recovery and treatment harder?

The first appt with my surgeon she went over everything. Explain how the cancer works inside of me, went over lumpectomy and mastectomy procedures, and informed me about my specific tumor traits. I also went for an mri before making an official decision. I was only diagnosed April 18 of this year and I am 12 days out from surgery. It will feel like hurry up and wait for a while, it’s did for me even though my surgery happened a lot faster than some ladies here. This page is a great resource and I found comfort in my may surgery group (add the June and/or July group to your favorites those ladies will be going through everything you are at the same time) I wish you luck in your journey down the path no one wants to go down

NotVeryBrave

The BS will most likely give you their recommendation although you may need further imaging. It's quite often up to you to decide which way you want to go. At this point, you should explore how either option makes you feel and then get their specific input.

Lula73

The decision between the two procedures will be left up to you in the end. They will not tell you what needs to be done. It’s not like developing appendicitis and they tell you that you need surgery to remove it. They will likely discuss recon options as well but that will be left up to you to decide: recon or not, type of recon: implants with TEs, direct to implant pre-pec, natural tissue recon (DIEP/SGAP). If you opt for lumpectomy then you’ll have rads. If you opt for mx, you may not need rads.

On telling the kids, unless you need their input on your choice, waiting til you have a full plan in place may be a good idea. They often will ask a lot of questions you don’t have the answers to yet which can up the stress for both you and them.

Runrcrb

Cindymb - I told my adult children shortly after diagnosis and before the treatment plan was finalized. Personal preference will be you guide. At my first visit to the breast surgeon, we discussed lumpectomy based on the ultrasound guided biopsy findings. He ordered an MRI of both breasts to ensure that we only had to do surgery once. Warned me of likelihood of false positives. In the end, there were two spots of ILC in addition to the initial IDC - and location(s) shifted the surgical choice from lumpectomy to mastectomy. I probably could have done multiple lumpectomies but ... nipple and skin sparing mastectomy was the better choice for me.

beach2beach

I personally waited until I had all the info, hormonal factors, options etc, and when I knew the decision, I told my kids. Depending on hormonal factors, size, etc., your surgeon will make his/her recommendation. Mine told me I could do a lumpectomy plus rads., but for several personal reasons I chose a double mastectomy. Once I had my surgery set, I told my kids. I wanted them to feel that I was confident going in that I had some control, if that makes any sense. My daughter was just going to be going back up to college as well as my son and I had one in h.s. I didn't want them to worry more than need be.