Timeframes for treatment

FrenchPorsche

Hello! Just starting my journey. I’ve got one area confirmed DCIS and waiting on biopsy results from another area. I’m keen to get an idea of timeframes. The nurse I spoke to said we have time to consider options which is good but not sure how long that equates to.

I ask because we have a holiday planned for late May and I really don’t want to disappoint my kids if we have to cancel it. I’m imagining I could possibly have surgery before the holiday and radiation after if that is on the cards, but since ‘we have time’ - could I consider delaying all treatment to June when we are back?

Obviously this will all depend on the results of the other biopsy.

I will ask when I go for the results next week, but keen to get my head around this if I can in the meantime.

Does anyone have any experience of this? It will mean around 3 months since diagnosis and it’s intermediate grade DCIS.

Thanks. :-)

Solobroker

Hi there. Sorry for what you're dealing with. The unknown is almost the worst. I was diagnosed early November and my breast surgeon did not want to go any longer then mid January.  I ended up having surgery Jan 23rd because of scheduling with drs. 

AliceBastable

Until you learn more, you can't know if a lumpectomy or mastectomy will be recommended, or even, depending on the other biopsy, if you'll need neo-adjuvant chemo. I'd say you'll just have to wait until you have the results from your other biopsy.

Ingerp

I always thought of the time after lumpectomy as the "sweet spot"--you really can't do anything in terms of further treatment until you've healed. Your BS will have to clear you--it'll be at least a month, and up to two. Sounds like your timing might be pretty good for the late May vacation. FWIW--last year I had my surgery on March 13th, and didn't start chemo until May 18th.

FrenchPorsche

Thanks for the responses. I’m going to push for surgery as soon as possible and take it from there.

Elephant

I think that you are right FrenchPorsche to push for surgery as soon as possible. Until my surgery was scheduled, I was very anxious thinking that the cancer was just getting worse and also, like you, because I had a vacation planned. I got my biopsy results at the beginning of November and had surgery December 16 which I guess was pretty quick, but it did not seem so at the time. When I first met with my BS, I told him about my planned vacation in January and he said not to worry about it that they could work around it. In fact I had recovered enough from the surgery to go on vacation (it was a ski vacation!) and my rads did not start until after I got back.

FrenchPorsche

Just to finish this thread off. I will be having a mastectomy in the next few weeks, so will hopefully be ok to go on our holiday. :-).