Newly diagnosed and not sure about further surgery

nlk1127

I had a stereotactic biopsy on January 20th because of micro calcifications that showed up on a mammogram in August of 2018, and then again in August 2019. They had not changed significantly in the year between mammograms. The biopsy report indicates atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), flat epithelial atypic (FEA), usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH) and columnar cell change associated with micro calcifications. I met with a surgeon yesterday, and she said the protocol is to recommend a wire guided open biopsy. However, she did say it was my choice, that the chances of finding anything else in the biopsy were low (about 10%), that if they did find anything it would likely be DCIS at worst, and even if that was the case, it would be unlikely to be any more serious a year or more from now. The alternative is to have a couple of mammograms six months apart, and if nothing shows, then I can go back to regular yearly mammograms.

I am very reluctant to do the surgery. I am still recovering from a total abdominal hysterectomy that had to be done 6 months ago, along with some other major life stressors, and I really just need some time to heal. The surgeon did tell me that she has a handful of women with my diagnosis who refuse the surgery every year, and that to her knowledge, none of them has gone on to develop breast cancer.

My question is has anyone on this forum made the choice to do the "watchful waiting" rather than getting the more extensive biopsy done, and if so, how has that worked out? I understand that every individual is unique, and I also understand the odds. I am simply looking for additional information that may help me to make a good decision for myself. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.