What the???

I do understand the feelings of panic and confusion, but try to take a deep breath and just take everything one day at a time.We all react to this differently.  For me, knowledge is power and I came to this site and Komen for information before I was ever diagnosed.  From what I have researched, there is actually more risk associated with seeding of a breast cancer from a needle biopsy than from an excisional surgery, and that is greatly disputed by most.  Please listen to what they say in regards to the radiation.  The recurrence rate is much higher for women who do not have radiation, so the protocol is radiation with a lumpectomy, no radiation for mastectomy patients.  I was diagnosed almost 5 years ago, and really everything is pretty darned good, and my cancer was Grade 3.  You still need a lot more information before making any decisions.  I found a good support group that was a good fit for me fairly early in the process, before I had my surgery.  It may help you to have real live conversations, hugs and tears with women who understand exactly what you are feeling.  God bless you and I truly hope you get all good news today.

A TRAM is a type of reconstruction surgery.  In my humble opinion, it is a pretty big deal because it involves abdominal surgery but other women will say differently.

I hear you and get it completely.  For me one of the worst things was trying to make these big decisions without sufficient information.  I found it VERY helpful to meet with a plastic surgeon to understand my options on reconstruction and that helped me ask more questions.

When you get your appointment don't feel you have to rush rush rush.  You need to feel comfortable and trust your surgeon.  I ended up meeting with 2 breast surgeons, 2 plastic surgeons and an oncologist before I was ready to schedule things.  I went with the 2d surgeon and will probably go with the 1st plastic surgeon.  I had a 3d set of appointments scheduled but cancelled because I felt that comfortable with surgeon #2. 

All in all, I was diagnoised in mid-November and am set for surgery on February 1--Monday.  The only thing taking all that time did was make me feel more comfortable with what I was doing.

Take care!

I think I posted your post a few days ago!  Hope you are feeling better after meeting with your surgeon.  You can take some comfort in being grade 1.  My DCIS is grade 3 but I only have 1 spot (as far as my surgeon can see). She is not reccommending a mx for me.  She and I feel very comfortable with lumpectomy and radiation....provided the biopsy of the tumor turns up no surprises.   It is a very personal decision and one you need to take time to make.  This does suck and it is scary.  good luck.

I feel this way too.  I got through the first week of this telling myself "I don't really have cancer, I have precancer."  But then when a nurse was making an appointment for me with a radiologist, I heard her say "she has breast cancer," and it came home to me.  I saw an oncologist on Wednesday, and I felt really lucky because I know I was a lot less sick than most of the people in the room.  But then I felt scared when I thought that, yes I am actually seeing an oncologist who treats people with cancer.  On the whole I do feel lucky, especially when I read some of the posts on this board: my diagnosis is serious but not dire.  And yes I feel lucky that I have lots of contacts in the medical school at my university and I have really good doctors (probably more specialists than I really need).  But I also feel like is one of the worst things that has ever happened to me.  BTW, I have 1-2 grade, will probably do lumpectomy with no SNB, whole breast radiation, and then probably tamoxifen. 

My story is not so unlike some of the others....I was diagnosed Nov. 6, 2009.  DCIS. Left breast.  Went back in for a lumpectomy on 11/18/09 (but it was really more of a half-breast-ectomy)....my surgeon was hoping to get good, clean margins....but he didn't.  In addition, my DCIS was multi-focal.  Because of that, the decision of lumpectomy and radiation vs mastectomy was already made for me.  I HAD to have the mastectomy.  Then I had an MRI.  It showed nothing else , but I still had to make the decision of unilateral or bilateral.  I met with two oncologists and a PS.  Both my BS and oncologists said the left side HAD to go.  Right side was my choice, but if it stayed, I'd have to take tamoxifen.  After much prayer, tears, and talking with my husband, I decided to go with the bilateral and NO reconstruction.  My BMX was Jan. 6, 2010.  My nodes (5) came back fine!  And the DCIS was all contained!! 

Right now, I'm still healing and the tightness is unbearable at times.  I don't know how the other gals do it with their implants, because I'm sure that makes it even tighter.  The PS in our area only do TRAM and implant reconstruction, and I didn't have enough tummy to do TRAM for both breasts....

I decided to see how I did being flat for a few months before making that final decision.

I'm also in the process of going through genetic testing - for my kids' sakes.  (If I carry the gene, then my daughter could be at risk, obviously, but my boys also could carry it and would have a 50% chance of passing it down to their daughters...)

As everyone as told you, and everyone told me - keep researching, keep soul searching, keep talking,...you'll know when you have your answer....

blessings...