DCIS in both breasts

I recall reading somewhere that about 3% of women are diagnosed with BC in both breasts simultaneously.  This is why the ACS recommends contralateral breast MRIs for anyone who's been diagnosed with BC.  Did you have an MRI when you were diagnosed a year ago?  If not, I wonder whether it might have picked up the DCIS in your right breast.  For me, and many others here, an MRI was more effective at picking up our DCIS than a mammo. 

Given that your 2nd diagnosis is so close to your first, I'd say that your situation is equivalent to being diagnosed with BC in each breast simultaneously, since in all likelihood the DCIS was already present in your right breast a year ago.  But the other way to look at it is that for any of us diagnosed with BC one time, our risk to be diagnosed again - with a new primary BC, not a recurrence - goes up.  It's individual of course, but I was told that my risk about was double that of the average woman my age.  So this means that I'm "high risk" to be diagnosed again (my risk is around 20%, according to my oncologist).  I know that others here have been told the same thing so I think that this is true of most of us.  Most of us will dodge that bullet but unfortunately, you have not.  Crap.  But at least it's DCIS again, which is the good news part of your bad news.

So sorry that you are facing this again! 

Hi Valariew... I am part of that 3% as well! I had a "normal" mammography in Feb. 2010 which was followed by a breast reduction in March. When I went back to plastic surgeon to get stitches out I was told that DCIS was found in both breasts... digital mammo never picked it up. I  was also told that DCIS in both breasts at the same time was extremely rare. Double mastectomy was really the only option as the biopsied tissue was not mapped so they really did not know how close to the chest wall it was. I was able to have immediate implants as I wanted to be small anyway.... boobs are so over rated! Mastectomy turned out to be the right choice as final pathology showed severe amounts of LCIS... so things were changing. I will be having surgery #5 since March for additional reconstructive surgery in Feb and hoping that is the last! Wishing you a Happy HEALTHY New Year and good luck with the radiation.

Valariew... Wow, that was a long time to heal from surgery. I have been doing pretty well on the healing end. Also had small infection after reduction but caught it right away. MX surgery they gave me IV meds and I had no complications. As far as implants go, 1st the bad- had to have left one replaced in june (needed to be slightly bigger) and will be having a revision on same breast in Feb. due to some scar adhesions issue. Here is the best part... for the most part they feel very natural. I do not feel like I am missing anything. I have full feeling, no numbness, they are soft and feel real, it is easy to forget that they are implants! As for survival, I also had uterus and ovaries removed in Nov., it was done laproscopic and now 6 weeks later I am 100 %. I chose a very agressive approach and looking forward to putting this behind me. Everyone does what they feel comfortable with, as for me no regrets! I know that WAMMO feeling very well... 2 steps forward one step back... but most important is continuing to move forward however you get there!