ER+/PR+...now what??

Wow - no one in good faith should answer your question for you Dee (sorry) but I will say this... I had the bi-lateral mastectomy, negative BRCA and a grade 2/3... It was suggested that I remove my ovaries and uterus because of strong family history (I was not BRCA +) and after having a long discussion with myself I decided that they (genetic counselor and one of my bs) were being impractical and so I opted to not remove any more organs...  It's very scary - they tell you you have pre-invasive DCIS and then they jump to let's yank out all of your unnecesarry organs..  Too radical for me and if I had this to do all over again I don't think I would have have my breasts removed either.. I would have had the area they recognized as diseased removed and then do "watchful waiting"...  That's what I would do, but you are a whole other story and if I was starting this in the face (again) I would add a therapist to my list of specialists so you can hear your own voice more clearly... Good luck and please keep asking questions!!!  Take good care!  Deirdre

<Warm Smile>  Let them stew Dee this (YOU) are just too important.. This is hard and I think it is wonderful that you plan to add the therapist - I believe he/she will serve you well!!!  One of the reasons I chose to have a bi-lateral (although again this was tainted so take it with a grain of salt) was to avoid radiation and Tamoxifen...  But after the BRCA was neg. I totally decided that I was done with breast cancer treatment...  That said my oncologist told me not to take any notice of the other doc's recommendation about Tamoxifen - since I had removed as much breast tissue as possible and since the risk are high for other cancers if you do take Tamoxifen he never recommended women in my situation should take it.. So take a deep breathe and wait for your BRCA results and you'll make a much better decision.... Take care, Deirdre

Have you gotten a 2nd opinion?  For something this major, especially if you are talking removal of your uterus as well, I would definitely get a 2nd opinion.

My doctor told me that if I had a MX, my chances of recurring in that breast area would be less then 5%, if I did a lumpectomy with rads, my chances of recurrence would be about 8% or less. The numbers are very close.  

Nothing done in the breast that has cancer will help deter cancer in your other breast.  Your risk of cancer goes up since you have already had a diagnosis of cancer.  However your chances of NOT getting cancer in that breast are significantly higher then your chances of getting cancer again.  It is unfortunate but we can remove everything, eat right, exercise, take the drugs that they say...and it can still come back.  The thing to remember is that the chances of that happening are really low. 

Have you had a breast MRI?  I had one since I'm only 41 and have dense tissue, so it was hard for them to see accurately what was going on.  It gave me peace of mind since my other breast came back clear.

I wish you the very best no matter what you choose to do. As I said, you have to make that choice that gives the peace of mind to sleep at night and feel safe.