Can't make a decision, don't know what to do

I can't comment on what you should or shouldn't do but I will say there are many options for reconstruction and there can be excellent results even for radiated skin



Best wishes. Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you

  I am not 31... I am 58. .. I was 56 when diagnosed with DCIS. (2-1/2 yrs ago) ..non invasive... It was caught by calcifications on my yearly mammo.  I'd had the calcifications for a few years but they never thought them suspicious then.  I don't know how long the cancer was in there..... altho pathology said it was a fast growing kind. And I am also BRCA1 and BRCA2  negative... However, bc DOES run rampant in my family...

My mother also died from ovarian cancer.  I feared that for years, but finally had my ovaries out and pathology came back ok...no ovarian cancer....two wks later, diagnosed 2 wks later w/bc.

So we do have a lot in common. 

Like Azul, I opted for the bilat mx for the same reasons she stated:In the end, I opted for the bmx to minimize my chances of recurrence, but more importantly, I did not want a lifetime of mammograms and worry.  There is still a chance that the cancer may reoccur, but I've minimized it to the degree possible and that gives me great peace of mind.  When I finally decided what I wanted to do, I felt such a sense of relief that I knew I had made the right decision for me.  I have never regretted that decision even for an instant.

You are faced with a decision so many of us have to make.. Take your time.. Read, read, read......I learned most everything I know on here.  Don't rush it. You have time to make sure you're doing what you feel is best.

Tlaquepaque-

are you from Jalisco? my daughter was born in Tala!

you actually have 3 choices - lumpectomy/radiation/ tamoxifen. single mastectomy/hopefully no radiation/tamoxifen but the bilateral mastectomy would give you the best chance of eliminating the need for radiation and you wouldn't get the tamoxifen. I raise the specter of radiation even with mastectomy because sometimes it is still recommended.

I would post your questions on the younger women's discussion board which can be found under support and community. I think you are correct in assuming that your young age and the number of years of risk you have ahead of you will be critical to your decision making. I would also research the impact of mastectomy - on breast sensation.

with regards to follow-up from a lumpectomy/radiation.My tumor was not detected by mammography either and now I alternate an MRI and then mammogram at six month intervals.  Have you had an MRI to see if your other breast is clear?

so sorry you are faced with this, but glad that your diagnosis was changed to DCIS from IDC

Julie E

I'm 36, my mother passed from breast cancer when I was 28, I am BRACA-.  I had DCIS and I had a BMX.  I was very afraid, no I AM very afraid of cancer.  So for me it was the only answer.  I didn't want rads to my body if I could avoid it, mine was close to the chest wall and I was concerned with margins, I worried over tamoxifen so a BMX was the way for me to go.

I'll be honest and say I am happy with my decision.  My new breasts look great- BUT- I miss my nipples and breast sensation.  I have no idea if when you have nipple sparing if you retain feeling in your nipples but I would check it out if you are considering BMX.  Ask others on the thread discussing it.  I wish I would have pursued it, perhaps...but there is so much going on when you are diagnosed and even a year ago, not many women were having nipple sparing done. 

Good luck with your decision, there is no right answer and it is a very personal decision.  I wish you the best.

I chose mastectomy, no radiation with tamoxifen.  I had thought that being very agressive would get this out of my life. How wrong I was!  After 11 months I quit the tamox because of pain in the bones. So now I do the annual MRI followed by mammogram. Plus I see my Onc 2 x a year, my Gyn 2 x a year, and my breast surgeon wants to see me at least 1 time a year. Last week I said good bye to my ovaries. Now they want me to do a yearly colonoscopy too. I'm not even two years since dx and am so tired of seeing doctors. It never seems to end.

Mom3 .. I'm not so sure you are the minority.  I had a lumpectomy and radiation.  I absolutely knew I did not want to lose my breasts.  I was very fortunate to have the choice.

Best wishes,
Bren