DCIS near chest wall?

Yes, I was diagnosed with DCIS near the chest wall; was told it was not  unusual.

Teresa

I know, I know.   I had the option of either and decided on a mastectomy (BS leaned heavily toward the mastectomy but no one can tell you you have to have it - it is your decision)  1) no additional worries about 'did they get it all?' 2) the DCIS was spread over a large area 3) did not want radiation which would follow a lumpectomy 4) BS told me that  there was a chance the lumpectomy would be followd by a mastectomy 5) reconstruction concerns after possible breast scaring from radiation.  Hindsight showed I did make the right decision as IDC was found in addition to te DCIS

Yes, the decision to lose a breast was huge.  I try to be positve and think instead of it in another light - not losing a breast, but gaining additional healthy years. But the tears do come - people here have been very supportive- when the reality hits.

Teresa

I am waiting to see the surgeon...goin on Jan. 18th.  Had 2 spots done with sterotactic biopsy...both came back DCIS.  My only issue is that one area was near the nipple and another was near the chest wall. Same quadrant though.   I am worried that they missed some in the dense tissue.  Probably heading for an MRI. 

I understand the thought of losing the breast!  OMG I can think of nothing else at this point! It's a haze!

The spag......great reference!  I keep telling my mom who has more understanding of heart issues that it is like clogging the arteries!  LOL  It is something she can understand.  

Waiting is the worst.   It makes you think too much!  Hope you hear good news!

So Sorry Lisa.  I am 8 months ahead of you in the journey.  It's sad and terrible, but you will endure and make it through.  Be good to yourself, take the time to heal and 'just keep swimming' (Finding Nemo).  I had bilateral mastectomy for extensive DCIS in both breasts (they found a small area of invasion), tissue expanders and reconstruction a month ago with implants.  I cannot believe that I have come this far, am in one piece!  As another member said - 'I want to grow up to be an old woman'.  You will!!  Best advice I got for MX surgery - get men's muscle shirts to wear afterwards (accomodates the drains), sleep in a recliner with small pillows under each arm. REST!!  You will get through this!! xoxo

Lisa, I am sorry. BC sucks! Stay with the women on these boards, we will cry and laugh with you . . .These boards kept me sane during the insanity, and you will return the favor by helping others through this when you are through it -- you will get through it.

Lisa, I had an expander.  And like you I told very few people about what I was going through.  So I understand your desire to go through this in a way that is the least noticeable to those that you work with. 

The amount of time between the initial placement of the expander (often done during the mastectomy surgery) and the exchange surgery depends on a few things:

- How large do you want to be?  The larger you go, the more that the expander needs to be filled and the longer it may take to fill the expander.

- How much is the PS able to put into the expander during the first surgery?  If you have a skin sparing mastectomy and your skin is flexible, you might start out with a big fill that's done during surgery.  Or if your skin is tight and/or the PS is very cautious/conservative, you might not have any fill during the first surgery.

-  How often will you get fills and how large will each fill be?  The more frequent the fills and the larger each fill, the more pain/discomfort you will feel.  Some PSs like to do it quickly and initially that's what most patients want, because it means that the whole thing will be over more quickly. However those are the women who often experience pain during the whole process. Lots of PSs prefer the slow approach. My PS did fills every two weeks and each fill was smalll - as she injected the liquid, she asked me to tell her as soon as I could feel some pressure.  She stopped the fill at that point.  So I got through the process with virtually no pain, but it took longer.  If you are trying to get this done with no one at working noticing, the slow approach is probably better for you because you are less likely to have pain and/or need to take time off work because of pain.

- How long will your PS wait after completing the fills before doing the exchange?  There are two schools of thought on this.  Some PSs do the exchange very soon after filling the expander.  My PS, and many others, insist on a waiting period.  This is so that your skin and muscle adjust to the expanded state - the theory is that this should provide a better result over the long term because the skin and muscle will have a pocket that is ready to accept the implant and will be less likely to contract back and squeeze the implant. My PS insists on 3 months between the last fill and the exchange; this seems to be about the norm for those PS who follow this approach.

I was filled to a relatively small "B" cup.  My time from mastectomy surgery to exchange was 6 1/2 months.  From other women on this board, I've seen time frames from as little as 2 months to as much as 18 months.  Once the fills are done, there is no rush to do the exchange so one option for you is to delay the exchange until a time when you are able to be off work for a few days with no one noticing. 

When I had the exchange, I felt great right from the start.  I was warned by my PS however that I needed to restrict arm/upper body movement for 6 weeks.  This is because incisions don't fully heal for about that amount of time and you risk damaging either the internal or external incisions if you do too much activity (or the wrong activity) too soon.  Still, my exchange surgery was day surgery and I was fully up and around by later that day.  You just need to be careful and thoughtful in what you do for the next few weeks.  Of course, not all of us react the same and there are some women who have a more difficult time with the exchange surgery but as a general rule, the exchange surgery is pretty easy.

Hope that helps. 

My DCIS was also near the chest wall......I am four months out of six weeks of radiation and five boosts......was told over and over again about the possibility of rib fx......again...that was four months ago......I live in Micigan and have been shoveling snow.......the oncologists know exactly how much we can handle......great technology......digital pictures are great.....My first lumpectomy didn't go so great......margins were not clear.....opted for a second lumpectomy.....and six weeks of radiation....

No chest wall or rib fractures...............

But...............there still is alot of snow!