LUMPECTOMY vs. MASTECTOMY.....HELP!

Hi TJP1071-

I read all of your post and sympathize with you. It is a difficult decision. I had a BMX on 11/11/11 after being given the choice of a lumpectomy, UMX or BMX. I chose the BMX for the following:

1. My type of cancer is hard to detect. It forms more of a "line" than a lump. MO said it was probably there through my last 2 to 3 mammograms. I'm not a good test taker. I get nervous waiting for medical test results and knew myself and didn't want to wait for the other shoe to drop. I am 43, I have 3 kids, breastfed all of them and once I learned I had BC, I felt emotionally detached from them. I did not want to go through this again.

2. The type of cancer I had has a 30% chance of recurrence in the opposite breast. See reasons above why I could not live with this.

3. I'm not a vain person, but take pride in my appearance and am happily married. Both my PS and my BS said that it is impossible to match a 43 year old breast to a brand new breast, and wanted me to be aware of that going in.

4. I'm considered "young" anything that will reduce my chances of going through this nightmare again I will do. My boys are 7,9, and 16. I want to see them grow up. A BMX isn't a cure, I know that, but I knew I couldn't live with a UMX or Lumpectomy because I really know myself and would be mentally tortured with testing and waiting.

Having said all that, the pain with really manageable. I don't regret it and feel at peace with it.

When I told my BS my decision, he was visible relieved and said that he fully believes I made the right decision. After the BMX, with the final pathology (no nodal involvement, no vascular invasion) my "healthy" left breast had a large fibroadema (sp?) that was never picked up by mammo, US, or MRI. Although it is not cancerous, my MO said "if there was any doubt in your mind about your decision to have a BMX, you can put it to rest, we would have had to monitor your left breast closely with mammograms (worthless for me) and MRI's every 3 to six months. So, next month, I would already be subjecting myself to an MRI.... So over it!

Just listen to your own mind and what mentally you can tolerate. Don't agonize over the physical pain, that is short lived and very manageable.

HI, So sorry you are going through this.  I had DCIS in 12/10, then again in 7/11... I had a lumpectomy in on Dec 22, 2010.  I had a recurrence (or some was left behind) on 7/21/11...

First of all, Be your OWN best advocate.  I did tons of research.  I interviewed 6 doctors.  YES, you heard me right. I interviewed them.  I wanted to see if they had my same values, my sames wishes, my best interest, my best outlook, my best option on their minds.  I was "offered" another lumpectomy with a reduction on righty... I told them no way. 

I watched video's of lumpectomy, mastectomy, diep, and any other surgery I could find for Breast Cancer. 

I opted for double MX with immediate DIEP which is Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator... I had this surgery on 9/29/2011.  My reconstruction was the same day. surgery was 10 hours. I was in ICU 1 day, hospital 4 days.  I was off work 6 weeks and I wouldn't change one thing.

I then had revision surgery on 12/22/2011 to fix a few things.  Fill the tops of the breast area, resconstruct my nipples, do a small tuck as I wanted them smaller, and repair my "dog ears"...  This was a 3 hour surgery.  I was out of school at that time so missed no work. 

I wouldn't have done it any other way.  I feel great. I am attending a boot camp.  I did have some pain in my hips where they harvested the fat to fill the tops of the breast.  BUT, I am so far ahead of the game.

I was originally told that I would not have to have any more mammograms, but when I saw my surgeon last week, he said that new research shows that even though I do not have my original breast, that I still have breast tissue under the arms and BC can come back there.  So he suggested a mammogram to make sure.

PM me if you would like to visit. I will be glad to call you and visit.

Hugs,
Deidre'

(o)(o) yes they are fake, the originals tried to kill me... :-)

CAP042, Sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Welcome to this site and this thread. It is such a roller coaster ride, but we are with you!!!! Wishing you well as you take each next step.

It most certainly IS a personal choice.. and should only be made after a great deal of research AND IMO lots of time working with a therapist so that you can really hear you own voice.. I agree with Beesie, you can alway have a mastectomy later... too often we are told how "easy" this is and that the replacement of breast with implants will be better.. but I never heard one of my 3 doc's suggest that i would have problems adjusting to the new me - my new normal.. but I did and it took me just shy of 5 years to adjust to the new normal...  I was depressed and had a feeling of intense loss... I am not normally a depressed person but the loss of the breast (and I was never defined by my breast either!) was almost too big to overcome - for me.  Please make sure you have ruled out anything else everything else before going through the removal of your breasts. Take care, Deirdre

TJP,

Glad it is getting clearer.  Keep us posted b/c I know it tends to be a roller coaster ride, or at least it was for me.  How cool that you were able to talk to your daughters and that they were able to come along side you on this.  Wishing you well as you take each next step.

I also had DCIS, stage 0. I was given the choice of lumpectomy with radiation or mastectomy. My breasts were small so my BS told me I might want to consider an MX because the lumpectomy would disfigure me. If you have large breasts they can do more to even you out or camoflage. My research on the internet turned up countless tales of women who had to go back in for further surgery because margins were not clear and many who felt so disfigured they wish they would have just had the MX and many more who were so much happier once they had had the MX. I also read many times how many felt they wished they had just done them both.  I have watched my Step-Mom battle a different, much more invasive and aggressive BC for 30 years now. While DCIS is not the same as hers and what I had was non-invasive, I did not want to go through (or have hanging over my head that I might have to have) countless surgeries, thinking I was clear only to have a re-occurance, radiation, harmone therapy and chemo.

I chose to have BMX for several reasons.

To negate as much a possible ANY chances for re-occurance.

To lessen surgeries and avoid radiation

To have a better reconstruction outcome.

In the end it's highly personal and one of the worst parts of this desease...having to make these decisions. Kind, loving, prayerfull thoughts to anyone having to make them.

TJP,

Thanks for keeping us posted.  Wishing you well as your journey through. (HUGS)