Treatment decision

This is something that we can't really decide for you, however we can give your different perspectives. You could have the mastectomy and a DIEP. That would get rid of belly fat and you would have to worry about needing more surgery later. With the re-excision you may need more then more and have to keep checking that breast.

Whatever you decide you will have support from here. There really are a lot of great people on this site.

If you choose the lumpectomy over the mx, that buys you radiation. However, you may need it anyway. It is very hard to take it all in. Consider having someone go with you so they can remember some of what was said. There is a study that was done that we only remember 30 to 60% of what the doctor told us.

I just had to make this decision.  I went with the re-excision.  I am not sorry, although for me it was more painful than the first surgery.  I did not get clear margins and have just had a mastectomy.  Three surgeries in a row did take a lot out of me, but I am comfortable with my decisions. Make sure no matter what you do, you recognize that you made the best decision you could at the time and never look back.

 I was also not ready to make the mastectomy choice. I also wanted to feel that I did everything I could to save the breast.  Round three, I really didn't have a choice. I know I did everything I could, and this time around there was no questioning the MX option.

 I also had an invasive lump removed, so we don't have similar pathologies.  

Lastar... This is indeed a very personal decision. Vbalmom said it was improtant to her to try and save the breast... My first BS always follows that line of thinking... But for me, I was less concerned about saving the breast and more concerned about making the right choice for ME... knowing I am a worrier, knowing I would need another surgery to remove a pappilloma, knowing I would need radiation if I didn't have the MX... ALL of my 4 doctors told me all I needed was a lump/rads, but I wanted to be aggressive and not have to think and worry going forward... in the end I had a BMX and Hip and DIEP flaps. I can honestly say I had no pain after my MX... was driving 2 weeks post op. It is exhausting, but for me I looked at it as short term "pain" for long term gain... I gave a small chunk of time last summer for the surgery, but now and for the next 50 years, no more mammos, MRIs, biopsys, and hopefully, no more worry.

Bessie... for me, since I don't have implants, I will never have another mammogram... that is something I know for sure... and my MO says no more MRIs, although I would like them just for the reasons you stated... and I said HOPEFULLY no more worry... I am aware that I have a 2% risk of local recurrance.

Recovery can vary greatly... I can say that after the MX, my range of motion was a work in progress for about 2 months, but never had pain, and was off pain meds after 3 days... and as I said before was driving at 2 weeks... I had other issues (like lung pain from my lung not fully inflating due to anesthesia, infected port (from chemo) that needed to be removed and gave me a fever and drains in my hips from a hip flap) but recovery from the MX was not that long. I had my hip drains for 8.5 weeks, so that more than anything kept me from returning to work... plus I had an incision open and needed a do-over on my recon on the right side one month post MX... In the end I returned to work 9 weeks post MX, but that's because I could and I had those drains... all other drains were only in for a week or two.

(bdavis) Good then we agree - it is such a very personal decision that one size doesn't fit all...  It's a very important part of the decision making process to totally understand that THIS cancer is DIFFERENT from THAT cancer... and one's family history (both genetically and environmentally) is so very different as well!!!

Lastar.. good for you!  I never understand why when the medical community starts giving us list of experts to see they don't include a therapist... I'm sorry this is so difficult and I wish only the best for you and the best possible outcome for all!!!

Take good care of yourself!!!  Deirdre

Lastar--there is so much info for u to digest--but in the end it will be u'r decision alone and I'm sure whatever u do decide it will be in u'r best interest since u are doin so much research. We all wish you the best and this has to be a very hard decision to make--when they offer options--my mind would be all ovr te place. Good Luck

No, is Tim tam a person on here? Or is it a website? I am partly excited just wish I knew if my nodes were clear. That's playing with my head big time. I can't get over how nice the results are I have seen.



Chemo scares me so much, yet so many of you have done it! I think of the kids I know who have done it and i think if I have to I will just deal with it but I hate to even type the word. Trying to be positive...I mean it's dcis.....non invasive!!! Have had two good size biopsies and that is what it has remained. I must have lost a 1/2 cup size because that breast used to b that much bigger but now it actually matches my other one. But I can't wait to get them off.

lastar, you say "His mom is an ovarian cancer survivor, and she and all the gals think I should go MX because they have seen this all too many times now." What have they seen all too many times? They've probably seen a lot more women who've had lumpectomies and haven't had any problems afterwards, but those aren't the situations that stick in their minds.  What we tend to remember are the cases that don't go well, where there are lots of problems and we hear about it for months on end. The cases where everything goes well and it's all over and done in a couple of months fade from our memories pretty quickly.  So don't put much weight on those types of statements or examples.  They are meaningless.

And remember too that what your mother-in-law and all the gals think you should do is completely and totally irrelevant to your decision.  They won't be the ones undergoing the surgery and living with the results. It's easy to tell someone else what they should do -it's a whole lot harder when it's your body and your recovery and your future on the line. So I'll say it again.  Don't feel that you should making a particular choice because it's what others think you should be doing.  Don't feel that you are making the "wrong" decision if you choose something different than what people are pressuring you to do.  Whatever decision you make, lumpectomy or mastectomy, make the decision because you realize that it's the right thing for you to do at this point in time, with your current state of mind, with your current knowledge about your diagnosis, and with what you know about the pros and cons of each option.   

For all that everyone is saying that you should do what's right for you, there seem to be a lot of people, both in your personal life and even here on this board, who are trying to subtly (or not so subtly) pressure you into making a particular choice.  I think that's unfortunate because it only makes a difficult decision even more difficult. Your situation is complicated; there is no clear answer or obviously "better" choice. I don't know what I would do if I was in your shoes. What I do know is that you should be able to look at the pros and cons of each option without having to deal with all the editorial comments and subtle pressures.  Over the years I've created and refined a list of considerations for those who are making the decision between lumpectomy, mastectomy and bilateral mastectomy. I've posted it many times on this board. Some women have gone through the list and decided to have a lumpectomy, others have decided on a single MX and others have chosen to go with a BMX.  So the list is not meant to steer you in any direction but simply presents things to consider about each of the options.  Here's a link to a recent thread where I posted this list.  See my post on April 15th.  I hope you find it helpful.  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/5/topic/785488?page=1#post_2965861

Lavendarlady.. TimTam or now called nowhergirl is someone on these boards who started a photo gallery. You need to PM nowheregirl and ask for permission to see the photos...

Lastar... If someone had suggested a year ago that I might post a naked picture of myself on the Internet I'd think them insane, but I have... and the other day after lunch with women from these boards I stood in my driveway and showed them my breast... Funny, huh? Mine are on there under bdavis.. I think its called MX, GAP and DIEP in NOLA.