Re-excision v. Mastectomy--HELP!

ttkslee - a little more than a year ago I was in exactly your boat. I was diagnosed with DCIS via core needle biopsy, had a lumpectomy about 3 weeks later. On my follow up with the BS I learned that I didn't have clear margins AND had a small bit of IDC (a 1.1 cm long line). The BS was confident that she could do a successful re-excision (along with a SNB to look for IDC in the nodes) so that was the route I chose, twice. On the way to my follow up with the BS after the 2nd reexcision I said to DH that if they didn't get clear margins this time that I thought it was time to talk mastectomy. And that's pretty much with the BS said to me. After my MX, the pathology found a little bit more DCIS so I was glad we went that route. One thing that the BS said to me that hit home was that if I were a 70 year old woman she'd have probably just said go get radiation and be done with it, but I was 41 at that point so she wanted to make sure it was all gone.

Almost a year post-DIEP now and while the road wasn't easy, I don't have any regrets either. You have to do what you're comfortable with, if you're happy with another reexcision, then go for it, if not and you'd rather have the MX, then go that route, there's really no one right answer - it's different for different people. Good luck to you.