New Diagnosis，23 young girl, cannot handle it

Hi Clarecy...

Hang in there and take your time. You shouldn't wait years to make a decision, but you a few months and certainly a weeks. 

You might also try Mayo Clinic. They have an excellent breast cancer center (in Rochester and Jacksonville, I don't know about Phoenix) and many reconstruction options. 

It is possible to have breasts that look and feel like yours do now -- but are a lot safer to your health.

Hugs...

Clare, if you live in NYC than you are fortunate to have some really outstanding hospitals and docs.

I live in NJ, considerably older than you but had lumpies, rads and now on a AL for the last 5 years.  Heck, I am doing well.   NYC is home to MSK, Columbia Pres, NYU and other really great centers.  If you can handle NJ, then I can highly recommend Hackensack Hosp and the docs there.  Then again there are a ton of other good centers.

The docs want to be more agressive with you due to your age (I was 58 at the time of diagnosis) but that does not mean you can not take a bit of time to talk to docs.

Sloan is a great hospital, they will want all your reports and I have pals that have been successfully treated there.

Do try to be calm.  Use the time to reasearch and talk to survivors

Hi Clarecy,

I'm so very sorry that you are facing this diagnosis at such a young age, but you are doing everything right.

Try to take a breath. It is good that you know that breast conserving treatment is a priority for you. Several women on this board have been able to achieve clear margins with a lumpectomy despite an initial recommendation of mastectomy. One lady, ballet12, was treated at Sloan & would probably be a great resource for you. Maybe you could try messaging her.

I hope everything works out so that you can feel as comfortable as possible with the treatment choice you make.

Best of luck,

Deb

See Clare! already you have the info to get treated at Sloan!  Help is there for the asking!

Hi Clare

big hug to u...

well doctors out here are very aggressive when it comes to younger patients... but they will all also agree that there's no data to prove that mastectomy is better over lumpectomy or vice versa....they say this because u are young and they think it will be difficult for u to do follow ups every 6 months for the rest of ur life...but no doctors guarantess that cancer will not return if u go for mastectomy..also a lot of these decisions are fear driven than anything else...

I am 27 and was diagnosed a month back...i went for lumpectomy...i am waiting for my final surgical report and my genetic test reults before making the final call...because I can always go for mastectomy after lumpectomy but the opposite is not possible..

u are stage 1, the tumor size is small so why not only radiation after the surgery? 

Here are a couple of web sites you can try.

CDC early detection program.

 Susan G. Komen Foundation. 

I was thinking that you might have better care in your home country but I don't know about China, perhaps you do.  

DCIS in not invasive so you have time.  It may never be invasive but having it at your young age means that you must pursue treatment.  I am so sorry that this has happened to you.