Grateful Male

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Omahaman
Omahaman Member Posts: 4
edited February 2017 in Male Breast Cancer

Hello to you all - - 

I'm a 67 year old male who was diagnosed with IDC in my left breast.

The tumor felt like no more than a deep pimple, but my wife I talked and decided we couldn't rule out the possibility of cancer, regardless of how remote. My primary care physician recommended an ultrasound to be sure it wasn't anything more severe.  At the hospital the nurse-practitioner recommended a mammogram as well since there was a noticeable lump.  Unfortunately the radiologist confirmed it was not a cyst and that I should have a biopsy.  I went home suspecting I had breast cancer and started researching the topic on the net.  The biopsy confirmed IDC, about 9.8mm.  

My primary care physician helped me select a surgeon. The surgeon's diagnosis was stage 1 IDC and he recommend a mastectomy because of the proximity of the tumor to the nipple (a look at the mammogram made it clear).  Surgery was less than a week later. I had a Sentinel Node biopsy (no cancer detected at the node) and a mastectomy of the left breast.  The final pathology report confirmed there were no cancer cells in the lymph nodes, so my cancer is stage1a IDC

I am so grateful for the unknown persons who have promoted awareness of male breast cancer.  Without their efforts I may have ignored the bump as a cyst, and not have gone to my well informed primary care physician.

I'd like to hear from other males who had similar cancer and their experience with treatment.



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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited September 2013

    Hi Omahaman, and welcome to Breastcancer.org, although we're sorry you've had to join us!

    You were wise to ask your doctor to examine that pimple! Many people still think men don't have breasts, so they can´t get breast cancer, so posting here you are also promoting the awareness of this disease. Thank you! 

    You´ll sure hear from other members sharing their own experiences. Until then, you can read about Treatment of Male Breast Cancer in our main site, where you´ll learn about how different treatments are performed and what to expect from each.

    Hope this helps!

    ---The Mods

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  • 1NippledBandit
    1NippledBandit Member Posts: 78
    edited September 2013

    Welcome to the club Omahaman.  Sorry you had to join.  I have a similar story.  I was diagnosed at 37.  I went to the doctor with a lump and was told not to worry about it, that it was a lypoma.  A year later I had a different doctor tell me the same thing.  After another year, I went back to the doctor after experiencing some intense pain.  Fortunatly it was still early.  Stage 1.  1.5cm.  No radiation or chemo.  Lucky doesn't begin to describe how I feel.

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  • jdm21
    jdm21 Member Posts: 5
    edited September 2013

    I'm also extremely grateful to have had awareness, excellent health care, and full insurance, so that my experience with breast cancer has been minimally difficult. I wish these were available for everyone. My tumor, though stage 1, turned out to be grade 3--so if I hadn't known, and if I hadn't had easy access to health care or insurance, I likely would have waited until it was too late to treat easily. I had a minimally disfiguring lumpectomy, chemo (only missed a few days of work), radiation, and I'm in the 2nd year of tamoxifen with no side effects. I couldn't feel more fortunate.



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  • Omahaman
    Omahaman Member Posts: 4
    edited September 2013

    To 1Nippledbandit and jdm21:  

    Thanks for the encouragement.  I have my first meeting the oncologist tomorrow 9/18/13.  I've been doing so much research as preparation that I feel like I'm back in grad school! I've committed myself to listening and evaluating what the oncologist has to say. I won't push back, but neither will I consent to treatment until I have time to evaluate my options.


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  • sammy0345
    sammy0345 Member Posts: 10
    edited November 2013


    Did you decide on a treatment? are you Her- or +, hope things are going well for you?

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  • ziggypop
    ziggypop Member Posts: 1,071
    edited November 2013


    Can I post here even though I'm not a guy? I just wanted to say that I think we all need to promote awareness& access to treatment among men as well as women & I'm glad you guys are getting the care that you need. Best wishes to all of you.

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  • cliff
    cliff Member Posts: 290
    edited February 2017

    you are lucky, your wife knew enough to tell what it was. if more gals would check their guys, more guys would be in better shape. early detection saves a lot of trouble (and lives).

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