Thought I'd be one of the 80%

Can't thank everyone enough for hanging in there with me.  A lot of you ladies since I was first diagnosed in December.  Your kindness and support mean so much more to us newbies than you'll ever know.  I'm eerily calm about tomorrow.  Almost indifferent.  Is that crazy?  I am so hoping for wonderful news of clear margins.  But if not, I am really only considering a 3rd lumpectomy (if the breast surgeon is willing to try) vs moving on to the radiation and tamoxifen and with close monitoring just hope for the best.  I can not seem to even wrap my mind around the possibility of a mastectomy for DCIS.  Everyone on BCO always says that you'll know in your heart what treatment is right for you and that when you know, you know.   Mastectomy just seems so drastic to me for DCIS which is stage 0, pre-invasive, "pre-cancerous."  I am a physical therapist that works in a Pittsburgh hospital. So I have experience working with women post-op who have had mastectomies and various reconstructions.  I am acutely aware that these are major surgeries with the risk of a multitude of post-op complications.  Again, that just seems so drastic for DCIS.  Am I the exception for feeling this way???  There are so many very recent articles about how advanced mammography has become and how that is contributing to BC being over-diagnosed and over-treated.  It feels like I am living that exact scenario right now and it's making me really question how much more aggressively I want to treat this...

Thanks everyone for sticking by me through all of this.  Thank you hope67 for understanding EXACTLY what I was thinking/feeling.  Unfortunately, after more mammograms yesterday and meeting with my breast surgeon to discuss path results from my re-excision lumpectomy, the news is not good.  Every time they go in they are finding more and more microcalcs and DCIS.  And they also found 2mm of invasive ductal carcinoma.  With my age (46), the grade(2&3), how multi focal and diffuse the DCIS is and now the recently discovered microinvasion, I have been scheduled for a right unilateral mastectomy on March 5th.  They will check lymph nodes at that time as well.  And do immediate reconstruction either with an implant or tissue expander if needed.  This is soooo NOT what I bargained for but I'm OK with the new plan.  Just have to do what I have to do to be here til I'm 80 (at least!)  Love you all for your support and kindness.  Franny

Thanks everyone!  Holeinone, I was scheduled for March 5th because my husband had to fly to SC for work all this week and then the plastic surgeon is on vacation next week.  I really don't mind the wait, gives me a little time to wrap my mind around things.  4 days ago I did not even know that I needed a Mastectomy.  Yesterday, the plastic surgeon sent me to the lab to have my nose swabbed to see if I'm a MRSA carrier after working in the hospital setting for so many years.  Anyone else have to do this?  If you came back (+) were there any issues with surgery?  I've been off work for 3 weeks for the lumpectomy and re-excision lumpectomy but have been cleared to return to work this week and next while awaiting surgery.  Then I'll be off for another 6 weeks.  One other question for you ladies.  I'm not really worried about (+) lymph nodes cause I think that's highly unlikely but I am concerned about getting wide, clear margins against my chest wall with the DCIS.  Worried about having the immediate implant reconstruction and then getting the path report and finding out that I need radiation.  Anyone have this experience?  Thanks as always ladies!  Franny

Nose swabs came back (-) for MRSA carrier!  First good news / negative test result since last November - I'll take it!  At least I won't have to fill my nose with Bactroban antibiotic everyday for 2 weeks leading up to surgery! 

Plastic surgeon's office pushed my surgery date back 2 days from March 5 to March 7th.  Something about they only get the OR for so many hours each day and there's another long/complicated plastic surgery case on the 5th as well and they didn't think they'd have time for both cases. 

Thanks Nancy!  Very good to hear that you didn't need radiation after mastectomy for extensive DCIS.  May I ask if you ever worry about the other side?  Annual mammogram of L breast was normal Nov 2013 but it hasn't been looked at since.  And since they told me that I have dense breasts how do I know what's really in there?  Is it strange that they've never wanted to do an ultrasound or MRI?  If I knew that there was anything on the L, I would seriously consider a bilateral mastectomy instead of a single mastectomy.  Sigh.  When will the wondering, worrying and difficult decisions end???