DCIS and Mastectomy?

Beesie, what would we all do without you??! Your posts are always filled with such solid advice and delivered in such a loving, and kind manner. Reading through many of them has really carried me through my experience. Not sure if you recognize your presence here as a calling, but I sure do! I want to personally thank you for fulfilling it.



Momluke, I want to apologize if my comments on on deciding to go forth with a BMX caused you any stress. I have many other health issues that made a BMX the right surgery for me, but certainly not for everyone. We've all been through so much, and want to share our experiences in hopes that we can make some sense of things, as well as provide comfort to others in similar circumstances. Sometimes in doing so it causes worry to yet others. : (



I had a BS apt yesterday, and ironically my doctor reminded me that I may have reduced my risk of BC recourance but that just means something else will end up getting me. Lol! So true, no guarantees in life. A nice reminder that worry, and stress have no value in my life. They alone aren't going to change things, nor give me anymore darn control! Letting go, is a huge issue for a personality like mine, but I'm learning. I want to enjoy the journey no matter where it leads. Speaking of, I hear the sounds of my little darling fighting over the wii remote upstairs! Mamma's got to go put an end to the madness. Now that's the stuff I DO have some control over! Lol.



Have a wonderful weekend ladies!

I was asked "why did you have a mastectomy when you could have just had a lumpectomy and a few weeks of radiation?"  This was obviously someone who doesn't know the anxiety associated with having this "thing" to invade their body.  They don't understand what its like to hear the word "cancer" come out of the mouth of the dr as they are discussing your own body.  They don't understand how the worse case scenarios flood your mind.  They don't get how you start recounting in your mind all of the women you have heard of dying from the "C" word.  They just don't get it!!!  And because they don't...they need to just shut up!!!

My DCIS was 6cm, high grade with necrosis with an anticipated .5 cm margin.  High grade with necrosis, according to the dr, as well as my own research, has a high recurrence rate.  I wanted it, and the chances of it coming back, GONE!

I know I am preaching to the choir but i just wanted to let that out. 

I am glad your surgery went well!



You are right....it is such a personal decision and I feel deep in my heart that it was the absolute right decision for me!



I hope recovery goes well for you! Did you end up with drains?

Yes two drains, uncomfortable but not as bad as I thought. Surgeon just came in my nodes were clear no invasive cancer! Skin margin prelim is good but they will have final on Monday. He said if he has to its a small piece of skin and will take 20 minutes and won't effect recon. Woo hoo.

Yay Cindy! You made it and everything is sounding very positive. That's great. I didn't do the fills until 4 weeks after the BMX.

good luck with the healing process!

Greetings....It has been one year since I first felt the lump...ended up being DCIS...but in several locations and pre-cancer indications on other breast so I eventually, after 3 lumpectomies, decided on bi-lateral mastectomy with modified DIEP reconstruction.  Surgery on 7/25/12 and cancer free!!  If anyone who is trying to decide wants to contact me, I would be happy to discuss why I went the way I did (two sisters with cancer did impact my decision!).  I am so glad I went the way I did...still some residual effects, but all in all, a positive outcome.

I spoke with around 20 women before I decided and got great input including questions to ask MD, so if you have questions about anything, please PM me or e-mail MiamiU72@aol.com and put cancer question as subject.

i have been having the fear creep up on me again....I had DCIS lumpectomy in one localized area in May 2011 at age 42. I did have rads and did one year of tamox....i couldnt tolerate the joint pain so went off tamox. The divet left behind has really been making me unhappy and felling "less than". I know others have much worse, but I still am not very happy about it. I nursed my kids about 20 yrs ago and the loss of breast fullness and sagging with aging. I dont have the BC gene and there was no family history of BC...I was the first one. Ive been debating the idea of having a UMX or even BMX because of my fears about getting another DCIS or something even worse in the future. I know I want to fix the divet and Ive been checking into the fat grafting Ive heard about...but im trying to lose weight and worry the graft would disappear with weight loss.. I dont want to lose my nipples/areolas as im concerned with loss of sensation. The more I look online for information the more my worries increase and I second guess having just the lump./rads. Has anyone with DCIS here had the fat grafting? Im feeling so confused and defeated.

Bumping this for hopedreams.  Thank you!  I have heard only good things about Dr. Disa so far.  I am in the process of trying to get accepted to the surveillance program at MSK.  Just now sent in all my reports, etc to the referral dept.

Dec 28, 2013 07:06AM hopedreams wrote:

hi  girls  I'm just  reading some old posts here..I feel that I must defend Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center on my breast surgeon who did my mastectomy..she was wonderful, kind and compassionate..and she works with the BEST plastic reconsturctive surgeon that U could ask for..Dr Disa..He is Top Shelf  surgeon.....It's over 2 yrs now for me..and all is well.. I guess it all depends on what Dr  U chose for yourself... best of luck to all of U gals..~Hope

Got the news today after steriotactic biopsy came  back- DCIS. I have some decisions to make. 

proud.. I "elected" to do bmx. I want this gone. I never want to deal with cancer ever, and I mean even again!! with that said, I pray I am making the right decision. Seems every decision I make, I spend days second guessing my every move. Sad : (

Renee - I had DCIS stage 0 and tested neg for BRCA genes....  My BS said lumpectomy but I did not feel good about that situation.  You know in your gut what the right decision is for you. I had DMX skin sparing in Feb.  When I got the path report back it had spread and another section had started to develope.  IF I had gone with the lump, I would have had to go back for and MX.  Just follow your gut and have faith