Mastectomy or Lumpectomy? Sad and anxious
After my third opinion, 2 surgeons and the plastic surgeon recommend bilateral mastectomy. I am 36 and have been diagnosed with 6 cm of DCIS grade 3 with comedo necrosis. The surgeon thinks that it is "highly possible" that the final path report will reveal invasive or IDC. So the plastic surgeon will not do my reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy, he says the possibility of chemo and radiation and the fact that I have very large breast I will be more likely to have trouble with the flaps working. (planning on a diep flap) I have 4 boys, one in college and my husband works out of town so it's just me and the boys most of the time. How am I suppose to survive the recovery time after 2 surgeries? I am scared to death and have no idea what decision to make any more. I want to live that's no question. The mere thought of no hair and boobs makes me scream inside.
Comments
-
((((((hugs))))) caring4animals. You WILL get through this, and you are not alone with your anxiety. This is a difficult decision to have to make.
Is there a chance that your husband could change his schedule a bit during this time to be home more? Do you have some support persons you could ask to assist you, at least with the kids?
We are here for you in any way that we can! You are amongst an amazing group of individuals.
-
So sorry to have to welcome you to the club no one wants to join. If the cancer is only on one side, I'm not sure why you would need a bilateral mastectomy (did you test positive for BRCA?), but I doubt you have to jump right to that. Perhaps a lumpectomy could be tried, followed by a mastectomy if they can't get clean margins. 6 cm is a large area of DCIS, but if your breasts are indeed very large, I have known of people in that situation who were able to successfully do a lumpectomy. You would almost certainly need radiation though, which can be somewhat debilitating so might cancel out the effect of a shorter surgical recovery. Also, would it be possible to only do the cancer side? That way you would still have use of the other arm at least while you recover. My mother, who was 75 at the time had a single mastectomy without reconstruction and had a fairly quick recovery. I had a friend with Stage III cancer (so much more advanced than yours is likely to be) who had a single mastectomy followed by chemo and radiation with a DIEP reconstruction. The DIEP was done a full year later, allowing her plenty of time to recover from the prior surgery and treatment. My point is just that yes, the cancer needs to be removed quickly but reconstruction and even the prophylactic removal of the healthy side can wait until you are prepared to deal with it.
Also, yes, with a large area of DCIS with comedo necrosis, there is a higher probability of an invasive component, but that usually takes the form of a micro-invasion (what I had, although my area of DCIS was much smaller). Micro-invasions almost never require chemo, so I wouldn't worry too much about that possibility unless and until you get there .... the odds are very much in your favor that it won't be an issue.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team