mammogram needed with DCIS after bilateral mastectomy?

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kathy8454
kathy8454 Member Posts: 5
edited July 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

I was diagnosed with DCIS 2 yrs ago. I decided on bilateral mastectomy. My doctor gave me mammogram at 1 yr. checkup. Now this year (2 yrs after surgery) doc is telling me I don't need mammo anymore since there are no breasts to xray. Is that true? Why did he give me mammo 1 yr after mastectomy then? 

Also doc did not put me on tamoxifen or anything because it didn't spread to my lymph nodes. Is that procedure?

Doctor also said if one cancer cell got into my system during the mastectomy it could spread to other areas in my body?

Please help with some answers

Worried

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  • Bren58
    Bren58 Member Posts: 1,048
    edited July 2014

    Kathy, I am not sure why you had a mammo at 1 year, or what there was to mammo since you had a BMX. After BMX, they usually do not do mammos. Did they do a sentinal node biopsy with your mammo and was it clean? If it was and there were no micro mets, that could be why they did not suggest other treatment. Also if your DCIS was ER- then I do not think you would get tamoxifen. It's been 2 years, if you are still really worried, you could always get all your surgical and pathology records and get another opinion from a different MO.

    Hopefully others with stop by with more info and help you out.

    There is also a great thread here titled "A layperson's guide to DCIS" If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to look it up. It has some great info.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    I did not have DCIS, but I'll add my own experience with mammo after mastectomy.  For me, it has depended on the particular practice.  I've had to move from one practice to another as doctors and offices have closed over the years (sigh).  I have a mastectomy with no reconstruction and they've always found a way to get some of the skin/scar tissue into the machine for a mammogram. But my current practice doesn't do this anymore. They also don't do ultrasounds, which I've always had before and were also the way that my cancer was found.  I'm sure a lot of this has to do with finding a way to make a profit, and/or Obamacare.  But I'm not really digging this new office.  I don't usually go to extremes, but--since my cancer was found only on ultrasound (not mammogram), I'm going to either ask for an ultrasound next time or switch practices.  As for the mammogram on the mastectomy side...I don't know how many do it, but I do know it can be done. 

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