March 2015 Surgery Sisters

I'll join in!  I'm scheduled for TE placement on March 19th. 

I'm 41 and was diagnosed with muticentric DCIS with microinvasion following my first mammogram/biopsy in January. Learned my surgery date today....March 9th for a bilateral mastectomy with TE placement. I was thrilled for a few hours knowing that there was a date that things would move forward. Now I'm starting to get a little anxious thinking of all that needs to be organized!

I am 46 and heading into bilateral mastectomy surgery with expander reconstruction on Tuesday, February 17th. I'm getting really scared! I hear that the expanders are painful. I would love to hear from other women who have had the same surgery. It would be great to hear about some positive experiences and tips to help things go smoothly.

I am 46 and heading into bilateral mastectomy surgery with expander reconstruction on Tuesday, February 17th. I'm getting really scared! I hear that the expanders are painful. I would love to hear from other women who have had the same surgery. It would be great to hear about some positive experiences and tips to help things go smoothly.

thank you for the positive message! The zip up fleece is a great suggestion. I previously had breast reduction surgery at the end of November which is how the cancer was found. The drains were one of the most unpleasant parts. Did you have drains for two weeks? Did you have any reconstruction

The drains are a serious drag and the worst part of the whole thing in my opinion. I think I had them for 9 days after BMX and my reconstruction was delayed as well because we didn't know about chemo/radiation yet. I didn't need either so I'm starting reconstruction now. I know lots of ladies who had TEs at the same time as surgery and they all seem to be doing well. I was a bit miffed that I wasn't offered that option but understood why. I'm not too freaked out about my surgery but not looking forward to the drains.

Melanie, I also had dense breast tissue, which I didn't know until my annual mammo led to a call back, ultra sound and diagnosis. I actually had 3 tumors in right breast and only one of them showed up on mammo. I had to have right gone and opted for BMX because of dense tissue. Turns out left was clear but I don't regret my decision one bit. It's a personal, difficult choice, but I knew it was the right decision for me

I know you're scared, this is scary stuff but I promise it gets easier once you have a clear treatment path. All of the unknown stuff is enough to push you right over the edge. A BC survivor friend of mine told me in those early dark days that my job was simply to show up and let my team of doctors work for me. Hang in there

Did you have the surgery yet or if not do you have a date? How are you feeling now

We're thinking about you Melanie! Let us know how you are when you can

NY2TXbaby, I'm so sorry you are in such a hard place.  I honestly don't know what I would do in your situation and which path I'd take.  I had multi-focal tumors in my right breast and the only option I was given by my BS was that it had to go, so in my mind, my decision was pretty much made for me.  I never even blinked at my choice for BMX because of the dense tissue issue and, well, I don't know, it was just an easy decision for me for some reason.  My BS did tell me that his job was simply to get rid of the cancer, whatever that took so that could be why you have differing opinions from your two doctors.  If they take 4 cm in the LX, does that mean you'll need further reconstruction or will that be it, assuming they get clear margins?  I had only the SNB done during my surgery because there was no evidence in my lymph nodes.  They took 3 nodes total.  The dissection sure does seem like an aggressive approach.  I guess if the surgeon took the sentinel and then two more and they were all clean, what would be the point of a full dissection?  Why would that be necessary?  It's such a personal choice and that's the worst thing about breast cancer, it just feels like one crappy choice followed by another crappy choice.  I'm sorry I'm not of much help, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone.   

Hummingbird and Divecat - thanks for the feedback.  Yes - I will have to have radiation after surgery because of the original positivity of 3 lymph nodes - so that is a given.  Which is why I don't understand why I have to have a full axillary dissection - isn't radiation after surgery meant to get rid of any remaining active cancer cells.  If the remove all my lymph nodes what do they radiate?? I havent talked with a radiation oncologist - just the BS, general surgeon and oncologist.  I worry that a large LX of 4cm will not get me the clean margins - and I will inevitably have to undergo the MX
- and then I would do the BMX and have reconstruction after I complete radiation.  Again - the BS said it is my choice and said that only about 20% of her patients experience marguins that are not clean - which means I have an 80% chance of clean margins.  But again - with ILC being such a sneaky bastard - I wonder if I will always be waiting for the other shoe to drop.  My sister in law asked me how would I feel if in 3 years the cancer returned to the same or other breats - would I wish I had had the BMX.  It was a good question and of course I would feel I made the wrong decision- but I also know that women who have had a BMX can still have the cancer retrun.  I'm actually okay with a BMX - I just thought why do it if LX with radiation gives me as good a chance as MX with radiation?  Now it seems to be all about the nodes!  Kind of sounds like a country song........ I was thinking of also sending an email to my BS and let her know of some of my concerns and whether it would be too late to change to a BMX.  I know she would need to probably block out more surgery time that day, etc.  She did say if I changed my mind to call them- - just not sure if I should.  Wish someone else could make this decision - it is so hard (again sorry for the whiney nature...I am usually a very upbeat and positive person.

Hi, I'm glad I found this thread, and am appreciating everything I'm learning on it from everyone's input.  I am 53 years old, and I am to schedule surgery some time in March.  I need to make the dreaded decision whether to have LX or MX.  I have very small dense breasts and am slender, so I would have to go with implants if I did the MX, which I am leaning towards.  I have been flipping back and forth on the decision since I talked to my BS on Tuesday and she suggests just the LX. I am very active, like to golf, workout, and run, so it makes me even more scared to get the MX, but if I go with the LX, I'm afraid I'll be more afraid of the cancer coming back, even though my BS said that the odds are the same with either surgery.  I had 2 small tumors in my right breast (HER2+) and had neoadjuvant chemo.  The tumors appear to be gone, and my nipple, which had Paget's Disease, appears to be clear.  The BS said if I have the LX, she will biopsy the nipple at the same time, and possibly leave it on the breast, and will do a routine SNB.  She is 99% certain there is no cancer in the lymph nodes, which should clarify that I am Stage 1.  So with MX (as long as the nodes are clear) I wouldn't need RADS, but with LX, I would need 4 weeks of RADS.  The last MRI showed that my left breast is healthy, however, last year I had 3 biopsies done on it due to various cysts and the breasts being dense.  After reading some of the posts, I am even tempted to ask about a BMX, but the BS did say that she does everything she can to talk her patients out of having both breasts removed when one appears to be healthy.  Also, the only way my tumors were detected were by an MRI.  A regular mammogram, 3D US, and exploratory ductal surgery did not detect them.  I have had 9 biopsies since all this started in January of 2014.  I was not diagnosed until August, when I went for 2nd opinion because previous doctors thought I didn't have Paget's because it was too rare.  I even had one suggest that I get a better sports bra, just thought my nipple problem was from chaffing.

Jacquie

Thank you hunningbird, ladyduffer and Trvler - - I dropped in on my oncologist today and she spent 1 hour with me without an appt.  I had sent an email to my BS and she sent me some recent surgical oncology research/ studies that kind of support only doing SND even with patients who had positive lypmph nodes prior to neoadjuvant chemo.  Albeit there is still about a 10% risk that with clean sentinel nodes there may still be positive axillary nodes left behind.  My oncologist and I talked about the recent stidies and the stats andnow better understands why my BS offered me this option.  She said that the standard of care if always chaning and there are some breast centers that are taking the more conservative approach with regards to removing lymph nodes - but it really isn't yet part of the "approved" "recommedned" guidelines.  She pulled up the National guidelines which were updated in January 2015 - and it does show a footnote with the recent stduies my breast surgeon seemd to be following - and said my situation kind of falls in the "grey zone".  I could go either way - but would definitely be taking a 10% or greater chance of there still being something left in my axillary nodes.  Taking all the nodes - still leaves you with about a 0-5% chance of having cancer remaining.  So do I gamble with 10% and lessen my risk for developing lymphadema or go for the full axillary dissection from the start?????  Nothing is a guarantee and she said I just have to make a decision and feel good about it - but that I have to be sure thazt I will not be the person who later questions that decision should the cancer reoccur.  I know she is right but that is easier said than done.  Maybe having too much info is not always a good thing...... Had I chosen surgery before chemo I would not have had to make any of these decisions - but that is water under the bridge.  I honestly have not slept in 3 days and can't shut my mind off.  My oncologist also said that usually it the the biology of the cancer itself that usually dictates whetehr it will reoccur - not necessarily the treatments chosen - - so if I choose one way or another - it may not really affect whether my cancer will ever return.  I know I am the one who has to make the ultimate decision - but I sure wish I didn;'t have to!!!

Please add me to this thread. I am scheduled for bilateral mastectomy with TE March 4. I have been on this site since first diagnosed with DCIS and find it to be extremely helpful in preparing for my upcoming procedure. I was to have bmx with diep reconstruction but after further testing BS determined that we better take a step back and proceed with the TE he thinks there may be more going on and should wait for the final pathology report, don't like the sound of that but I agree. Anyway, can't wait to have my surgery and figure out what's going on with treatment. The waiting is the WORST part so far!