24 year old, just diagnosed with high grade DCIS

I was 42 at the time of my diagnosis, earlier this year.  Certainly not as young as you, though there are quite a lot of women in their thirties and some in their late-20s.  Hopefully, they will see and reply to your post.  Although not as young as you, I was/am in good physical shape.

I had multi-focal, comedo necrosis DCIS, so I required a mastectomy on my DCIS-side and opted for a prophylatic mastectomy on my non-DCIS side. I also had immediate reconstruction, with tissue expanders placed during the mastectomy surgery.

I too was very worried about the recovery time, and I think it certainly varies by person.  However, from my experience, my recovery was not bad at all.  I was back to working on the computer at home just 2 days after my surgery, and I returned to work completely just 9 days after my surgery.  I don't necessarily recommend that, and it would have been nice, emotionally, to have more time off, but since we can't time our diagnosis based on everything else going on in life, that's just the way it was.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that I really was not in a tremendous amount of pain after a few days.  I think dealing with the drains (which will likely be in for about one to two weeks, sometimes longer - my case 2 weeks) and having a hard time getting comfortable sleeping were probably the biggest challenges immediately post-mastectomy.

Good luck with your treatment decisions.

I'm 29, just diagnosed, also requesting BMX. But not having reconstruction. I also am not big on western medicine...had all natural births, don't really take medications, etc...and also have serious concerns about radiation and tamoxifen. I totally get how shocking it is to hear a breast cancer diagnosis in your 20s. Hang in there!

Well, crap.  Those were the exact words I remember saying to my doctor when she told me my diagnosis.  I certainly did not expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer at 39, and I'm even more sorry to hear that you have this diagnosis at 24.

It is good, though, that you have caught this as early as possible and sound like you have a good head on your shoulders.  The best advice I can give you is to get the best medical care you can - don't be afraid to ask lots of questions until you have a comfort level that you and your surgeons/doctors are all on the same page. Living in Los Angeles, you should have access to large NCI-designated facilities, like UCLA (one of my family members was treated there for breast cancer and speaks highly of it) or even the relatively new Pink Lotus Breast Cancer Clinic (where Angelina Jolie was treated). 

Hopefully, you have a good support network close by - friends or family you can count on to be there for you.  The recovery timeline for a mastectomy varies by individual.  Your young age is on your side, but definitely listen to your body and give yourself whatever time and care you need to heal.

Although people will tell you DCIS is a condition where there is no rush to get treatment, I see that (like I had) you have 10 centimeters of aggressive DCIS.  Since it is impossible until after surgery to have a final diagnosis that rules out invasion,  I was told by my doctors that, in my case, it was important to try to schedule my surgery no more than six weeks out.  In the end, there were no surprises, thank goodness.

I know it is terrifying getting this diagnosis when you are so very young, but many women have had breast cancer when they were young and lived to a very ripe  and fulfilling old age (my cousin's grandmother died in her nineties after surviving breast cancer as a young woman) so hang in there and know that, in time, hopefully this will all be only one memory in a packed and full lifetime of many happier moments.

young fighter indeed, but nowhere near as rare as we would hope. I'm 36 so I've got some years on you but I've had 2 close friends diagnosed in the 20's.

Two suggestions: 1) check out the young survival coalition (YSC) online at www.young survival.or/breast-cancer-in-young-women

2) If there is a change you will be doing any kind of chemo therapy, get on the phone with your insurance company and find out what you can do about egg preservation. Even if children are not currently part of your plans, you have a bunch of years ahead of you where that may change. In some cases the process is entirely fee for oncologist patients if you go to one of thierbprefered centers and they will even rush you through the process if you need to get it done before treatment.

Oh no, anneldee! Please keep us posted!

This is my first ever post. I am 42 and very active. I felt like you and wanted to be aggressive and never think about this again. I just has my mastectomy on 11/4 and am now going through reconstruction. I did nipple sparring and the scaring is very minimal. Its actually just under each breast and by the time i am done I think it will even be hard to tell i had anything done. I am very pleased with the decision i made. I was a small C to begin with so to do a lumpectomy my surgeon told me that i wouldn't be pleased cosmetically with the results. We thought i was 1.9 cm going in but once she got in there it was closer to 2.9cm and with all the surrounding tissue they remove i would have been left with something i wouldn't have been happy with. Good luck to you. The waiting and anxiety for me anyway was SO much worse than any if the physical pain. Best of luck to you.

hello youngfighter24,

I am 25 now, but when i first got diagnosed i was still 24 too... I can perfectly feel and understand all of your feelings... Because i am having the same issues, i had a 1,7x0,7cm aprox papillary DCIS (stage 0 no metastasis, lymph nodes clean) taken out by lumpectomy last September, not radio or tamoxifen taken afterwords, because it is a good scenario and i chose not to. However 4 months after it came back, i have another DCIS low grade slightly bigger than last time in the same side and close to the scar of my old one.

I m not gonna suggest you what you should do, but i am gonna give it another try, and i choose to have another lumpectomy radio and tamoxifen next week. Even i went to talk to my previous PS and i already have breast implants right now, my opinion its that mastectomy and reconstruction are not the same as a plastic surgery, it didn't convince me, my own breasts tissues are small, i have implants, and most important I am young, i want to keep my body complete...

Good luck, be strong and i hope u are happy with what u have chosen

Its so rare to have cancer in young women like us, we shall be able to help each other.