I am so scared....DCIS grade 3...

Hopefully, more words of comfort here: as has been said elsewhere, this is the most upsetting time for you, as it was for all of us who were diagnosed with cancer. This is not to say that treatment is a doddle in the park. But now, when you know you've got cancer but not what (exact) stage or what the oncologists propose to do about it, is a pervasive nightmare.

Online research: there are a number of valuable web sites, such as Mayo, or Johns Hopkins, or Sloan Kettering, or MD Anderson or Medline or the NIH. But don't get sucked into the morass that's out there.

You have time, as Lisa said. Time to find out more about what your treatment options are. Time to deal with the psychological shock. How fast did it grow? We don't know....but did your previous mammograms mention anything about calcifications? atypical ductal hyperplasia? Those can be precursors to DCIS. But, and this is important, you have time.

Have you had a biopsy? Chances are still pretty good that it's DCIS, as etnasgirl says. (I hesitate to say "just" DCIS.) The surgeon and pathology lab may (and I repeat may) find a small invasive component. But, as etnasgirl mentions, that's still easily dealt with. Trust her.

Do you have somebody with you now? family member or spouse or friend? Is there someone you can take with you to your appointments? (The hospital will require this if you need surgery with general anesthesia.) But for the moment: someone to talk to and to hug and to arrange frivolous distractions until you get a treatment plan in place.

Please do come back and let us know what comes of all this!

I had DCIS, grade 3, with comedy necrosis. But there wasn't an invasive component. No IDC. Unless you've had a biopsy that includes mention of IDC or "invasion," there's no reason to assume that the "worst DCIS" (what I had too) means you have IDC too.

They worry that DCIS can somehow become invasive. Although they're not sure how, exactly, or which DCIS will "convert." If you discover (in a post-surgery biopsy) that you have an invasive component of some sort, you'll deal with it.

The thing to remember about DCIS, is that it is, by definition, not invasive. If you haven't read the post from Beesie that I linked you to earlier, I urge you to do so.

Finally, take another deep breath. This is "doable," and when you have questions (or just want to talk), we're here.

LisaAlissa

Hi

I think you have gotten good advice here--try not to borrow trouble before you need to. Of course you are scared and our minds always seem to go to the worst place. Invasive, while not desirable, often just means that the cells have left the duct or lobule.... I had invasive lobular cancer, but had a lumpectomy, treatment and am almost 8 years out--healthy as a horse.

This is hard to know now, but you will deal with whatever comes. I encourage you to bring a digital recorder and another person to your appointments. It is so helpful to hear all the good things the dr. are saying--mine told me it was eminently curable, it was a bump in the road--- but I couldn't hear that--thankfully my h and my recorder did!! When my mind would go to the crazy place, I would just play that tape.... and it helped (along with some Ativan!).

I had a mammogram 6 months before my lump was found--it is astonishing how this can happen, but it does, and quite often. Which means you are in good company-- and please do read and re-read Beesie's posts. They are very helpful (and I did not even have DCIS).

I found focusing on one step at a time was helpful. 1. surgery 2. recover 3. deal with pathology 4. decide on treatment 5. do treatment 6. Get on with my life..... and all of that happened. Not easy, but not impossible.

We somehow manage to deal with that we do not want to!!!

Kkubsky, please do come back to let us know what the surgeon has to say.