Diagnosed in April, going through the process...

Hi Community... new here.

Back in April I started discharging "milk" from my right breast. After 2 week of this still happening, I figured I must have an infected duct, and went to my PCP for antibiotics. To my surprise, that was not what happened. Since the discharge was milky looking, with no blood or brownness to it, I was sent to get blood work done. This was to check my hormone levels and rule out a brain tumor that affects the pituitary gland. She also noted the fibrous area of my right breast, but I've always been fibrous, so I really didn't think much about that.

I had my blood work done, every thing came back A OK, but now I needed an Ultra Sound to see what was going on with the fibrous area. This came back ok, nothing lit up enough to cause concern, but since there was the fibrous area, they recommended I see a surgeon. I had my appointment with him and he gave me my options after the exam... he recommended a biopsy, so that's what we did. This was the Friday, and he told me he'd get the results in 3 (working) days. Wednesday came around and I received the call that I had breast cancer. I went numb. Somewhere in the conversation, he asked me to come to his office later that day so we could discuss everything.

My husband and I went, and he informed me that I had stage 0 DCIS. He ordered an MRI for me, and I had that later in the week. This showed the same, DCIS, nothing more. (side note, I had my first mammogram in Sept '16, it was clear) My husband and I met back up with my Oncology Surgeon later that week to figure out my action plan. With the amount of affected tissue with the DCIS, a lumpectomy wasn't an option. With my age (44) I decided I wanted to have a bylateral mastectomy. I didn't want the next 40 years to be waiting for the hammer to fall when it came back on the other side.

So that was the plan... I had surgery on June 5th. The pathology came back on the 9th. the mass of DCIS removed was 8.5cm, and hiding very well inside it all was a 1.2cm of invasive cancer. The pathology came back that it was ER+ PR+ & HER2+. Of the 3 lymph nodes tested, 1 came back with cancer cells. All this from a little discharge !!!

I also had the genetic testing done and everything came back negative. I have NO family history, but had to know for my daughter.

So now I am preparing for chemotherapy to begin on 7/14. I am really glad I found this resource, to be able to "chat" among others that are going through the same as me.

I had the expanders placed during surgery, and have my first "filling" next Tuesday... I'm not sure how this will feel, my chest is so sore and tight as it is... but I'm told that it's normal, the deflated expanders will loose the hard ripples as they are filled up. (I think of them a deflated balloons)

I have to say the hardest thing so far since surgery is the horrible feeling of fabric on my breast skin... where the feeling is partially gone, fabric touching it feels like daggers, so if anyone has any advice on this, it would greatly be appreciated!

Again, glad to have found you all...

Anna from So Cal.

xox