I just got diagnosed with IDC/DCIS

Hi Virgo73, so sorry that you've had to join our club, but so glad that you found us. There will be others along shortly to give you more info (and support), but I wanted to let you know that the DCIS part of your bc will not be the focus, as anything that is needed to treat the IDC portion will most certainly take care of the DICS as well. The DCIS could affect how much tissue needs to be removed (sometimes women may have a large amount of DCIS and a smaller amount of IDC) so may affect your surgical recommendations, but the dcis will not alter your other treatment recommendations. The information that you'll be looking for next will be the hormone receptor status, her2 status etc, from your IDC. Those characteristics will inform your treatment as well as the size of the area and extent of involvement. I think the thoughts about a bmx is common initially, but that won't reduce your risk to 0%, so you should be aware of your personal risk profile to make the best decision for you.

And while not having the BRCA is certainly good news, only about 10-11% of bc has been linked to the genetic mutations that we know of so far.

Sending you warm thoughts and gentle ((hugs))

For me I had the biopsy on Weds. Found I had bc on Fri , was told IDC and the size by ultrasound at 7mm or 9..I forgot. Took until Tues of the next week to get my hormonal status. I also saw a plastic surgeon before I had my hormonal results back. I was in such a daze when I got the call, and mys surgeon told me the options I had, lumpectomy w/radiation then 6mth follow ups, I stopped her right there and said I knew I would have a dbl mx. I personally couldn't think about doing 6mth to 6mth. I already had previous biopsies, dense breasts, my sister had bc (braca negative) , and mentally i knew a dble mx was right for me. She asked if I would consider reconstructive, I said maybe. She told me to go, and just hear him out. I went that Mon. Luckily I took a friend because I heard very little of what he said. All I knew is I wanted the bc out and figure out what was next. Before I left, he spoke with my breast surgeon and said they would try to book me for the following Tues. When I got the call on Weds. that I was ER+/PR+ and Her2-,

It all moved so fast. I couldnt even process it all never mind me telling the kids. By the time I told them, like I said previously I knew the most I would know until after final pathology. Then its nodes you wait for info on and final pathology which for me was when I went for follow up 6days later. For me that changed from IDC, to ILC,DCIS and LCIS. woohoo. All still in a 7mm area.

Who called you? Gyn? Radiologist? Breast Surgeon? Maybe some of them lose a bit of their bedside manners when it comes to dealing with giving patients the news. Almost matter of fact like manner.

I know , sorry I am blathering on, but go with your gut and get a second opinion.(id say withing a reasonable timeframe though) Ask all your questions, get all your info and then decide what to do and when the right time is. Kids have questions, mine did and I wanted to at least have as many answers, and hopefully comforting ones, then having all I don't know answers.

Virgo, sorry you have come to join us. But you are in an amazing place!!! The only thing that may not be back on your pathology reports is your Hers...it will be positive or negitive. Mine came in a week or two later....something they have to do takes longer in the lab.

I had a 3d that found 2 lumps, 1 turned out to be IDC. I am 36 and read up that I needed an MRI. Found a sergyn that had no issues and got it done. The MRI found 2 more spots that turned out to be IDC as well. NOW, get this....the largest of my tumors was found on the MRI...not the 3d. lol Go figure. That 1 spot turning into 3 made me go from lumpectomy as a possiblity to not. I also have had several doctors tell me that none of it would have been found had a chose a 2d.

I tell you this for 2 reasons....I am not a huge advocate of 3d as well! Saved my life. And 2nd---I strongly recommend getting an MRI before any surgery.

Also...as for reconstruction. Do some research!! And then do some more....I have met with my plastic surgen. I am a uni at the moment and planing to have the 2nd removed in January. They allowed me to make my own desision...but strongly recommended and showed me pictures of the high chance of complications that come with immediate reconstruction. My sergen also refused to allow it....he said his job was to save my life and I could worry about my breasts later. I am so glad he did! Also, if you end up with radiation it will most likly cause issues with expanders which you will have for some time before you are done with recon.

Good luck with breast cancer 101~ felt like I was taking a collage course.

jenmia, if you are interested in meeting more BC women in the Austin area, head over to the Hill Country warriors thread. We may be having a little meetup/lunch at the end of this month. PM me if you like.

Terri

No, no, NO! Essiac tea is a fraud and may even fuel ER+ tumor cells. Soursop can't hurt you, but will do NOTHING to treat or prevent recurrence. Drink it for the taste if you like it. Or eat soursops. Bitter apricot seeds are POISON--they have cyanide; and the quack-remedy Laetrile (which saved nobody and may have killed other patients sooner than conventional treatment) was made from apricot pits & seeds. (Eat apricots instead and stay away from the seeds). Apples, ginger, parsley and carrots are fine (eat fruits & veggies) but they have nothing to do with cancer. Eating turmeric may taste good and taking turmeric supplements (which won't be absorbed unless you take piperine, aka black pepper extract) might be anti-inflammatory, but again, it doesn't treat cancer. Mushrooms? Eat mushrooms if you like them, but don't take mushroom powders or supplements. They do nothing constructive.

Look, the problem with all these "natural" and herbal remedies is not only are they wholly unproven (because there are no scientifically controlled double-blind studies) but also wholly unregulated--thanks to the supplement lobby, which has poured billions of $ into campaign funds for political candidates, usually on one side of the aisle--which side BCO rules keep me from mentioning, but they tend to be candidates who hate government regulations that eat into profits. They're a smaller lobby than pharma, but every bit as powerful & influential, and dead-set against being regulated, regardless of consumer safety. So you don't (and can't really) know what else is in those teas and pills and powders, or how much of the claimed ingredients they contain.

You will doubtless hear quacks (and their followers) as well as aging hippies (disclosure: I was a hippie back in the day but I grew up and got real) disparage controlled double-blind studies because "Big Pharma" and the "medical lobby" can't make money off anything they can't patent. Any articles you find touting this stuff are fraudulent, theoretical, or at least from unscientific "alternative" sites. (The "science" they may use to back up their results is also suspect and bears no relation to established biology or chemistry). Whenever you see a website or a book or article claiming "(insert name) Beat Cancer" or with the words "What Doctors Don't Want You to Know," or "The Truth About," run the other way. And listen for the sounds of ducks (quack). Dig a little deeper and you may find links to conspiracy-theory websites (anti-vax, anti-fluoride, even political lunatics on both sides of the spectrum).

Read BCO, Komen, BCRF, ACS, Dr. Susan Love Foundation websites. Read actual respected medical journal articles if you can access them. And get a copy (hardcover or e-reader) of the most recent edition of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. It remains the definitive "Bible" for breast cancer patients (and friends, family & caregivers). Another good one, though shorter, is by Dr. Elisa Port (also a renowned breast cancer surgeon). And ask those of us who've been through or are going through treatment. (The soundest scientific advice comes from a member who calls herself BarredOwl. She claims she's not a scientist, but I beg to differ).

As to "natural," "herbal," and "plant-based" remedies being superior or at least harmless, know that many conventional drugs came from plants: aspirin, digitalis, castor oil, mustard (an early form of chemo), and most recently taxanes (Taxol, Taxotere). And of course, many poisons are also "herbal" or "natural" in origin: castor beans, oleander, nightshade, morning glory, jimson weed, and the aforementioned cyanide.

I get it. Cancer is scary. Chemo is an ordeal. Radiation is no walk in the park. And anti-hormonals do have unpleasant and some not-so-healthy side effects. But the vast majority of us in these forums got through conventional treatment and are here to tell you about it, and will be for a good long time, perhaps the rest of a normal lifespan. The same can't be said for those who stuck with "natural" and "alternative" (as opposed to "complementary") treatments. There have been numerous retrospective studies (no, not funded by drug companies) all demonstrating that those who chose alternative rather than conventional or complementary therapies do not live as long and also have more suffering during their metastatic phases than those who stuck with the tried & true.

It's always wise to eat sensibly--especially with ER+ cancers, which feed off estrogen (and which your body fat can make even if your ovaries bit the dust long ago). It can't hurt. And anti-estrogen therapies tend to lower metabolism and lead to weight gain if you aren't careful (and I wasn't careful). Your risk of lymphedema rises if you're obese. So if you can't lose weight (or don't need to yet), don't gain any. But all those herbs, teas and supplements are not "clean" unless you can confirm every link in the supply chain from growing to harvest to production to packaging--and even those mfrs. who claim to police themselves answer to no one. Now that's scary.

Eating foods containing antioxidants is fine (but go easy during radiation or chemo). Do NOT take antioxidant supplements during radiation or chemo because antioxidants prevent cell damage--and cell damage is the whole point of radiation & chemo. Ask your MO what foods you should or shouldn't eat for your type of breast cancer and with the drugs you may be taking.

There are no guarantees that if you do conventional therapies that you will never get a recurrence. But going the alternative route is far likelier to result in a recurrence. If you still insist on all that woo-woo stuff, there is an Alternative Medicine forum or two on BCO, where those of us who think it's b.s. are not allowed to disparage those who think it's their salvation. But do know that the Moderators, in creating those "safe harbors," expressly state that they are NOT endorsing or recommending alternative medicine or shunning conventional treatments. And if you post about alternative and "natural" treatments anywhere but there, do expect your choices will not be immune from disagreement or criticism. Just sayin'...

That being said, welcome aboard on this journey nobody wants to take.

Virgo, thanks. Do keep us posted!

Remember, if a food is made out of plants, it's probably okay. If it's made in a plant, nope.

Sandy, thanks for the book suggestion, I’m going to get Dr. Susan Love's Breast book also

Chiming in after ChiSandy's amazing post.

Dr. Love's book was the first thing I read upon diagnosis. I sent it to my mom when she was diagnosed, and she did the same for me. We're lucky that way. (not) It's really a great read and very informative.

I'm also doing Brassica tea and/or green tea daily IF I remember. Plus some supplements recommended by my alternative MO. Mainly, I've cut down on sugar, alcohol (wine after work was my MO), processed crap, eating more veggies/real food, getting more disciplined exercise. I'm thin, so weight not an issue. Which can be hard, too.

Beach2beach: I love Ask an Expert! I check it all the time. Lillie will answer your questions within about 24 hours, too. I've asked two.

So sorry Virgo! I had 2 more areas found when I had my mri as well, unfortunately, I didn't have my mri until after my lx. This may change the surgical recommendation for you. As far as what to expect during your node biopsy, I can't help you there. My SNB was done during my mx surgery. Someone else will be along shortly I'm sure. ((hugs))

Hey Virgo, you are in the tough diagnosis stage. For most if us things get better once you have a treatment plan in place. Just a thought -- did you have biopsies of the additional spots found on the MRI? If not, they may not be cancer. I know you mentioned you are having a biopsy of your lymph node. If they are, my experience is that the genetic characteristics of the largest area will determine your treatment plan unless the areas look very different based on the pathology.

I ended up with a lot of areas of cancer, but it was low grade. The many areas lead to a mastectomy, but the low grade (including the results of an oncotype), was key to the treatment decision re chemo (not recommended for me).

Hang in there and ask any questions you have. Also, I recommend you get a copy of all your test results. For me, that meant I could read them after the appointment to see if I had any follow- up questions.

Hoping for B9 results for you tomorrow.

Sorry Virgo about the additional worries. Hoping the node is benign. I can say that I had a few biopsies prior to my actual mastectomy. My boobs were swollen so I'm sure some nodes most have been also. Mine were checked during surgery so I can't offer much there.

Are you ER+,PR+ and HER2- ? Is that what you are questioning? If so, then yes it means because you are hormone receptor positive you are a candidate for Tamoxifen or one of the AI's at the point in time of your treatment they say. Being Her2- is also favorable. Her2+ is an over expression of the gene that tells cells to divide more rapidly. Said to be more aggressive. So being negative is favorable. Though if one is HER2+ they now have Herceptin which they can use.

BCO has information on it all also for a more detailed explanation.

Hope this helps.