Lumpectomy+Rads or Bmx with Reconstruction for Stage 1A?

JennL86
JennL86 Member Posts: 5
edited March 2018 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

I had a lumpectomy in February and I'm at that stage of trying to decide which path to take next in my treatment. I have had a difficult time making a decision for my treatment and sticking with it. Originally, after my lumpectomy I was planning to go through with Rads. Then I switched to wanting to do a mastectomy with reconstruction. I ended up getting the flu a week before my surgery date and ended rescheduling a Bmx with reconstruction instead of the Mx. I have already been called " flaky" by my breast surgeon's physician assistant , and I'm still not sure that a Bmx is really what I want! I have asked myself all the questions and researched extensively. I worry about having very dense breasts and ILC because I know it can be hard to detect. I fear missing something on the imaging, but I also like my breasts and would like to keep them- that is, if they're not going to try to kill me again in the future! I'm also youngish (31) and worry about the future more because , I hope, to have a lot more years ahead of me. I guess what I need to hear now is from other Bc survivors specifically with ILC. What influenced your treatment decision and did you have a difficult time making that decision? I feel like I'm crazy for having such a difficult time trying to decide. Please help!!!

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Comments

  • Lula73
    Lula73 Member Posts: 1,824
    edited March 2018

    This is a big decision. I don’t think you’re being flaky. But I do think you need to make the decision that makes you feel at peace inside. I also liked my breasts pre-BC but I chose BMX with immediate DIEP reconstruction in the end. BMX allowed me to avoid rads and while lx and mx have the same survival rates, mx has lower local recurrence rates. DIEP allowed me to avoid TEs and implants. My breasts are soft, warm, natural looking, and move and will age with me. I’d take a look into what worries you about lx and rads vs what worries you about mx. If it comes down to just liking your breasts, there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll just need to weigh that against the other factors at play. I recently took a look at my before BC topless pics and my post-surgery pics and I can honestly say I look better than I did before all this started (and I looked pretty darn good before too.) Just my $0.02.

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  • vlnrph
    vlnrph Member Posts: 1,632
    edited March 2018

    I am irritated that a PA would call anyone flaky. Consider making a formal complaint once you’re through this

    At your young age, surely you have been referred for genetic counseling. Should a mutation be present, it would tip the balance in favor of bilateral mastectomies and away from radiation. Because cells already compromised by a defect may not repair themselves correctly, the assault of rads could possibly set the stage for reoccurrence...

    Another option might be to do the less invasive treatment now and wait to consider further surgery in the future. 3D mammography/tomosynthesis is better at seeing things than digital even in dense tissue. Assuming you’ve already had MRI to determine that nothing else is lurking - my second lesion was found that way. You are not crazy!

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