Uni or double

I just had my DMX in July. As soon as I was diagnosed I knew I would go that route. I don't know what the statistic are for getting BC in the other breast I just knew that i didn't want to have to go through this again. I questioned it after the surgery because of all the pain the following weeks after but once I got over that I am still happy with my decision.

Good luck in your decision, it's not an easy one to make and you have to be comfortable with your decision.

It’s a tough call. I went with a uni, to keep sensation/nipple on one side. No (known) genetic component, and my mother in law had bc in her 40s, what I would call a radical lumpectomy on one side, and lived to be 88, dying of non breast cancer causes. So, no regrets yet.

discuss this with your breast surgeon and oncologist. Understand your cancer details and family history. All of those things should factor in to your decision.

My recurrence risk is low and a double didn’t make a significant difference. Another factor for me was that while a bmx wouldn’t have reduce my recurrence risk it would double my risk for surgical complications from mastectomy as well as with reconstruction.

I get an annual mammogram on my natural breast. I don’t have routine MRIs.

I'm getting a BMX for multiple reasons.

If I had a lumpectomy...

1. I would need most of the breast reconstructed so doesn't really make sense to keep it.

2. I would need radiation and have been exposed to a lot of radiation this year already.

3. I may have a high local recurrence risk.

If I had a unilateral mastectomy...

1. It would be difficult reconstruct my the new breast such that it matched the healtht one.

2. There is a history of bilateral breast cancer in my family so if I am taking off one, I might as well take off the other one, get matching reconstructions and eliminate my chance of having breast cancer develop in the "good" breast.

3. I have dense breasts and my breast cancer was misdiagnosed the first time. It could happen again in the "good" breast if I keep it and it might not be caught in time....maybe this time it wasn't caught in time?

The reasons for me not to get a BMX would mainly be the risks associated with such a big surgery and the fact that trauma can "wake" dormant cancer cells that have metastastic capabilities. The potential for this may be minimized with the use of anti inflammatory drugs during surgery, which my doctors are willing to try.

I may have done a lumpectomy though if my cancer had been properly diagnosed the first time when it was small.

Samnjb:

One of them is goes by the generic name Ketorolac. There is a bleeding risk associated with it so different facilities or surgeons might be wary about using it in some instances but by chance, they actually use it as a standard post surgical anti inflammatory at the facility I am having surgery at if a person's platelets are high enough.

Yes, I had a unilateral mastectomy and four and one half years later developed a new primary in my remaining "healthy" breast. This new primary was very close to triple negative, ( mildly progesterone positive). Going through this twice was an absolute nightmare. I developed PTSD from the ordeal.

Take home message from me. If I had even an inkling that I would develop another malignancy in my so called healthy breast.....I would have had a bilateral mastectomy from the getgo. I was blissfully unaware though, thinking that I was low risk. I wasn't

My surgery is next week and I still can’t decide wether to do a uni or bilateral MX. I talked to Onco today, I was told the risk of recurrence and getting another cancer again in any part of our body will not be lessen by removing the healthy breast. Recurrence happen first to the breast but it can happen in any body part. My question is, if recurrence is deemed to happened, wouldn’t you rather have it in your breast than lungs? Can somebody please point out to me the benefits of removing the healthy breast

Dear Kake,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry that your breast cancer diagnosis brought you here but glad that you reached out for support and information. We are offering this link to information on all things Surgery related on our main site. Perhaps there is more information there that might at least help you develop further questions for your doctor. You also can send a private message to the members from whom you are seeking more information. They might see that quicker. Let us know if you need more help. The Mods

Anxiouslady, I am 8 months out from UMX and so far happy with my decision. I like having my remaining natural breast, and recovery was somewhat easier, but I do worry about recurrence.

One reason I did UMX instead of BMX was that I am still hoping to have a family and be able to nurse. I'm not sure whether doctors would have encouraged BMX in other circumstances. Everyone's situation and pros and cons are different. Good luck to you. Let us know what you decide.

... opted for bilateral mastectomy to avoid prescribed radiation . When the pathology report came back there was a small mass, not yet a tumor, undetected by mammograms and biopsies... in my so called non-cancerous breast.

Avoiding the radiation, by opting for a bilateral mastectomy, turned out to be the best way forward for me.

lula, you took the words RIGHT out of my mouth. Couldn’t have said it better.

I chose BMX, told surgeon I couldn’t do this stress again.

I had chemo, surgery and rads, no recon, and AI

Was told I was high risk for reoccurrence. 6 years later I’m still clear, with my port, and still flat.

It’s very personal decision only you, not Dr, DH, or friend can make.

Hi Samnjb, We all welcome you here. So, sorry for your new diagnosis. Do you have a family history of Breast Cancer? I do. I was 40 when I was diagnosed with IDC in my left breast. I had only my left breast removed. I did not have a double Mastectomy. Its been 12 years now, and, the Cancer has never come back into my right breast. But, I do have a number of Oil Cysts in there. They are benign. Non-Cancerous. I think looking back now, I would of had a Double done. Its all overwhelming at first, but, you just take your time on making a decision. Keep us updated honey. Good Luck and Blessings! 

Kaloni

One question to be answered: has your mammogram ever reported "dense breast tissue"? If so, finding a problem in a remaining breast could be much harder, since dense tissue makes it harder to find those problems using scans. It might help someone who is deciding for or against a UMX.

Your mammogram report should include this. If not, call the radiology office that did the mammogram, and ask about it.

Claire in AZ