[ Post a Response | Surgery / Reconstruction Board ]
Posted by littlemo on 3/18/2009, 3:10 pm
24.19.187.19
Hi, I’m a rookie first timer here so please be gentle. I have until Friday to tell my doc what I want to do and am looking to see if people are happy with their choices for surgery or would change what they did if they had the chance.
History: my R breast was diagnosed with DCIS about 1.5 weeks ago (after stereotactic biopsy): solid type, intermediate to high nuclear grade, yadda, yadda. MRI showed "area of persistence" also on R appearing to be a cyst they want to monitor every 6 months. 6 years ago, I went through a wire-guided biopsy for more microcalcifications but it was on the L breast testing benign. Nasty scar, rotten experience, ongoing nagging pain.
Debating treatment is making me crazy as my choices are lumpectomy/radiation or mastectomy/reconstruction. If I do a mastectomy, I’m doing it on both breasts because a) I’ve now needed procedures on both sides, b) doc says it’s almost guaranteed I’ll need another biopsy on the Left someday because I’m still fairly young (47), and c) the discomfort in the Left breast won’t be dealt with while they de-cancer the Right. From researching, it seems like microcalcifications usually come back again and again and that makes me nuts.
I'm only an A+ cup so really don't have much to keep removing if things keep coming back. I'm currently scheduled for a lumpectomy/radiation but wondering about a double mastectomy/recon for peace of mind. I met w/ a plastic surgeon yesterday who said “now” I’m a good candidate for implant reconstruction and explained the difficulties of reconstruction later after skin has been radiated. I REALLY don't want to keep going back and forth with biopsies/radiation especially with the stress this is bringing on but also realize that a dbl mastectomy is a lot of surgery and my life was so “normal” just two weeks ago! Gad…
Thoughts, opinions?
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