Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 hi all i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean margins this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at this point i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been radiated. i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated in love and acceptance, reggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Reggie, Seeing you have had problems before I would definitely go with a mastectomy. But thats a decision only you can make. I had my mastectomy over 16 yrs ago. Was STage II, Grade II with one bad node and I am doing fine. Hugs nne Breast Cancer Patients Soul Mates for Life http://www.geocities.com/chucky5741/breastcancerpatients.html BreastCancerStories.com http://www.breastcancerstories.com/content/view/433/161/ Angel Feather Loomer www.angelfeatherloomer.blogspot.com Check out my other ornaments at www.geocities.com/chucky5741/bcornament.html Lots of info and gifts at: www.cancerclub.com recurrence hi all i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean margins this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at this point i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been radiated. i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated in love and acceptance, reggie ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.411 / Virus Database: 268.17.25/669 - Release Date: 2/4/2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hi Reggie, Sorry to hear you have a recurrence. I know for a first time occurrence, the doctors will say that lumpectomy + treatment is as effective as masectomy + treatment. Did your doctor say that doesn't apply to a local recurrence? Can a different part of the breast be radiated, or if a breast is radiated once it can't be radiated again? Please get a second opinion to help you make the best informed decision possible. I had a Lumpectomy, but because the margins weren't clear and the location of the tumor, I then had a mastectomy. It was traumatic at the time, but I'm at peace with my decision and know it was the right one. take care, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hi Reggie, In my first diagnosis I was also very set on saving my breast at all costs, so I had a breast conserving lumpectomy followed by radiation. There were clear margins and subsequent mammos showed no reoccurence until 2.5 years later: same breast. When I got the second diagnosis saving the breast all of the sudden wasn't that important to me, in fact it wasn't important at all. I did a lot of research on mastectomy and reconstruction and actually decided to have the other, so far cancer free, breast removed also. One reason was that I wanted to lower that percentage of reoccurence (32%) as far as I could; I am 45 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. The second, more selfish reason, was that I really didn't want to have one breast removed, years down the line find that I need the other one removed and have to repeat the mastectomy/reconstruction process all over again. It's just too hard and I figured that I had a better shot of being symmetrical with two implants instead of just one on one side of my body. I am happy with the decision I've made, even though by the time I am completely done with chemo (doing that now with the tissue expanders in place) and complete reconstruction (mastectomy with tissue expanders-one surgery, transfer implants-one surgery, nipples-another surgery, then tatoos should I choose) the ordeal will have stretched out the better part of a year. My thinking was that I could give up the year and hopefully be completely done with the entire mess. The decision is a very personal one and hard to make but in my opinion, and almost all doctors would say, remove the breast for the best chance. I wish mine had counseled mastectomy more to me after my first diagnosis, maybe I wouldn't be having to go through this all over again right now. Make sure you make your doctor help you understand what the chances of reoccurrence are with each different type of treatment: breast conservation vs mastectomy and then adding in the adjuvant treatments of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. Once you really understand the numbers you will feel better equipped to make the decision that is right for you. > > hi all > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > margins > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > this point > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been > radiated. > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > in love and acceptance, > > reggie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 thanks, mp for your response. last time, lumpectomy, recision and radiation followed with tamoxifen were exactly what the dr ordered and that's what i did. it wasn't all that bad for me and perhaps that's why i feel the same course of action would work this time. i just saw the onc. and he did say that removal of more tissue instead of the whole breast was an option but it appears that the invasive cancer area is probably larger than i think but he has no way of knowing till after the surgery so at this point he can't even stage it. at this point he doesn't have enough of the pathology report to begin to tell me what treatment i'll need after surgery. part of my thinking also includes the fact that i just can't afford to be off work enough for the mastectomy and if i just havae more tissue taken out now oerhaps there will be clean margins and if there is a problem in the future i'm in no worse shape than i'm in now. at worst i've put the more invasive surgery off for a while. i'm glad to know your reconstruction is going well. how did you ever make a decision as to what kind to have? there seem to be so many different styles. i'm not sure i would have had your courage but i guess you never know what you can handle until you have to handle it badly enough. would you really have had both breasts removed last time if it had been suggested to you? one concern my dr. has is that i had no lump this time which means the cancer is spreading far and wide instead of up. funny, i never understood how women could let cancer get to stage 3 or 4 because how could they ignore the lump?? silly and egotistical of me to think my experience was the endall and be all of cancer. again, thank you so much for sharing your experience. my next step is to see a surgeon, have whatever done and see what the nodes are up to this time and how invasive the whole t hing has become. i just can't believe it came back. sorry, but i just found out last thursday and i'm a bit discombobulated. what was that book " first you cry. " and then you get down to business. thanks again in love and acceptance reggie MP kim@...> wrote: Hi Reggie, In my first diagnosis I was also very set on saving my breast at all costs, so I had a breast conserving lumpectomy followed by radiation. There were clear margins and subsequent mammos showed no reoccurence until 2.5 years later: same breast. When I got the second diagnosis saving the breast all of the sudden wasn't that important to me, in fact it wasn't important at all. I did a lot of research on mastectomy and reconstruction and actually decided to have the other, so far cancer free, breast removed also. One reason was that I wanted to lower that percentage of reoccurence (32%) as far as I could; I am 45 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. The second, more selfish reason, was that I really didn't want to have one breast removed, years down the line find that I need the other one removed and have to repeat the mastectomy/reconstruction process all over again. It's just too hard and I figured that I had a better shot of being symmetrical with two implants instead of just one on one side of my body. I am happy with the decision I've made, even though by the time I am completely done with chemo (doing that now with the tissue expanders in place) and complete reconstruction (mastectomy with tissue expanders-one surgery, transfer implants-one surgery, nipples-another surgery, then tatoos should I choose) the ordeal will have stretched out the better part of a year. My thinking was that I could give up the year and hopefully be completely done with the entire mess. The decision is a very personal one and hard to make but in my opinion, and almost all doctors would say, remove the breast for the best chance. I wish mine had counseled mastectomy more to me after my first diagnosis, maybe I wouldn't be having to go through this all over again right now. Make sure you make your doctor help you understand what the chances of reoccurrence are with each different type of treatment: breast conservation vs mastectomy and then adding in the adjuvant treatments of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. Once you really understand the numbers you will feel better equipped to make the decision that is right for you. > > hi all > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > margins > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > this point > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been > radiated. > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > in love and acceptance, > > reggie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Reggie, I had a mastectomy and never had to take any kind of pain meds even in the hospital. What ever they did in surgery was the only thing I had. But you have to be comfortable with your decision. Hugs nne Breast Cancer Patients Soul Mates for Life http://www.geocities.com/chucky5741/breastcancerpatients.html BreastCancerStories.com http://www.breastcancerstories.com/content/view/433/161/ Angel Feather Loomer www.angelfeatherloomer.blogspot.com Check out my other ornaments at www.geocities.com/chucky5741/bcornament.html Lots of info and gifts at: www.cancerclub.com Re: Re: recurrence thanks, mp for your response. last time, lumpectomy, recision and radiation followed with tamoxifen were exactly what the dr ordered and that's what i did. it wasn't all that bad for me and perhaps that's why i feel the same course of action would work this time. i just saw the onc. and he did say that removal of more tissue instead of the whole breast was an option but it appears that the invasive cancer area is probably larger than i think but he has no way of knowing till after the surgery so at this point he can't even stage it. at this point he doesn't have enough of the pathology report to begin to tell me what treatment i'll need after surgery. part of my thinking also includes the fact that i just can't afford to be off work enough for the mastectomy and if i just havae more tissue taken out now oerhaps there will be clean margins and if there is a problem in the future i'm in no worse shape than i'm in now. at worst i've put the more invasive surgery off for a while. i'm glad to know your reconstruction is going well. how did you ever make a decision as to what kind to have? there seem to be so many different styles. i'm not sure i would have had your courage but i guess you never know what you can handle until you have to handle it badly enough. would you really have had both breasts removed last time if it had been suggested to you? one concern my dr. has is that i had no lump this time which means the cancer is spreading far and wide instead of up. funny, i never understood how women could let cancer get to stage 3 or 4 because how could they ignore the lump?? silly and egotistical of me to think my experience was the endall and be all of cancer. again, thank you so much for sharing your experience. my next step is to see a surgeon, have whatever done and see what the nodes are up to this time and how invasive the whole t hing has become. i just can't believe it came back. sorry, but i just found out last thursday and i'm a bit discombobulated. what was that book " first you cry. " and then you get down to business. thanks again in love and acceptance reggie MP kim@...> wrote: Hi Reggie, In my first diagnosis I was also very set on saving my breast at all costs, so I had a breast conserving lumpectomy followed by radiation. There were clear margins and subsequent mammos showed no reoccurence until 2.5 years later: same breast. When I got the second diagnosis saving the breast all of the sudden wasn't that important to me, in fact it wasn't important at all. I did a lot of research on mastectomy and reconstruction and actually decided to have the other, so far cancer free, breast removed also. One reason was that I wanted to lower that percentage of reoccurence (32%) as far as I could; I am 45 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. The second, more selfish reason, was that I really didn't want to have one breast removed, years down the line find that I need the other one removed and have to repeat the mastectomy/reconstruction process all over again. It's just too hard and I figured that I had a better shot of being symmetrical with two implants instead of just one on one side of my body. I am happy with the decision I've made, even though by the time I am completely done with chemo (doing that now with the tissue expanders in place) and complete reconstruction (mastectomy with tissue expanders-one surgery, transfer implants-one surgery, nipples-another surgery, then tatoos should I choose) the ordeal will have stretched out the better part of a year. My thinking was that I could give up the year and hopefully be completely done with the entire mess. The decision is a very personal one and hard to make but in my opinion, and almost all doctors would say, remove the breast for the best chance. I wish mine had counseled mastectomy more to me after my first diagnosis, maybe I wouldn't be having to go through this all over again right now. Make sure you make your doctor help you understand what the chances of reoccurrence are with each different type of treatment: breast conservation vs mastectomy and then adding in the adjuvant treatments of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. Once you really understand the numbers you will feel better equipped to make the decision that is right for you. > > hi all > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > margins > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > this point > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been > radiated. > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > in love and acceptance, > > reggie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 > > > > hi all > > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. > One > > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in > the > > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > > margins > > > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a > repeat > > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > > this point > > > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that > recision > > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem > for > > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already > been > > radiated. > > > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see > my > > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to > hear? > > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > > > in love and acceptance, > > > > reggie > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Reggie: You are the one that has to live with the decisions that you make concerning your health and your breasts I am not a doctor so I speak strictly from personal experience. I have a ductectomy in both breasts in 2003. In 2006 I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. The tumor was small. I could have had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I chose mastectomy because I wanted to have the cancer gone. There had already been cancer cells in my left breast when they did the ductectomy. The pathology came back at that time that all was removed when they did that procedure. If it were me, I would have the breast removed. I'm not sure what benefit there is to having a physician that simply tells you what you want to hear. The best suggestion I have is to read the posts from other people, take a deep breath, and find a really good doctor that will be straightforward (not mean) with all the information you need to make a rational and sane decision. Education is power and so is information. You haven't been given a death sentence and you will survive. It the words of Sharon in Minnesota, I am sending hugs and hope to you and my prayers, too. Jan K reggie0054 reggie0054@...> wrote: hi all i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean margins this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at this point i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been radiated. i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated in love and acceptance, reggie Jan Koelsch --------------------------------- No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 thank you jan, for sharing your experience with me. and you are 100% right in that i will have to live with whatever decision i make. today i was told that either the partial or the complete is an option. i'm aware that the complete is the wiser option. i'll know more after the dr gets the complete path report and after i talk to a surgeon which i will do as soon as possible. right now i'm kind of in limbo. and after reading some of the groups posts there's no doubt as to what is probably the safest choice. i think i'm still in a bit of shock i appreciate all the help and sharing of experiences and of choices made from this group. i hope you all know how helpful you have been. i'm glad i joined and i hope that soon i will be able to be as supportive as you all are. in love and acceptance reggie Jan Koelsch jkoelsch1950@...> wrote: Reggie: You are the one that has to live with the decisions that you make concerning your health and your breasts I am not a doctor so I speak strictly from personal experience. I have a ductectomy in both breasts in 2003. In 2006 I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. The tumor was small. I could have had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I chose mastectomy because I wanted to have the cancer gone. There had already been cancer cells in my left breast when they did the ductectomy. The pathology came back at that time that all was removed when they did that procedure. If it were me, I would have the breast removed. I'm not sure what benefit there is to having a physician that simply tells you what you want to hear. The best suggestion I have is to read the posts from other people, take a deep breath, and find a really good doctor that will be straightforward (not mean) with all the information you need to make a rational and sane decision. Education is power and so is information. You haven't been given a death sentence and you will survive. It the words of Sharon in Minnesota, I am sending hugs and hope to you and my prayers, too. Jan K reggie0054 reggie0054@...> wrote: hi all i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean margins this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at this point i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been radiated. i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated in love and acceptance, reggie Jan Koelsch --------------------------------- No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 I'm still in shock even though my mastectomy was December 11, 2006. I don't know if that ever goes away. You will be very supportive, Reggie, I'm sure. Your line " In love and acceptance " is an indication of that. I'm glad you found this website, too. It is a lifesaver in so many way. Blessings and hope, Jan K reggie S reggie0054@...> wrote: thank you jan, for sharing your experience with me. and you are 100% right in that i will have to live with whatever decision i make. today i was told that either the partial or the complete is an option. i'm aware that the complete is the wiser option. i'll know more after the dr gets the complete path report and after i talk to a surgeon which i will do as soon as possible. right now i'm kind of in limbo. and after reading some of the groups posts there's no doubt as to what is probably the safest choice. i think i'm still in a bit of shock i appreciate all the help and sharing of experiences and of choices made from this group. i hope you all know how helpful you have been. i'm glad i joined and i hope that soon i will be able to be as supportive as you all are. in love and acceptance reggie Jan Koelsch jkoelsch1950@...> wrote: Reggie: You are the one that has to live with the decisions that you make concerning your health and your breasts I am not a doctor so I speak strictly from personal experience. I have a ductectomy in both breasts in 2003. In 2006 I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. The tumor was small. I could have had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I chose mastectomy because I wanted to have the cancer gone. There had already been cancer cells in my left breast when they did the ductectomy. The pathology came back at that time that all was removed when they did that procedure. If it were me, I would have the breast removed. I'm not sure what benefit there is to having a physician that simply tells you what you want to hear. The best suggestion I have is to read the posts from other people, take a deep breath, and find a really good doctor that will be straightforward (not mean) with all the information you need to make a rational and sane decision. Education is power and so is information. You haven't been given a death sentence and you will survive. It the words of Sharon in Minnesota, I am sending hugs and hope to you and my prayers, too. Jan K reggie0054 reggie0054@...> wrote: hi all i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean margins this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at this point i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been radiated. i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated in love and acceptance, reggie Jan Koelsch --------------------------------- No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 I had minimal pain for my mastectomies as well. For me, recovering from having a baby was much more difficult than this surgery. > > > > hi all > > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. > One > > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in > the > > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > > margins > > > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a > repeat > > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > > this point > > > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that > recision > > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem > for > > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already > been > > radiated. > > > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see > my > > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to > hear? > > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > > > in love and acceptance, > > > > reggie > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 No problem Reggie, I am happy to share what's going on with me. You asked if I really would have chosen mastectomy had it been offered in round one. Well, you know hindsight is always better than the view you are curretly looking through. I can sit here all day long and say that's what I would have done, but in reality who knows? You can't go back and change any of it. In a lot of ways I WISH that is what I had done, but if wishes were horses then beggars would ride:) I do wish that my original oncologist (who moved back to Spain) had given me some kind of post-treatment after I was done with radiation. It was kind of like, " well, that's it. Come back and see us sometime. " And I took that as " run away as fast as you can so you don't catch it again. " . How stupid is that? Surely there was something that would have improved my chances of no reoccurrence this time. But again, it's hindsight and it won't change anything. All joking aside, if I were in your shoes, knowing what I know now, I think that I would at least investigate and or consider mastectomy. Like I said before, I had both breasts, although there was cancer found in only one. I won't lie to you, mastectomy is hard. The pain is hard. My 70 year old mother had to put my socks and underwear on me for many days after I came home. But I was up and around pretty quickly and I'm glad I did it because I sure don't want to do it again. You asked what kind of reconstruction I had. Not the one I wanted. I wanted the TRAM flap where they take it from the stomach so it results in an automatic tummy tuck at the same time! What a bonus! My doctor said I didn't have enough " gut " to do it and laughed at me when I said " so you are telling me I have gained about 15 pounds in the last two years and I don't have enough of me to do that? " He got a big kick out of that. I ended up with a dorsal latissimus flap procedure, which is muscle pulled around from your back under your arms to make a pocket for the implants. The only problem is that when they take that muscle around it's very tight against your chest wall and there's no way to put an implant in there right away. So you end up with the tissue expanders, which for me were put in at the same time as the mastectomy. The general surgeon leaves the room, you are still under the gas and the plastic surgeon comes in and puts them in. They are no piece of cake either...my left one, where I had radiation before, is more problematic than the right. It is so high up that it feels like a cat sitting on my chest trying to strangle me. But like I said before, I am happy I decided to get it all done at once, if only because it's so hard that I don't want to do it again, ever. I hope this helps and gives you so info you can use. Stay strong and positive, you'll make the right decision for you. My hair started falling out today and that also sucks, but I'm alive and I'm going to live to be 100 years old! Love....K > > > > hi all > > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. > One > > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in > the > > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > > margins > > > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a > repeat > > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > > this point > > > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that > recision > > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem > for > > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already > been > > radiated. > > > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see > my > > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to > hear? > > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > > > in love and acceptance, > > > > reggie > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 im not concerned about the pain. i have been told that with reconstruction it takes 6 to 8 weeks before totally resuming normanl activities. since i am a waitress it will probably be more like 3 months. our situations are different. i don't have a charles, i am single and self-supporting. conservation surgery will give me a chance to stash away some money in case i need to do have the removal in the future. i recognize i'm taking a gamble but if i can't work, ill probably end up homeless. that, also needs to be figured into the equation. everyone's situation is different and there are many factors to take into consideration & nne Svihlik moochie1@...> wrote: Reggie, I had a mastectomy and never had to take any kind of pain meds even in the hospital. What ever they did in surgery was the only thing I had. But you have to be comfortable with your decision. Hugs nne Breast Cancer Patients Soul Mates for Life http://www.geocities.com/chucky5741/breastcancerpatients.html BreastCancerStories.com http://www.breastcancerstories.com/content/view/433/161/ Angel Feather Loomer www.angelfeatherloomer.blogspot.com Check out my other ornaments at www.geocities.com/chucky5741/bcornament.html Lots of info and gifts at: www.cancerclub.com Re: Re: recurrence thanks, mp for your response. last time, lumpectomy, recision and radiation followed with tamoxifen were exactly what the dr ordered and that's what i did. it wasn't all that bad for me and perhaps that's why i feel the same course of action would work this time. i just saw the onc. and he did say that removal of more tissue instead of the whole breast was an option but it appears that the invasive cancer area is probably larger than i think but he has no way of knowing till after the surgery so at this point he can't even stage it. at this point he doesn't have enough of the pathology report to begin to tell me what treatment i'll need after surgery. part of my thinking also includes the fact that i just can't afford to be off work enough for the mastectomy and if i just havae more tissue taken out now oerhaps there will be clean margins and if there is a problem in the future i'm in no worse shape than i'm in now. at worst i've put the more invasive surgery off for a while. i'm glad to know your reconstruction is going well. how did you ever make a decision as to what kind to have? there seem to be so many different styles. i'm not sure i would have had your courage but i guess you never know what you can handle until you have to handle it badly enough. would you really have had both breasts removed last time if it had been suggested to you? one concern my dr. has is that i had no lump this time which means the cancer is spreading far and wide instead of up. funny, i never understood how women could let cancer get to stage 3 or 4 because how could they ignore the lump?? silly and egotistical of me to think my experience was the endall and be all of cancer. again, thank you so much for sharing your experience. my next step is to see a surgeon, have whatever done and see what the nodes are up to this time and how invasive the whole t hing has become. i just can't believe it came back. sorry, but i just found out last thursday and i'm a bit discombobulated. what was that book " first you cry. " and then you get down to business. thanks again in love and acceptance reggie MP kim@...> wrote: Hi Reggie, In my first diagnosis I was also very set on saving my breast at all costs, so I had a breast conserving lumpectomy followed by radiation. There were clear margins and subsequent mammos showed no reoccurence until 2.5 years later: same breast. When I got the second diagnosis saving the breast all of the sudden wasn't that important to me, in fact it wasn't important at all. I did a lot of research on mastectomy and reconstruction and actually decided to have the other, so far cancer free, breast removed also. One reason was that I wanted to lower that percentage of reoccurence (32%) as far as I could; I am 45 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. The second, more selfish reason, was that I really didn't want to have one breast removed, years down the line find that I need the other one removed and have to repeat the mastectomy/reconstruction process all over again. It's just too hard and I figured that I had a better shot of being symmetrical with two implants instead of just one on one side of my body. I am happy with the decision I've made, even though by the time I am completely done with chemo (doing that now with the tissue expanders in place) and complete reconstruction (mastectomy with tissue expanders-one surgery, transfer implants-one surgery, nipples-another surgery, then tatoos should I choose) the ordeal will have stretched out the better part of a year. My thinking was that I could give up the year and hopefully be completely done with the entire mess. The decision is a very personal one and hard to make but in my opinion, and almost all doctors would say, remove the breast for the best chance. I wish mine had counseled mastectomy more to me after my first diagnosis, maybe I wouldn't be having to go through this all over again right now. Make sure you make your doctor help you understand what the chances of reoccurrence are with each different type of treatment: breast conservation vs mastectomy and then adding in the adjuvant treatments of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. Once you really understand the numbers you will feel better equipped to make the decision that is right for you. > > hi all > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > margins > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > this point > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been > radiated. > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > in love and acceptance, > > reggie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 im not concerned about the pain. i have been told that with reconstruction it takes 6 to 8 weeks before totally resuming normanl activities. since i am a waitress it will probably be more like 3 months. our situations are different. i don't have a charles, i am single and self-supporting. conservation surgery will give me a chance to stash away some money in case i need to do have the removal in the future. i recognize i'm taking a gamble but if i can't work, ill probably end up homeless. that, also needs to be figured into the equation. everyone's situation is different and there are many factors to take into consideration & nne Svihlik moochie1@...> wrote: Reggie, I had a mastectomy and never had to take any kind of pain meds even in the hospital. What ever they did in surgery was the only thing I had. But you have to be comfortable with your decision. Hugs nne Breast Cancer Patients Soul Mates for Life http://www.geocities.com/chucky5741/breastcancerpatients.html BreastCancerStories.com http://www.breastcancerstories.com/content/view/433/161/ Angel Feather Loomer www.angelfeatherloomer.blogspot.com Check out my other ornaments at www.geocities.com/chucky5741/bcornament.html Lots of info and gifts at: www.cancerclub.com Re: Re: recurrence thanks, mp for your response. last time, lumpectomy, recision and radiation followed with tamoxifen were exactly what the dr ordered and that's what i did. it wasn't all that bad for me and perhaps that's why i feel the same course of action would work this time. i just saw the onc. and he did say that removal of more tissue instead of the whole breast was an option but it appears that the invasive cancer area is probably larger than i think but he has no way of knowing till after the surgery so at this point he can't even stage it. at this point he doesn't have enough of the pathology report to begin to tell me what treatment i'll need after surgery. part of my thinking also includes the fact that i just can't afford to be off work enough for the mastectomy and if i just havae more tissue taken out now oerhaps there will be clean margins and if there is a problem in the future i'm in no worse shape than i'm in now. at worst i've put the more invasive surgery off for a while. i'm glad to know your reconstruction is going well. how did you ever make a decision as to what kind to have? there seem to be so many different styles. i'm not sure i would have had your courage but i guess you never know what you can handle until you have to handle it badly enough. would you really have had both breasts removed last time if it had been suggested to you? one concern my dr. has is that i had no lump this time which means the cancer is spreading far and wide instead of up. funny, i never understood how women could let cancer get to stage 3 or 4 because how could they ignore the lump?? silly and egotistical of me to think my experience was the endall and be all of cancer. again, thank you so much for sharing your experience. my next step is to see a surgeon, have whatever done and see what the nodes are up to this time and how invasive the whole t hing has become. i just can't believe it came back. sorry, but i just found out last thursday and i'm a bit discombobulated. what was that book " first you cry. " and then you get down to business. thanks again in love and acceptance reggie MP kim@...> wrote: Hi Reggie, In my first diagnosis I was also very set on saving my breast at all costs, so I had a breast conserving lumpectomy followed by radiation. There were clear margins and subsequent mammos showed no reoccurence until 2.5 years later: same breast. When I got the second diagnosis saving the breast all of the sudden wasn't that important to me, in fact it wasn't important at all. I did a lot of research on mastectomy and reconstruction and actually decided to have the other, so far cancer free, breast removed also. One reason was that I wanted to lower that percentage of reoccurence (32%) as far as I could; I am 45 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. The second, more selfish reason, was that I really didn't want to have one breast removed, years down the line find that I need the other one removed and have to repeat the mastectomy/reconstruction process all over again. It's just too hard and I figured that I had a better shot of being symmetrical with two implants instead of just one on one side of my body. I am happy with the decision I've made, even though by the time I am completely done with chemo (doing that now with the tissue expanders in place) and complete reconstruction (mastectomy with tissue expanders-one surgery, transfer implants-one surgery, nipples-another surgery, then tatoos should I choose) the ordeal will have stretched out the better part of a year. My thinking was that I could give up the year and hopefully be completely done with the entire mess. The decision is a very personal one and hard to make but in my opinion, and almost all doctors would say, remove the breast for the best chance. I wish mine had counseled mastectomy more to me after my first diagnosis, maybe I wouldn't be having to go through this all over again right now. Make sure you make your doctor help you understand what the chances of reoccurrence are with each different type of treatment: breast conservation vs mastectomy and then adding in the adjuvant treatments of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. Once you really understand the numbers you will feel better equipped to make the decision that is right for you. > > hi all > i was very recently diagnosed with 3 problems in my right breast. One > is invasive ductal carcinoma,minimally an inch wide, one is a > carcinoman still confined to the ducts and the other is still in the > lobules. it appears all are in stage one. i know that roughly 2 > inches of tissue was taken for the biopsy and there are no clean > margins > > this is my second cancer in that breast so the surgeon recommends > removing the breast partially so i don't have to worry about a repeat > performance. i am, however, highly motivated to save the breast at > this point > > i have done some reading, as we all do, and it appears that recision > and radiation is a highly successful treatment. the only problem for > me is that it's not always recommended if the beast has already been > radiated. > > i have to believe that there are always choices. i am going to see my > oncologist today and he's very conservative and i know he will > recommend the more radical surgery. other than the fact that i'm > pretty much freaking out, i could really use some advice from those > of you who have been through tis. ARE there alternatives? do i need > to keep searching for a doctor who will tell me what i want to hear? > and how much of a mistake would that be? do i just need to come to > grips with this? any info, any feedback would really be appreciated > > in love and acceptance, > > reggie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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