I debated this...but think I should perhaps share it. It isn't something to hide because, as i said from the start, sharing these things may just help someone else some day. It would be nice if we could see into the future, but we can't. and as they say, hindsight is 20/20 .. my choices this time were limited because of the radiation. I knew radiation had some effects, but didn't know that it would likely prevent future surgery on that breast. (but, of course, who would really think they would need it?) Hard to know if I might have chosen a different path had I heard my own story. Anyway...what I am getting to, is that normally I might be a bit more "private" but I think this is important to share.
When I made my decision to have a lumpectomy and radiation in 2013 it was because I was told that the outcome was equal if I had that or a mastectomy. I had a low risk of recurrence. What I didn't figure in was the chance of another primary...actually that is a very low risk as well. At the time I felt that I might be overreacting if I did a bilateral mastectomy and I didn't want to do just one. I would have done both. What happened here now, is that I have another cancer in the other breast...so that is not metastatic cancer...it is considered another primary. This time my options were limited because I had had the radiation...that bothered me a lot but it just isn't something you can predict. I made the choice to go with another lumpectomy and radiation...but that changed yesterday. I have DCIS and also invasive breast cancer in this breast. Probably easiest for me to just copy/paste what I just sent to Ann telling her about what happened yesterday.
...so here it is....sorry if I am a bit rambly....I am a bit drugged ... I am just keeping the meds onboard for a couple of days as I don't want to end up having a pain control problem. So far, so good!
I ended up having a mastectomy. I had gone in to the breast center to have the wires put in (I have DCIS and invasive breast cancer but they don't know what is what in that whole thing percentage wise) and they ended up finding more than they had originally measured. It was twice the size they originally thought in January when first discovered...not because it was fast growing, but just because DCIS is hard to get images on. It isn't like a tumor that can be easily seen by the surgeon which is why they were putting wires in...they are guides for the surgeon so he knows what to remove. The two surgeons (one for the cancer, and the other for plastic surgery) came to speak with me prior to the surgery, and while discussing it, a decision was made to do a mastectomy instead of the lumpectomy. There were many issues that made mastectomy a better choice...the possibility there would be more and he had no way of knowing since DCIS does not always show on mammogram was the biggest one. This has been a bit of a challenge making decisions from the start because the other breast I had a lumpectomy and radiation which renders that breast a "problem child" in terms of reconstruction. Otherwise I would have done a bilat mastectomy and reconstruction. So..now I will have one implant and she will do what she can with the other breast to try to make them sisters instead of distant cousins. I wish we had a way to see the future...I would have done bilat mastectomy in 2013. But, it is what it is and I will work with it. Not much other choice. I am just happy to be home! When I woke up and the said I was being admitted I had a fit. LOL I was like...oh no, call those doctors and tell them I said PLEASE send me home.
Anyway...it is uncomfortable but not so horrible. The nurse who discharged me said some people really have problems with pain control and that is why they admit.
I guess I am lucky that my pain tolerance is fairly high. I also have a huge motivation sitting here...little furries.