I wonder if you can help…I was diagnosed with BC 29th Feb this year and I’ve had a mastectomy, chemo and rads. I had a Grade 3, triple positive cancer so I’m currently on herceptin.
I’ve decided (I think) to have a 2nd mastectomy on my good breast, as I suffered so badly with chemo that I just couldn’t go through it all again. I feel as though I want to do as much as I can to stop the cancer from returnng.
Just wondering what you all think…am I doing the right thing? Has anyone else been in this situation. Am I putting myself through another operation for nothing? Should I just go back to work and put the last 9 months beind me?
I’ve been in a relationship for the last 10 years and my boyfriend is totally supportive, I am only 28 though so if I was ever lucky enough to have a baby, I wouldn’t be able to breast feed.
I have had breast cancer twice separated by some years and both times had mastectomy, chemo and rads. I wish I had had the “good one” off after the first time as it was no fun doing it all again.
I couldn’t tell you or advise you what would be best but in your situation, and especially at such a heartbreakingly (to me) young age, I would be thinking the way you are.
Also it looks less freaky with none compared to one, can’t say I miss them too much; just my way of looking at it though.
Hi to you both, I had a left-side mast in December and desperately want my other one removed. The surgeon refused at the time, and after a chat with the senior nurse this week they are reluctant to let me go ahead. They want me to see the pyscologist first in the new year. If I had the cancer gene then yes, but I don’t have enough family history to be tested. I feel it’s my right to be able to have the op, if I had wanted a reconstruction then I am sure there would be no problem with that, yet that is a big op!
Hi Kate, I’m much older than you (41 when DX). I had a left mastectomy in 2004, but I hated being lop-sided and worried about a recurrence.I had a second mastectomy (prophylactic)
in 2005 and had an oophorectomy in 2006. I’m happy with my choices so far, but they come with a massive “what if”. I’ve been chucked into menopause too soon, feel I’m now the grumpiest woman/ mum alive - my kids hate me! but - hey - they may get to put up with me for a little bit longer. Lol Sx
my friend had a mastectomy back in Jan 07 and would now like the other one off prophylactically but after speaking to the cons he is reluctant to do it. I think if thats what she really wants she ought to pester him to do it, maybe he will then have a change of mind
I too am thinking along the same lines as you, i was diagnosed September and am having neo-adjunctive chemo before they start with surgery but am so concerned that at being just 32 now i cant bear the thought that the cancer will reoccur in the other breast so am discussing with my medical team having bilateral mastectomies when i am due surgery in February. You should push for what you feel is best for you,
good luck.
am nearing the end of chemo and will have to make the same decisions as you are. I think that I will need an mx as tumour not shrunk brilliantly and believe node involvement so I am not going to mess about, I want it gone. I feel that if I have one boob off then I would feel better with bi lateral, and then if I chose to go prosthetic free I could do and feel ‘balanced’. At the mo I have no wish for any sort of recon. My onc says that there is no greater chance of getting a 2nd primary in the ‘good’ boob as anyone else and that there would be a higher risk of secondaries than 2nd primary. I understand that but it does not alter the fact that If I have to have one off then they both go. I am 52 so lot older than most of you, maybe this makes it a little easier for me. He also said that it wouldnt necessarily stop me from getting cancer back as it could come back in the tissue around where the breast used to be. I understand this too!!! Ok, so its to feel better about myself, but with what we have to go through I dont feel its asking too much and yes, its got to be cheaper than recon!! If I have to talk to a psychologist then so be it!!!
It takes a long time to get your head around, but if its what you are sure you want
then be ready to stand your ground.
A hard decision. If you had lobular cancer you have more chance of getting a second primary than if you had ductal cancer…something to bear in mind.
The odds too of you getting secondary breast acncer in another part of your body are also probably statistically more significant than getting a sceond primary in your other breast, so having a sceond mastectomy won’t stop the possibility of a recurrence.
I had invasive lobular plus extensive pleomorphic LCIS so a had mastectomy and recon in April last year. My “good” breast now hurts and I have a hard patch. I have decided to go for risk reducing surgery plus recon and am going back to my original breast consultant and PS (I have moved from Norwich to London since my surgery) to discuss this in a couple of weeks. However, this time I am going privately rather than on the NHS, so it may be easier for me to get what I want.
My breast consultant here fully supports my decision - she did say though if I had had ductal cancer she would recommend me waiting a couple of years to see if I still felt so anxious. I found my original lump very early on, which is unusual for lobular and it hadn’t spread to my lymph nodes. If a new primary were to occur, I wouldn’t want to risk not finding it until it had spread.
I realise this doesn’t remove the risk completely, but I’d rather do that than nothing - I’ve done it once, I can do it again.
Hi,
I was diagnosed jan 07 and had chemo, then mx with immediate reconstruction and rads. I was adamant from the time they told me I had cancer that i wanted both gone (I was 34).
I had my elective mx in May this year and have never regretted my decision.
I am also due to have my ovaries out because I have a dodgy gene (they are treating me as a BRCA1 case, although they are still researching the gene I have as they havent seen it before), however, regardless of whether my cancer was genetic or not, I wanted both off and am happy I have done so.
IF my cancer returns, I can live with the knowledge that I have done everything possible to prevent it.
Best wishes
Katyx
just wanted to add to the discussion for kte281 that ive faced the same agonising decision over the last few months and have also decided to have a bilateral mx, for which im in on friday - some that posted above may well remember my posts trying to decided what to do! im also young, 24, and absolutely terrified, but i know its the right thing to do. i echo what the ladies said above that i want to know ive done everything possible to reduce the chances of it coming back. has been good for me to read the above comments, has sured up my decision.
best of luck to all of you xx
Hi,
I was diagnosed in July 2007, had lumpectomy (no clear margins) then chemotherapy followed by mastectomy in Feb 2008. I opted for bilateral mastectomy with Becker implant reconstruction at the same time. I did it because I couldnt bear the thought of ever having chemo again. My surgeon was reluctant because of the low risk of another primary. I had multifocal DCIS in the cancerous side (as well as 3 ductal carcinomas, no lymph node spread) and felt that the only way to be sure it wasnt in the good breast as well, was to remove it. I had no hesitancy about my decision. However I have found it harder to come to terms with than I expected. I am now 40 and would like another child and the thought of being unable to breast feed (if I managed to get pregnant!) upsets me. With clothes/swimsuit on I looke great but without feel I look like an ‘android’. It is a very difficult decision to take in your 20’s. You have a lot of years ahead living with the potential risk of another primary but on the other hand its a lot of years to be without a lovely normal soft breast. I think all the ladies who get another primary in their good breast regret not having an initial bilateral mx- I dont know the statistics but I seem to have met quite a few. I couldnt have made any other decision- even though its hard, its given me peace of mind and I feel ‘cured’ (touch wood). I think to do it you have to feel that there isnt really any alternative for you and your peace of mind. Good luck to all of you contemplating the same. x
Hi K,
Feel like I’m in a sililar situation as you, I am 26 finished chemo, had left mastectomy and axillary clearance last week, just radiotherapy to go!..oh and a year of herceptin, but that doesn’t really count.
I asked my breast care nurse about bilateral mastectomy and she said they would not concider it at the same time as would be too big a surgery. She did say they may do a right mastectomy if I really wanted but very matter of factly said it made no difference to survival rates and would be very unlikley to get another primary and the risk of secondaries is much more likely! Felt like saying its very unlikely to get breast cancer in your 20’s too!
I was also concerened not being able to breast feed if I did have a second mastectomy, I posted a coment through cesca24’s discussion and lots of helpful advice was posted from women who had breastfed so have a look through the past posts.
Really is a tough decision to make and as you say the sooner you can put it all behind you the better, but at the same time do everything you can to reduce your risk of having to go through it again, however small
charliexx
What a tough decision for you to make at such a young age! I had BC in 2003 at age 41, - I was 4 & a half months pregnant at the time- had mastectomy & half my chemo before giving birth, the 2nd half after and I wasn’t able to breast feed but didn’t feel that I or my baby suffered at all. In fact I always held him on my left side where I had the mastectomy and as his ear was so close to my heart he always fell asleep instantly. (He’s 5 now and at school and the brightest,loveliest child!) I went on to have a DIEP reconstruction in 2005. I was signed off in July this year having had 5 years of check ups. But, just a few weeks later I felt a swollen lymph node in my right armpit & to cut a long story short I was DX with LCIS in September. Had LD flap reconstruction 5 weeks ago & have been told there are cancer cells in my bone marrow. If only I could turn the clock back to 2005 and have had both breasts reconstructed so that I wouldn’t be in this mess but no one could have predicted that I would have got it again so quickly - I wasn’t at high risk.
Obviously you have to make this decision for yourself and it is a real toughie but you have a lot of life to live yet. There would be a lot said for not having to endure that treatment again and to have that peace of mind. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Both my reconstructions have been amazing!
I was diagnosed with IBC on 5th November, I have 8 Chemo treatments which end in April and then i’m to have a mastectomy. The thought of having a mastectomy upsets me beyond belief, i feel i’d rather go through Chemo twice. Am i only one who feels this way. Friends and family all put the logical argument across that loosing my breast is better than loosing my life but i still really struggle with the prospect.
I was diagnosed in May 2007 and du to the size (7.5cm) i had no option but to have a mastectomy. I ad 8 rounds of chemo to shrink the tumour and due to having numerous breast lumps i asked for them to do a bilateral mastectomy. My surgeon try’d to talk me out of this and said that the chances of the cancer returning in the other breast were minute. After seeing so many woman in the chemo ward who were there for the 2nd time around for either the cancer returning in the other breast or another cancer developing. I was adamant. So in Nov 07 i had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate recon using expander implants. My recon is almost done now and i have no regrets.
Only you can make the decision, Do what you want to do and not what others want or tell you to do.
Julie, you are not on your own and many do feel the same way as you are right now. Like your family, i thought it better to loose my breasts than to loose my life.
On the upside, the reonstruction that they can do is incredible. I have had recon using expander implants, i have now had these swapped for permanent implants and am just waiting for the final touches (nipples) They look so good, with and without a bra.