Hi, I have been told I am having a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. I have a grade 3 tumor.
But I was wondering if I can ask for a mastectomy instead as mentally I think this would be a better option for me. I feel that I will just continually worry that it will come back if I just have a lumpectomy. Any advice would be great please.
Love Hayley xx
Hi Hayley,
Sorry to hear you are faced with this journey. Ask your sugeon anything, your peace of mind is so important on the road to recovery. Your choices will depend on your treatment as will the advice for immediate or delayed reconstruction.
My surgeon’s first choice for me was to have a lumpectomy and reconstruction. My initial reaction was take the lot. Then after researching I thought I would prefer the lumpectomy with no reconstruction (didn’t want my back messing with and wanted to keep some shape) Due to the positioning of the lumps this was not possible and I had to have a mastectomy (7th Nov) and will wait for delayed reconstruction due to radiotherapy. The surgeon answered all my questions and explained very clearly my options and what could and couldn’t be done.
I found the breastree.org website quite useful for how things might be for me after surgery.
I’m glad all the cancer has gone and on the whole I’m comfortable with dealing with the prosthesis. I’ve found it hard to find bras that I like and for me the worst bit is not having the fatty breast tissue that extends to the shoulder blade. (starting to look quite concave). It is quite restrictive on the clothes that you can wear (tops have to be really quite high to cover the concave look).
I had little pain with the surgery and healed well.
It’s a hard choice and I understand why you would want to opt for a mastectomy. The most important thing is you get the appropriate advice for your situation and opt for what you feel most comfortable with. Trust your instincts and ask everything you need to to make an informed decision.
Wishing you all the best and big hugs Jxx
Hi Hayley,
You should be able to discuss all the options with your Bc nurse and your surgeon.
I requested a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction with implants ( which didn’t have to be delayed luckily) despite my surgeon suggesting a wle. I opted for this for my own piece of mind as this was a second occurrence but totally different to the previous one a decade ago.
I don’t know the statistics on recurrence or new primary occurrence but having been here before I can tell you that the fears do recede with time. Admittedly they never went away completely.
Wishing you all the best for whatever you choose.
Mel x
Hi thank you for you’re replys. I’ve decided to follow surgeons advice and go with wle and slnb. Going in fri 10th. Very nervous 
x
Thank you for your reply. I had my op fri I went with wle and snlb. Still uncomfortable at the mo but getting there. Thank you. Hugs to everyone xx