I’m thinking of asking the surgeon to take my other breast away too when I go for my mastectomy and node clearance in a few weeks. I dont want to go through all this again. I’ve a MRI scan and ultrasound tomorrow to see if ‘it’s’ anywhere else but it has me thinking. My tumour couldnt be seen with mammogram and it makes me worry that they wont find anything in the other breast with the yearly ones after treatment finishes. Am I being reasonable?
Vanessa
Vanessa
Its a huge decision to make and one to discuss over with your surgeon - but ultimately I would say it shoudl be your decision. If is one you can live with and would put your mind at rest then your perfectly within your rights. My cancer also didnt show up properly on mammogram but its not something I have thought about.
I know it has been done before and have known of some women with a strong family history having this surgery done as prevention.
Good luck in your decision - do whats right for your
FIona
xx
Hi there
I would think about that carefully, aparently if your cancer was to ome back in your other breast, the most likely event would be that the cancer had seeded in other places in your body.
You must also coonsider that there is a very low percentage chance the the cancer could return even after a mastecomy!! There are now gaurantees that it wont, the chance is small but it is still there.]
Hope you dont mind me telling you that, but it was actually my GP that gave me more info, when I felt totally lost and not suure what was going on, with regard to my treatment. Fortunately my GP had had experience on the breast cancer team and sits on the NICE panel and so knows alot about Herceptin also.
All of the BC treatment I have found to be a pro and con weigh up. But remember that nothing can be written in stone, you have to weigh up all the pos and negs and go with what you think is best.
I have a multi-focal bc, in right breast. As one of the two lumps was never biopsied and has now disappeared after chemo, they are saying it was cancer. But how can they be so sure, when questioned they cant be!!! Sorather than go for mastectomy and TRAM recon I have opted for lumpectomy/wide local excision. They will check the other site that had lump regularly. But I had to weigh it all up.
Good luck with what you decide on.
Becks
Hi MummyV
I had similar thoughts to you - had lobular BC in right breast that had got to 8cm before detected. Chemo shrunk it so that we couldnt feel it, but we knew it was there. So how will I know if anything appears in my left breast ? Before my right breast mastectomy I asked abvout the left breats etc. 1) I had an MRI that showed its clear at the moment, 2) All agreed that I wasnt being daft, 3) reluctance to do a double mastectomy as they wanted to deal with what I have at the moment and get me on the road to recovery, 4) having had a single mastectomy I am relieved that trauma/pain was only in one arm. It really is getting better quickly but can see th sense in having only one done. 4) suggested solution is that when I have my reconstruction in about a years time a left breast mastectomy (+ recon) can be done then. This seemed a good outcome to me. In the meantime they will do regular checks.
However it was stressed to me that the hormonal treatments will work to prevent it coming in the right breast and as Becks said there is breast tissue left even after a mastctomy so there are no guarantees
I had to force the issue - but was pleased I did. I might not even go ahead if I find I can live with the checks etc for the next year. But to have found out it was an option was a huge relief at the time.
I spoke to the breast care nurse who then made an extra appointment for me with the surgeon as I wasnt due to see him for 3 months as I was on the chemo 1st.
I also agree with Becks that your GP could be a huge help.
Take care
Jane