Hello
I’ve recently been diagnosed with DCIS with a right side mastectomy recommended due to the extensive nature of the DCIS.
It’s over 9cm in length so no option on clear margins due to the size of my breast.
I’ve also been told my breast tissue or extremely dense which makes it hard to spot issues. I am working myself into a total stew on it being in the left breast and having been missed or that it could be there very shortly. Do I have any rights to push for a double mastectomy at all? I’d just feel so much better if they did them both. I appreciate it’s a bigger surgery but the peace of mind would be worth it.
At present I’m on the UK NHS but do have the option to go private (UK also). My surgeon is the same as would do it privately and he has asked me to stay on the NHS.
I was similar DCIS 12mm calcified margins not clear. I had mastectomy and total size was 10cm and I’m only 34b.
I had contrast mammogram which highlighted the dense area but couldn’t confirm size but it did show difference in density between breasts. From the research I did the best scan is MRI for showing non calcified DCIS. I can’t have MRI for 18 months as they used mag trace during my lumpectomy. I don’t think they will remove healthy breast on the NHS. You might get that option private.
I think the benefit of private if it’s an option is you have control over date and less likely to be cancelled?
Not sure if you have decided on type of reconstruction? My advice is to ask to see photos of both options on someone with similar breast size as there is a big difference in how they look with big breasts compared to small.
I would suggest asking for an MRI to thoroughly check both breasts. That will show up far more detail than an ultrasound/mammogram.
If your NHS consultant won’t refer you (although from what you’ve described it sounds reasonable, but I’m not a doctor), could you have one privately?
I too have dense breasts. In the initial ultrasound and mammogram, the lump on my breast apparently looked benign. They did a biopsy anyway and that came back showing IDC. Because this hadn’t been clear in the ultrasound/mammogram, they then sent me for an MRI to get a clearer picture of what was happening in my breasts.