Hi all,
I’ve just been dx with high grade DCIS at 44yo. Went to my GP after I noticed thickening on the outer lower quadrent on my left breast and started to get spontaneous discharge from one duct, I also had a small non-movable lump in the right breast. GP was great and did a 2 week referral to my local breast unit. The consultant I saw did the fastest history and breast exam ever didn’t feel any thickening on the left and I had to point out where the lump was on the right. He requested a mammogram and ultrasound for the right breast. Had the mammo and the AP nurse doing the US pointed out calcifications throughout the lower part of my left breast so checked both. I had a lymph node biopsy taken and back to the consultant. He told me the mammo had been checked by two radiologist who weren’t concerned but they would like to take two breast biopsies to sample the areas with the clustered calcifications. His parting comment was it was very unlikely I had cancer, but if I did it would be a very small early cancer. The vacum assisted biopsy wasn’t fun - because of the areas to sample were on the outside / underside of the breast it took a while to get me in the right position for each sample but the staff were all excellent.
As soon as I walked into my results appointment I saw a senior breast cancer nurse sitting at the back of the room and knew they’d found something. The consultant confirmed high grade DCIS from both biopsy sites but the lymph node was clear. I asked about treatment and masectomy was the only surgical option offered. I agreed as I either have a really large area of DCIS or multifocal disease and wouldn’t be confident that a lumpectomy could get it all. Prior to that I’m booked in for a sentinel lymph node biospy.
My concern is I don’t feel completely comfortable with my consultant. I appreciate the vast majority women he sees have benign breast conditions and he will be used to women thinking they have cancer when they don’t. The problem is I had this really strong feeling that it was cancer and wasn’t at all suprised with the dx. I’d even checked radiology websites and the clustered of calcifications I saw on my mammo looked, to me, like DCIS.
I deal with bad news by researching everything I can, getting pee’d off, and inappropriate humour. Most of the Drs I’ve seen in the past get this about me. But just before he told me I needed a masectomy he pushed the box of tissues nearer to me and gave me what was obviously his best sympathetic tone of voice. So, rationally I know my reaction is for really minor reasons, and that his approach would be great for most of he patients’, but I just don’t like him.
S