I was diagnosed with liver mets about 5 weeks ago a week after I found the cancer had returned. my onc decided not to put me on chemo last wk and gave me letrozole but said he would talk to my breast surgeon about a mx (had lumpectomy prev) as my lump has grown a lot in the 5 wks. He’s now advised me that my surgeon is happy to do a mx & reconstruction but I wld need to have chemo 1st, & that it may not give me any more time. He’s also concerned that the cancer may break thro my skin.
I wld feel happier without my breast but if I have the chemo now does this mean I have less options in the future & shorter life span? Is the pain & recovery of the reconstruction worth it?
I am sorry you have had to join us but you will find some ladies with lots of knowledge of reconstructions. I am sorry I have not had a MX only a lumpectomy 19 years ago. I was told I would need a MX but the surgeon did not remove it as my lump was malignant he wanted to do my auxiliary glands he removed 11 and found one malignant. Again I was facing a MX a registra taiked me out of it. I have spent almost 17 years free but I know have a tumour in the breast and one in the chest wall the cancer has pulled my breast in so I am now lop-sided.
Thats my story if I had a MX it wouldn’t have made any difference by the way I had radiotherapy and chemo I do hope someone who has had a reconstuction will help you decide.
My liver mets were found on CT/MRIs a few weeks after my primary dx in March. I was told that there was no point in operating once the mets had been found. I have no symptoms from my mets but I’m getting lots of bother from the whopper primary tumour - 12cm (was 4.7cm in March when biopsy taken). If you don’t mind me asking, how big is yours? I was on Letrozole from April to July and that’s when my monster more than doubled in size.
I too am lopsided, with a wierd partially inverted nipple. I was to have EC chemo before the mets were found and, at that time, I was assured that the EC would shrink the tumour so much that they would need to put a tracer in so they could find it at the end of the chemo. No problem finding it now lol!!! It’s rock hard and looks like I’ve had a bad implant gone wrong. If you’re at all worried about the advice you’re receiving, ask your GP to refer you for a second opinion. Best of luck, Julia