I am posting like crazy today! I figured while I’m having an energy splurge I’m going for it.
For those of you who have already had surgery are there any questions you wish you had asked beforehand?
I’m due for surgery sometime in April/May - date not yet confirmed.
Thanks
What surgery are you having My Experience?
I had a lumpectomy with some lymph node removal and my consultant explained how I would be cut and the size of the cut. The breast nurse explained I wouldn’t be given a masectomy during the operation even if anything else was found. She also said that I wouldn’t be sent home with drains in place which I was relieved about. There was nothing else I needed to know. Most of my questions now are about the next stage of the treatment.
I remember coming around with the oxygen mask still on and later thinking how the anaesthestic must have been carefully measured!
Thank you for responding. Hope your op went well.
When I was first diagnosed I was told it would be a mastectomy, this was back in November. Since then I have had chemo (1 more cycle to go) and the lump has shrunk (YEH!!!) I will find out exactly how much next week.
The following week I meet with the consultant to discuss surgery and the options. Back in November they said that it would be a mastectomy even if the lump shrunk, however it’s all about choices and it’s my body so I am considering all options right now.
I’m trying to prepare my possible questions while I have some energy before the last lot of chemo.
I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has questions they didn’t ask and perhaps thought that would have been good to know before they had the op.
Lulu650 - are you moving on to chemo next, when does your next stage of treatment begin?
Hi again.
Radiotherapy at Cambridge and discussing it tomorrow. As it was Grade 1 invasive DCIS but nothing found in the lymph nodes I won’t be having chemo.
I can see why it’s such a difficult choice for you. Hopefully someone else with a similar experience will post on here. Fantastic that the chemo has shrunk it though.
Hi my experience,
dont think I have all the answers,
there is a page on this webb site re " questions to ask your surgeon.
I have ^ months of chemo and hormone therapy in hope of lumpectomy but I am now booked in for Mx on the 6th Apri. had my pre op assessment yesterday great chance to ask questions, but broke down weeping and wailing, not good,so did not ask all i wanted too.
most important thing to ask though is What are the different options dont take first opinion as written in stone. get them to talk you through the whole procedure what ever that may be. find out what may happen afterwards and how you can help yourself both before and after that helps you to take more back more control
best wishes to you
hope it is the best news possible for you
Sharon C
Thank you - your response has been helpful and I will go search for “questions to ask your surgeon”.
Good luck with your MX on 6 April.
If I’d known anything at all about surgery (and had been offered a choice of lumpectomy or mastectomy) before I had it, I might have asked the surgeon a few like this:
If it was you, what would you do? In other words, is there any difference in prognosis?
What about radiotherapy? If I have a mastectomy, will I be given less/none? Radiotherapy can be very damaging.
If I have a lumpectomy, how much of mess will my breast be in? In other words, would it be better to opt for a neat mastectomy (with hope of a recon at some stage, if you want it) rather than a disfigured breast?
And finally, assuming all else is equal, which treatment path carries least risk of lymphoedema?
X
S
Hi,
The main thing I wished I had known about before my mastectomy was the option to have a skin sparing mastectomy which means the incision is just around the edge of your areola.My scar is a large eliptical shape and much bigger than my areola.
I have no idea if my surgeon does them or if he does why I was not offered one.
You have time to research so take your time and get whatever is best for you.
Also ask about what happens if you end up uneven or not entirely happy with the end result
Good luck
Dot
x
I got offered lumpectomy or mastectomy. All I knew at that time was it was a grade 2. Was told that chance of re-occurence was the same whether I had straight mastectomy or lumpectomy plus rads if there was no spread to nodes.(had sentinal node biopsy at same time)
My consultant told me that it was a totally individual choice and what you can live with after. He said he found it a 50:50 split as to what women chose given that option. Some take the view that cancer has been found and they just want rid of it all,taking the whole breast off to give them peace of mind,I was quite prepared to have this done before I got given the option.
However,I think that is something more to get your head round re drastic change in appearance and another op if going for reconstruction. Im always going to be checking other breast for lumps so it doesnt bother me having to check original breast too.
I opted for the lumpectomy as I felt that if I didnt HAVE to have the whole breast off then why go down that road and if it does can back to that breast at least it got something to come back to and not just the chest wall. I have got quite sizeable breasts 40 e,so would have been very lopsided too,met a lady who decided to have whole breast off but she was a lot smaller in size so don’t know if that makes a difference,it’s just down to what is right for you.
I’m more than pleased with my results and am fortunate that my tumour was small but near my nipple,cut round that,scooped a bit out and sewn back up and there is not a huge difference between my two boobs,but again it may depend on how big your lump and where it is sighted as to how it looks after.
Good luck
Ladies, thanks for all your response.
Had my last chemo today (yeehaa!) and off to meeting with surgical team next week.