Hi
I have recently been diagnosed with DCIS
Everything seems to be happening so quickly. When i went to get my results they told it was a 6cm DCIS on the inner part of my left boob stage 0. I didn’t get any other pathology exceot to come off hrt and that i think it was a score of 8 on the estrogen test.
I am lucky I have private health care but felt a bit railroaded into a decision.
I’m terrified of a masectomy and reconstruction surgery and the recovery. However my husband has Metastatic prostate cancer stage 4 and im also dealing with that. We have three school age children youngest is 12.
I feel like a mastectomy is a radical decision but feel like i have to do it because of his health and the possibility it could come back. He has surgery soon too and a month of radiotherapy after just getting over chemo… Im so drained.
Hi @sarahjenny I want to welcome you to the forum and assure you that you will get support from women who have been where you find yourself now.
I had some DCIS along side an invasive carcinoma but it was small enough to be taken out as part of a lumpectomy so cannot give you first hand testimony as to what mastectomy involves but there are many on here who have had large areas of DCIS for whom mastectomy was the recommended treatment.
I wanted to recommend that you call our specialist nurses for a chat. They are available today up to 1pm or from Monday when they are available between 9am to 4pm M-F. You will be given time to ask questions or just download your current concerns. Just call 0808 800 6000, I guarantee you will feel better for having done so.
They may discuss with you the Someone Like Me support offering in which you would be matched with someone who has as close a set of circumstances to those you are facing and with whom you can build a stronger 1:1 relationship. You can find out more about that by clicking here Someone Like Me | Breast Cancer Now
As a former carer myself (husband MND and mother dementia) I fully understand how much strength it takes and how easy it is to put yourself last but the cliche is true, the best way to care for someone else is to care for yourself first. I wish you that strength and a good outcome.
So sorry you are in this situation.
I had a bilateral diagnosis of IDC last year with areas of DCIS both sides. I had a double mastectomy and pathology showed and area of 5cm DCIS one side with the 3cm IDC and 6cm DCIS and two tiny IDCs on the other side.
We also had private healthcare so everything happened very quickly - there was a 9 week minimum wait for any reconstruction so I opted to have the mastectomy first and then worry about recon later (like you, I was absolutely terrified of the mastectomy).
Immediately afterwards, I knew I was so done with treatment that I have not bothered with recon and recovered really quickly - I was back running and in the gym 10 days after bilateral mastectomy and I found the fear worse that reality.
I agree with Tigress that having a chat through everything with a BCN is really helpful xx