What questions do I ask...

I am meeting with the Breast Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon in a couple of weeks to discuss surgical procedures.  The last time I had an appt with the Breast Surgeon we suspected TNBC, but did not have the Oncotype results back.   At that time we discussed a Lumpectomy and Reduction due to the size.   I spoke with the Oncologist last week and he agreed with that plan.  Should I question much deeper with having both breasts removed??  I'm afraid if I don't just remove both that I will regret it. 

reread my message and had typo.  Studies are showing cure is the same for both lym/ and mast. Sorry

Aletha and Ezloper,

A mastectomy wouldn't prevent metastatic disease, only local recurrence or a new primary in the same breast.  Ezloper, it is a hard decision, but know that all studies so far point to equivalent survival rates of mastectomy vs lumpectomy and radiation.  Aletha, having a mastectomy wouldn't have prevented this.  Those cells were wandering around far from the breast long before you decided one way or another what to do.    We always want to second guess ourselves, but you did all you could.  Many of us just happen to have cancers that are not wiped out by chemo, and have enough tricks that they can 'wake up' with time.  Roughly four out of ten of us have this exact thing happen.  You are SO not alone.  Breast cancer is no longer believed to be a local disease, even very early stage.  Those cells are disseminated throughout our bodies long before we are ever diagnosed.   Some people are fortunate enough to have those cells be exquisitely sensitive to chemotherapy.  Chemo wipes out every last one (the famous pCRs).  Others are lucky in that though they don't have a pCR, for some reason the disseminated cells never leave dormancy, or never leave dormancy in a way that becomes problematic for the host (us).  The rest  have the cells lying around here and there, and eventually they wake up and start growing, and nothing in our systems puts the brakes on, and we end up with stage IV.  It's a crap shoot.   I'm so sorry you find yourself battling stage IV.  But I hope you know that here you have support and company through whatever happens.  And hope too!!  We have many women who have been seriously, seriously ill and then gone into remission.  Also, women who live with stable or slowly progressing disease for a LONG time.   For some, this is just a chronic condition that doesn't hugely impact quality of life.  There too, is uncertainty.  None of know where we land at pretty much any point in the game.  Do you know what I mean? 

Anyways, I'm rambling.

Love,
Denise

I also want to thank everyone.  It is comforting to hear from others as well as what the medical world might be saying.   It does ring home that this is a battle that I will fight the rest of my life.  Previously I had it in my mind that by the end of the year I would be cancer free and ready to continue living.

Oh my...I am so sorry for your fight now, but your words mean so much.  I now have your story for the well meaning ones who ask me questions regarding the mas vs lump thinking they may think I made a wrong decision.  I had always wondered about mas and reconstruction and being able to "find" cancer behind all that.  My Dr. said it could always come back on the breast bone and harder to detect.  I can't believe you were told no mammogram needed....Wow.   I think you and I did what we had to do, however those nasty cells just were going to get us I guess.  Luck of the draw. How are you doing now?  I will pray for you and thanks so much for replying. 

I think this is a highly personalized decision and what is right for one person may not be right for another. 10 years ago when my aunt had BC she did a bilateral mastectomy and never looked back.  And last year, when I was diagnosed at age 39, I too opted for a bilateral mastectomy and do not regret my decision.  Both my Aunt and I are worry warts and I knew if I had one left that I would be constantly worried about it.  That was coupled with the fact that I was a DDD and when I went for plastic surgery consult, the surgeon didn't really give me an option--just said "of course you will want a bilateral mastectomy because the reconstruction will then be equal."  That kind of confirmed my decision.  I didn't want to be uni-boob...and at that, uni- BIG- boob!  But again, that was my choice.  My breast surgeon said that she has many happy uni-boob'ers that couldn't imagine life any other way.

Now that I'm thinking about it more, it is very funny that I have cancer just about everywhere in my body now EXCEPT MY RIGHT BREAST!!!!!!!  Go figure.