← Return to Diagnosed with ILC . Thoughts on bilateral mastectomy?

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@wendysiegler

I had ILC and LCIS, along with IDC at the age of 52. I had a bilateral mastectomy, and I am so glad I chose this option. The thought of biannual screening with mammogram/ultrasound and MRI was overwhelming for me. I found out that ILC can increase your chances for bilateral breast cancer. Although my tumors were small, Stage 1a, they were invasive, luckily no lymph node involvement. I did well with my mastectomy and reconstruction. I now take Anastrozole, and while it not always the easiest, I seem to tolerate it fairly well. While I was offered lumpectomy for both tumors, I chose the mastectomy because I knew I would have high anxiety every time I went for screenings. It's really a personal preference and the survival rate for early stage is not any higher with the mastectomy as I'm sure your oncologist will or has explained. Good luck, you've got this!

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Replies to "I had ILC and LCIS, along with IDC at the age of 52. I had a..."

My diagnosis was very similar to wendysiegler. ILC, LCIS and IDC. Stage 1a on those tumors, no node involvement. I had ILC in one breast and IDC in the other. LCIS in both. I chose the bilateral mastectomy for the very same reasons as wendysiegler. I was 70 at diagnosis and decided to not have implants after hearing from gals I know who had problems with their implants and I am happy with my decision. My advice to you is to trust your instincts. I prayed about it and I had a strong feeling that a bilateral mastectomy was right for me. After doing pathology on the removed tissue they found DCIS also. That did not show up on the mammograms or breast MRI. How long till that may have shown up? Who knows? So trust your feelings about what is right for you. Sending love and healing wishes to you. I concur with the thought that you've got this! ❤️

I wish I had made the same decision. It took me a good 2 years to decide on DMX. Now I have to wait a while for surgery because at this point it’s considered prophylactic.