Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (HR+PR+HR2-)

Hi. I know you’re really scared. I was terrified too. But can I reassure you that a double mastectomy is not super painful. They put in nerve blocks and you really don’t experience a lot of pain. If you do you ask for pain meds. You might also ask to not be done as an outpatient, but to be able to stay overnight the first night. That’s what I did and I’m so happy I did. But it really isn’t terribly painful. It’s dramatic, but you can handle low discomfort. That’s what it mostly is. Discomfort with the drains and the compression bra that they make you wear for the first 10 days or so. But the pain? Not terrible. You can handle it. The rest of the stuff is really scary and you’ll know a lot more after the surgery about your particular condition. Best of luck to you. Let us know if you need more reassurance.

Thank you so much for your advice. Can you please elaborate on the rest of the stuff being scary? My doctor is telling me I have Stage 1b or 2a but won’t know until surgery. I am trying to meditate and engage in positive self-talk. Easier said than done. Just one day at a time. Thanks for your input. It really helps.

@oliviasj Next steps will depend on your specific case. After your surgery, your medical team will develop a treatment plan tailored just for you. I’ve found it helpful not to worry too much about what comes next—taking things one step at a time can really help ease the stress.

If your doctor has said your cancer is growing slowly, there’s no reason to believe it's suddenly spreading quickly to your lymph nodes. Staying focused on your immediate next steps is key: prepare for your surgery, nourish your body with natural, healthy foods, get good sleep, and remind yourself that you’re in excellent hands with your medical team.

Right now, your body needs your immune system to be as strong as possible—so put your energy into supporting your well-being. One day at a time.Good luck!

Hi Angie, thank you for your response. I really appreciate it. I’ve already changed my diet —just adding more veggies and fruits. I’ve always enjoyed veggies and fruits so just eating more. I can honestly say my diet was not horrible Before this.
Not big on red meat or processed foods. I was exercising almost daily but now increased my exercise although I find it hard to concentrate. I’m eating lots of fruits and vegetables and I’m eating organic chicken. I’m staying away from sugar as much as possible. I’m trying to lose weight because I know that cancer cells live in the fat cells. Losing weight I believe is the most important thing. I don’t have a whole lot of weight to lose but I do have some of course, probably about 20-30 pounds. I’m a psychologist. I have been working in the mental health field for decades. I love my job. The thought of me not working even just for a month is hard to fathom but I know rationally I need to slow down. Being a psychologist, I am well aware of the powerful connection between body and mind; of course, being on the other side of the fence is shocking at this time. Diagnosis is very new, so I’m trying to adjust to a new normal. You are saying I need to support my immune system which I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve already started taking a multivitamin. What else can I do to support my immune system?

Thanks for your help!!

This is a scary journey and NO two journeys are the same!!! You can manifest pains based on what others say their pain is/was. Be aware of your own body and what it needs during this time. You must take care of YOU!!

I was supposed to have a lumpectomy, but after a 2nd cancer (different from my initial diagnosis) was discovered in the same breast during a post chemo MRI, I chose a bilateral. I agree with earlier comments that the breast pain was not too bad….but the drains were a pain in the xxx!!! And for me not being able to lift, push and sleep on my side(ugh) were the rough part!!

I used a heating pad and a weighted homemade pillow to provide pressure to my chest wall when I slept.

I am now about to start the reconstruction process. I will, like you, go thru this process of loss and rebuilding with strength, dignity and a knowing that I am doing what is right for MY body!!!

I too had early stage IDC with mucinous features stage one a, but I also had ILC in my other breast early stage 1a. I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy. I have to agree with the others, pain is very tolerable, but the drains are a bit to deal with. I had four drains two were removed after two weeks with the final two at about the 3 1/2 week mark. After that, I just had recovery while I waited for my reconstruction surgery, which is about four months later. I did not have any chemo or radiation, but I do take anastrozole each day as my breast cancer was ER positive and PR positive. The reconstruction surgery was fine, but I did have a second surgery after the initial. I am two years out of my mastectomy and about a year and a half out of my reconstructive surgery. I would say the hardest thing is the scarring but all in all I feel great and I have been working out as well. In comment to your breast cancer with mucinous features, I was told that that’s an indication of a very slow growing cancer. I hope everything turns out well with your lymph nodes and it’s just a reaction to contrast agents, and things of that sort. I highly recommend you take off as much weight as you can as being even a little bit overweight is likely to make recovery a little more difficult and you certainly want to keep as much of the extra weight under control from an estrogen standpoint. Best of luck.

I am sorry that this turned out this way, I had hopes that this wasn’t cancer. I agree that doing what you can to make your body as healthy as you can and support your immune system is important. That being said, I believe that talking to an oncology nutritionist is best. Suddenly changing everything in your diet might not be helpful at this point because that has its own side effects.
Also if you are having other treatments besides surgery, heavy antioxidants can be counterproductive. My oncologist said within reason eat as healthy as you want, but don’t load up antioxidants because they might be counteracting the drugs you are taking to fight the cancer.
Also please remember skinny people get breast cancer too. Don’t shame yourself you have enough to think about right now. Somehow the stress and the treatments have a way of taking off a few pounds. Also I walked a lot to help keep stress and side effects to a minimum which always helps too.
Once this cancer is staged they will put together a treatment plan for you. Can you ask to talk to a nutritionist before your surgery? Do they have a patient navigator at your cancer center?

Yes, you said it — it really is a new normal. I like to believe it’s one that has the potential to be even better than the old one.
In my case, cancer was a huge question mark that led me on a deep internal journey.

Of course, any decision should be discussed with your doctors, but supplements can often be helpful. If you're starting hormonal therapy, they may recommend calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 — those are the ones I’m currently taking, with my oncologist’s approval.

oliviasj, I was very surprised at how little pain I experienced from a mastectomy. I mostly used Tylenol, perhaps a couple of doses of something stronger the first 24 hours. I was amazed. A friend also sailed through hers with little pain meds too. I don't have a high pain tolerance. Being nervous is understandable. Hang in there.

All of the unknowns are scary. Keep a list of your questions on paper that you can bring with you to doctor appointments. Ask about everything you can think of. The answers are comforting sometimes and upsetting sometimes. After your surgery and they do an analysis of your breast tissue, you will know more about your particular cancer and They will stage you or do an antitype or similar analysis and give you your percentage risk of recurrence under various conditions. All of that being unknown now is scary. The surgery itself going in there is scary. But coming out happens quickly and you’ll see that you can manage the aftermath of the surgery. The first day is kind of groggy and you might want pain meds. But it’s really as I said above manageable. You take your pain meds with the doctor tells you to take and you stay on top of those and you really are not super uncomfortable at all. It’s mostly the feeling of compression and that’s from the stuffing and the bra that they put on you very tight. You just have to grin and Barrett. Again you wait in between all of these appointments and the information and it’s really hard to wait. You fear the worst all the time. So do your best to stay positive. Keep your mind busy. In those moments when it creeps up on you, do the New York Times puzzles or some sort of brain teaser and get out of your head. Meditation is great. Unplugged, which is an app, has free May meditations. They’re short and great to do first thing in the morning when the fear creeps in. I hope this helps. If you want me to get more specific, I can. But I don’t think it’s really a good thing necessarily for you because you’ll be on your own kind of journey and things that were difficult for me. Might be easier for you. OK. I’m thinking of you and sending prayers.