Connect
← Return to Deciding if I should do bilateral or double mastectomy??
Discussion
Deciding if I should do bilateral or double mastectomy??
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Nov 4, 2023 | Replies (23)Comment receiving replies
My doctors recommended lumpectomy but I chose a double mastectomy. Reasons:
1. Mammo did not find my tumor, I did. Dense breast tissue makes it hard to find tumor so I didn't want that worry hanging over my head about the other breast.
2. I have read about too many women who start with a lumpectomy, then they need another due to unclear margins, then some end up with mastectomy anyway. I decided to get as much breast tissue out as possible.
3. Why face future surgeries if unavoidable. Face it head on NOW, fight aggressively in the beginning diagnosis to hopefully eliminate the need to revisit this beast in the future when I'm older and more fragile.
4. They say double mastectomy does NOT increase survival rates versus lumpectomy. This makes zero sense to me. If you get a lumpectomy there can be rogue cell still in breast tissue, if you get mastectomy those cells are gone! (Still some in skin obviously but more gone than not). How does this not improve reoccurrence rate?
5. I'm 53 and my breasts were not what they used to be after nursing 2 babies, so now have I have new breasts that look great in dresses, tank tops etc. Bonus, they did liposuction at my exchange surgery to fill in around the implants so now my tummy/ sides look a little better too.
Hope this helps!
Replies to "My doctors recommended lumpectomy but I chose a double mastectomy. Reasons: 1. Mammo did not find..."
Hi. I am in the exact same situation. I am 56 just diagnosed with ILC in right breast. For all the same reasons you indicated I also am having double mastectomy in July with expanders followed by implants three months after
I had nipple discharge and was told to have mammogram and ultrasound. I was told that it was nothing and I was perfectly ok. The radiologist suggested an MRI because of my mom having DCIS.
Then whammo. MRI found 3 spots. Go back to have ultrasound to see if it would fine the tree spots. Ultrasound ONLY found one. Did biopsy on it and it was ILC. Had mri guided biopsy (which is very painful). The other two were 1 benign and 2 ADH.
My surgeon would not allow me to have double mastectomy and said she was confident on lumpectomy or one mastectomy. Got a 2nd opinion and the new doctor was amazing. Actually made me feel like a person and not just “cancer”.
I’m little scared because I don’t like my family or friend to take care of me. I’m the one who takes care of everyone else!!! And very anxious about the recovery and drains
My advice to anyone. Push your doctors for MRI even if you have to pay. My decision was based on my lack of trust in mammograms and ultrasounds and do not want to go through this again!!
Connect
Agree with all points you made. I want to emphasize point 5. I had a double mastectomy. I was 72 and wanted to be done with surgeries and did not want radiation. Lympho vascular invasion was never discussed with me prior to surgery and I heard all the same things about equal risk. When my surgical pathology turned up a small amount of invasion, one of my oncologists said it would be less of a concern because all that breast tissue had been removed. Something to consider.