Anyone know what kind of treatment Suzanne Somers got over the years?

HI! Thanks for sharing and I too have lobular at 58yrs old - did 19 radiation treatments and now on Letrozole since 58yrs. I am very hesitant to take bisphosphates for my osteoporosis. I am afraid of the jaw issue and I do need a few crowns replaced and have severe TMJ and manage with mouthguard. May I also ask what your surveillance scan timeline with lobular is?? I waited one year for a diagonostic mammo (few weeks ago) at Dana Farber. With severe density, I also had ultrasound. Things looked good but now am scheduled in a year for regular mammo. I just don't understand since mammos can miss 50% of cancer in dense breasts! xoxo any thoughts?

I do check in at DF for lobular (but only once a year)...get the rest of surveillance locally, which includes seeing some kind of doctor every 3 months (stage IIIc at the time): radiation oncology, regular oncology, surgical and primary care rounding it out. Mammogram every year, MRI every year (they are 6 months apart). Heading into my fifth year (as of 10/17).

Thanks for your response! Any chance you see Otto Metzger at Dana Farber? I do not but sure wish I could get in to see him. I have realized that oncologists are not really briefed on latest imaging modalities but rather focus more on treatment than prevention. I have a friend who is a breast radiologist at regional hospital and recommended I get an official Risk Assessment at their clinic as with my family history, dense breasts and lobular --feels I would "qualify" for MRI surveillance. Happy to hear you are into fifth year! xoxoxo Has anyone heard of a Risk Assessment Center?? xoxo

Same here, lumpectomy and now in radiation and tried anastrazole for 1 week and I just can't deal with the side effects. The radiation oncologist said that anastrazole doesn't just help prevent new breast cancer but other cancers. My menopause is so bad before the diagnosis I am considering even going back on hormones but finding someone who supports that is almost impossible.

I’m having a hard time with my body image after mastectomy. I feel that I look like a monster. Can anyone relate?

Hi,
I sympathize with everyone who is going through breast cancer… I was diagnosed with stage 1a mixed ductal and lobular in June. Four weeks of radiation and now my oncologist wants me to take Anastrozole..it’s been sitting on my counter for 3 weeks…I would rather try Tamoxifen first as it’s less damaging to the bones. I have a dental bone graft happening at the same time…What were your side effects and what are your options? Do you also know what your risk of reoccurrence is? Thank you.

@jessica79 I'm 70 yrs old now. I had lobular carcinoma cancer in 2015 with a mastectomy of my left breast. My husband has been very supportive about the lack of one breast for the last 8 years. I hate the prosthetics and prosthetics bras. I wish I had gotten a new breast reconstruction when it happened. 2018 I got both knees replaced. They say the results are either good or bad. Mine's been very painful.
The only good thing is I can get up now but I can't walk for long time periods. Also for the last 3 years, my husband has had dementia and I'm his caretaker. I'm going 11/17/23 for a consult on making the right one smaller and getting a new left one. Can anyone tell me how bad the recovery from this will be. My mastectomy was easy peasy. Everything healed wonderfully with no pain. My 42 yr old son thinks I'm crazy and "no one does this kind of thing". I know he is only worried about "the pain".
@jessica79 do what you need to do for you. Jessica, do you.

I think it's great if you want implant reconstruction. Typically insurance will cover both breasts (for symmetry)--my experience w/ my first mastectomy 2006 (w/ A cup breasts) was that in order to make them symmetrical, they had to make my contralateral healthy breast larger because the implant on the mastectomy L side doesn't sag. If you've got any aging, they've got to make it larger so that it "matches" the new one.

Our children never see us as women who'd like to feel good about our appearance either alone or w/ a partner, especially sons.

The question is whether you're going to do a tissue expander or just do pre-pec implants all at once. Unfortunately if you didn't opt for reconstruction at the time, the surgeon probably didn't leave extra skin, so you might need expansion. Frankly, tissue expanders often hurt much more than the minimally sore post-implant surgery because 1) they're stretching skin, which hurts more if it's subpec, which I had in 2006 and 2) prepec tissue expanders are right under the skin and frankly can feel like wire depending on how you move.

But in the hands of the right plastic surgeon the results can look AWESOME. There's nothing wrong w/ doing something for yourself, esp if covered by insurance.

I doubt you'd want any of the tram/diep flap surgery--while yes, there's a tummy tuck involved, or removal of fat from thighs, bottom, etc., they leave a long scar, and the recovery time is extensive requiring 24/7 caregiving, which doesn't sound like an option right now. But the implant surgery--esp if you could get it done all at once--can provide quick awesome results. I hope it works out for you!!

I know it’s difficult to see yourself at first. I had a bilateral mastectomy 3/23. Being 70 I decided not to do reconstruction, I just wanted to get the surgery over with and not face anymore surgeries. It took me a month or so to really look at myself naked in the mirror. It was a shock to see but I said to myself “those breasts were diseased and they had to go. I am much healthier without them.” ( I had ILC in the left breast and IDC and a small area of DCIS in the right breast) I think I look like a pear. Small on the top and then it just gets bigger from there with my stomach and hips. Now I am just used to it and I am relieved that those diseased breasts are no longer part of me. I don’t find the official prostheses that comfortable to wear. My surgeon’s nurse at Mayo told me about the Athleta Empower pads. They are lightweight and very reasonably priced. You get 2 for the L or R side for $10. Their website says one to wear and one for the wash. They come in a little zipper bag that you can put them in for machine washing. So of course I had to buy 2 sets, one L set and one R set. Before surgery I was a size C or D depending on the bra and I ordered the size D which I think is comparable to a size C cup. I wear them in a soft sports bra, I have some by Jockey and also one from Coobie and they have a little soft modesty insert that you can remove through an opening in the bra. Since they have that opening you can slip the Empower pad in. They are very comfortable. I buy the Jockey bras from Macy’s and the Coobie bras online. When my husband and I are having our “romantic” times I wear one of the bras with just the little modesty inserts in it. I just feel better having something covering my flat pear top and it’s very comfortable. My husband has been wonderful about everything, it’s just me feeling better about myself during those romantic times. I hope this helps you. Sending Love, Healing and Wellness wishes to you. ❤️

Thank you so much for your response. I’ll definitely check out the bras you recommended. My surgery was pretty recent and I thought I was ready for my “new” image but I wasn’t. I’m certainly glad the cancers gone , but I guess I’m sort of grieving the loss of a body part. God has been with me through this entire process and I’m trusting Him with this part of it, too. Again, thank you for responding.