DCIS breast cancer?

Hi @sue417 - I know your level of fear and anxiety must be very high. Your surgery is coming up! It's that way for most, if not all of us!

I use a few strategies to manage those emotions. The first thing I do is take a few deep breaths and think about what I am feeling and why. Am I afraid or anxious? Is it because of the surgery? Then I give myself "permission" to feel fear ... or anxiety - I would have to be crazy not to be afraid ... it's normal to be afraid. It's OK to feel that. Sometimes that is enough to snap myself out of my state of fear or anxiety.

If I need more help, I have done different things at different times - For instance I may run. Physical exercise is very useful when I feel anxious. At other times I may listen to soothing, or very loud music; I may even sing along and dance to the sound of the music. But I may also read, or write about what I am feeling at the moment. The bottom line for me, is to replace that sense of uncertainty and fear, with one where I feel I am back in control of my life and emotions.

Hope this helps!

D.

Thank you very much for sharing your story. Was your dcis In situ?
I spoke to my oncology coordinator today. And she said mine is very small they will take a Cube out. I probably
Will get pathology results in 2 weeks.

Hi
Thank you for taking the time to answer me. I think the fact that they took me off all my supplements over a week A go which really helped to keep me calm is is part of the problem . Living alone also is difficult when going thru major stuff. It's not my first rodeo with trauma I think because it was a surprise since it was just my 2 yr mammo check. I still am in disbelief. Thks again for your understanding.

Well, had hiccup. Turns out they only got within 1mm of clear margin so either surgery or radiation next! Ugh!!!

Was diagnosed with multi focal DCIS in November 2022. Had bilateral mastectomy January 2023. They removed two lymph nodes on each side, all clear. Was back to running, weight lifting and all my normal activities by March. No need for radiation or hormone inhibitors.

Totally understand, @ema1 - A similar thing happened in my case. Actually, in my case, the top margins were NOT clear at all! My surgeon explained that she had recognized that. However, her choice was to cut through the chest muscles. She had consulted with the Radio Oncologist and the two decided to avoid that, but YES, I did have Radiation treatment.

As it turned out, I would have needed to do radiations regardless. My radio oncologist sent my specimen to a particular lab, the reply was my type of cancer was pretty aggressive. They indicated my potential for reoccurrence was "high" without doing radiations.

Bottom line: I didn't need more surgery, and my treatments were done belly down. A bit more uncomfortable, but safer (according to my radio oncologist). Radiations done that way, largely spare the organs that could be damaged (heart and lungs).

HUGS,

D.

Did you have reconstruction?

Hi
What do you do to get a grip on the fear and anxiety when it hits out of no where?

Hello again, @sue417 - No worries; I am happy to help. What kind of supplements were you taking? Are you currently taking any type of anti-anxiety (prescribed) medications? If you are not, you can ask your doctor. It's certainly very understandable you would feel this way. Do you have anyone taking you back home following the surgery? Is anyone staying with you when you go home?

My surgery was over 6 hours because I had breast reconstruction immediately following the DCIS surgery. I was in a lot of pain after the surgery, so stayed overnight in the hospital. What have they told you about the length of your surgery? Are you staying in the hospital overnight?

Yes, living alone is not easy at such times! I am sorry you have to endure all of this stress! BUT remember, lots of us are happy to help you succeed! Keep writing; there are many here who are cheering for you!!!

A BIG HUG!
D.

Yes that's strange how anxiety works that way, isn't it? Sometimes I know it is coming on and sometimes I do not. Anyway, a few things have helped me, not in any special order or priority: acupuncture, support groups, some counseling, meditation, guided imaging, praying, medication (I take generic version of xanax - a very low dose and sometimes I only take half of that - but it is enough to take the edge off). One exercise in particular tht has helped me is breathing awareness and autogenic phrases from the book Freedom from Pain (sorry Maybe look into some resource books on relaxation? Also regular exercise helps as does no alcohol. I've read a lot on alcohol use and it actually increases your cortisol levels.