Deciding if I should do bilateral or double mastectomy??

I was initially diagnosed with atypical ductal hypertrophy, and I wanted to have a mastectomy and was told that the condition didn't warrant that treatment and was recommended a breast conserving lumpectomy. After having the lumpectomy I was diagnosed with LCIS. Having both of these diseases in one breast brought my lifetime cancer risk above 20; was 36 given my personal history, my family history and my genetics... but no BRACA mutation so genetics were really not considered in my current score. I do have a variant (BRIP) that is suspect to cause breast cancer. More data is needed before they change the status from unknown to known cause or not a cause. In any case, if BRIP is found to be a cause, then my score would go higher - and of course, as we age our score goes up due to natural cellular processes and increase mutations. I am 63.

From discussions with my surgeon, and my genetic counselor, I understood that you must have a lifetime cancer risk score above 20 (the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society Standard of Practice) to qualify for a medically necessary mastectomy. Maybe your score is below 20 and that is why your surgeon said it wasn't an option - or took it off the table? Maybe your insurance would not pay for the surgery if it were not medically, warranted? You might want to discuss this further with your current surgeon - or another surgeon if you seek a second opinion.

I hope you qualify for the treatment plan that you want - and that the rest of your journey is smooth sailing!