DCIS treatment

Hi Lizabet3 welcome to the frum and huge congrats wishes for the end of the treatment thats great news.

You are experiencing what we all go through that end of treatment about having had all these people around us and then no-one and its scarey because I imagine that you will still have loads of questions but no one to answer them and that can be very scary and you are not alone in this.

I am inserting a link for you to the Breast Cancer forum where there are loads of folks at different points in the journey and you can choose to engage and post wherever feels right for you.  I am also inserting the lInk to the Life after Cancer thread where again lots of folks chatting and offering words of wisdom as well as tips to get through this next part.

I cant find my link to an article which I would urge you to have a read at it is great and is written by  a Psychologist Dr Peter Harvey and is called "After Treatment finishes what next" it can be found on the Internet free if you have time to have a look for this.

Breast Cancer Thread       

Hi Lizabet3

Link to Life after Cancer thread.

Life after Cancer Link.

Granny59.  Thank you so much for this. I found and read the article.  It really helped to validate and explain some of what I have been feeling, and it is comforting to know that this is all pretty common.  

I will look at the threads you signposted me to as well. 

I have recently been diagnosed with a DCSI on the 18th of December, my surgery was supposed to be on the 5th of January but was cancelled due to Covid. I now have to wait for between 2 to 6 months for my operation. Really scared & don’t have a clue what to expect. 

Hey StephT,

I'm really sorry to hear that on top of being told you have DCIS you now have a long wait for treatment.  That must be really hard.

I don't know what type of surgery you are having, or what your diagnosis is, but I can tell you how it was for me. 

I had never had planned surgery before so I was really aprehensive. I had to self isolate for 2 weeks before going into hospital which was hard. You need to have lots of films, puzzles and zoom calls to keep your mind busy. 

The surgery itself was not nearly as bad as I had imagined. It should be done as a day patient. You meet with the surgeon, anaesthetist and nurses before you go for your surgery and they really put you at ease. You will be in very good hands. The cut was around the top of  my nipple and just to the side. Afterwards the scar was really neat and thin. They moved some of the tissue around to maintain the shape of my breast. I don't know how they did it, but it was an amazing job. I have a bit of a dent I can see when I lean forward but otherwise I look pretty much normal. 

Recovery was OK. I had a dressing over the wound so you don't see anything and it was a bit swollen and bruised for a week or so. The anaesthetic makes you really tired, as well as the painkillers, but it was all managable. I got a post operative bra to wear afterwards as it was soft and gave me some support. You suddenly realise how much you jiggle when you walk when you've had breast surgery. 

All through my treatment the surgeon reminded me that it was pre-cancer. My nurse explained that it didn't have the ability to spread and it is all contained in the milk ducts. But the first treatment is always surgery to remove it. It can develop into a cancer but this could happen years or decades later, or not at all.  

If you have a breast care nurse keep talking to them. It is easy to let your mind jump ahead too far or think the worst, and they are really good at putting you rmind at ease. And if you can, do some regular exercise and eat well. This will really help with your recovery. 

I wish you all the best with everything. 

Thank you so much. It means so much to talk to people who understand what your going through & how you’re feeling. X