I Need Advice Please!!!!

Hi

Sorry to hear your last 2 ops were not successful and that you are facing further surgery.   I was diagnosed last August.  Had lumpectomy in September and again in October due to no clear margins.  I felt the same as you in that I was expecting better results from 2nd op.  Sadly not the case and as I had 3/11 lymph nodes positive I started Chemotherapy with the view that my next surgery after chemo would be a Mastectomy.  However after my chemotherapy finished my surgeon offered to do another re-excision as opposed to Mastectomy.  I went ahead with this after reassurance from surgeon that I wasn’t making the wrong decision. However was advised that if this op wasn’t successful then would be a Mastectomy. Thankfully results were good and got the news in April that cancer has been removed.  

It’s a difficult decision and you have to do what’s best for you.  Just thought I would give my experience.  I’m sure there will be other ladies on here who will offer their support and advice too. 

Good luck with your surgery.

S

x

Hi

I had same as you but decided to go for a second scrape - still no clear margins so after chemotherapy I had a mastectomy with an immediate implant. 

I was glad I had the second scrape , even though I ended up with a mastectomy , and looking back I so wish they had been successful with clear margins as nothing is the same as your own breast. 

My pathology after the mastectomy - no trace of cancer found , so they probably got it all in the second scrape ...

its such a hard decision to make , and one you have to make so quickly - have you tried the breast cancer care telephone service - they have a someone like me service where they will try and put you in touch with someone who has gone through the same situation as yourself , I didn’t use it but know others who did and found it very helpful.

At the end of the day the decision has to be yours and not swayed by others, listen to what they have to say but go with your own decision.

best wishes

jo x

Oh!!!!

I'm so sorry you're in the position i found myself in a few months ago. I was so confident after my first lumpectomy (January)  that it would be all clear that when they told me they hadn't got clear margins i was shocked, was offered another lumpectomy or a mastectomy. When i went for the results of my second lumpectomy (February) i was already crying when i walked into the room, no clear margins. |I wasn't given the choice of a third lumpectomy and had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in April. Results from  mastectomy i got the all clear, but they found another tumor, a DCIS in the tissue they removed. (full story in profile)

I'm not sure i could have gone through a third lumpectomy, not so much physically but mentally. I found the more i got negative results the more i struggled. I had gone through chemotherapy and kept strong but the surgeries really hit me hard.

In the end the choice has to be yours, then when it is all over and you look back you know you made the right decision for you at the time. I don't know if i would have had a third lumpectomy luckily the choice was taken from me.

Tomorrow is a year since my diagnosis and today i returned to work. There is an end to this, keep at it, here for a chat if you need one.