Re-incision

Hi…

Im sorry your having to go through a re-incision, means to an end

I had a wide local incision followed by a a re-excision, 5 weeks later to clear an unseen separate area of DCI’s..

Opened previous site, and to be fair it’s been a less painful process, recovery has been easier this time! I’m 2 weeks post surgery back on Thursday to be hopefully clear .. 

Sending lots of ️ and strength, you’ve got this.. x

Hi ACharge80,

Did the surgeon not draw a diagram for you? I guess each case is different. For me the consultant drew a picture and says he needs to make a longer cut, so will start at the incision site and extend the wound down from this. My mind was numb so I may have got it all wrong, but I'm leaving it to his judgement. 

You didn't have the option of mastectomy so the decision was made for you. I found it hard to have choices (excision or mastectomy) as I don't feel I have the knowledge or clarity of mind ( at the moment!) to understand all the pros and cons, future implications etc The BCN said I would not have been given the choice of breast conserving surgery if the surgeon felt I really needed a mastectomy but it was up to me. I've found friends and family divided and some quite forceful opinions amongst them which have upset me.

Thanks for starting this thread. Any answers are helpful for me too,  although I could be back n surgery soon ( possibly on Thursday ). This will be 4 weeks post lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy.

SJM,

I hope you have good results this time x

Hi Silvabell 

My consultant didn't give me an option but they had discussed at MDT and must have though lumpectomy again is best option. I did ask him how he would find the tissue etc...and he just laughed and said don't worry. He knows exactly where to go and he will be doing the op. He is calling me back this week about something else so will ask. 

If other people are stressing you out with their opinions don't ask. I am lucky that I haven't had to make any decisions so far. 

I want a full body scan as I am so paranoid about it being somewhere else. That's what the consultant is calling me back about.  Not sure if they will though and private medical said they also follow NHS guidelines for things like this.

I feel like every ache and pain is stressful even though I can explain why my arm might ache ( as I held an umbrella on a walk for 2 hours!!! Or laid on it in bed or drove a long way)..

Good luck for your surgery this week.   

Hi there, I had a re-excision for a close margin six weeks after my initial surgery. I went to theatre at just after 9am and was home by 12.30 lunch-time. I was starving and had a bowl of soup with a roll by 1pm. It was much easier than the first surgery, primarily as I didn't have to go to another hospital first for the injection of the radio opaque dye, nor the sentinel node biopsy. The surgeon told me she would go in at the same site as previously. It seemed standard practice, but I am sure there are some exceptions. The recovery was perfectly straightforward and I was lucky to require no analgesics. Sending love and best wishes xx

When we are told we have cancer ,,, it seems normal life was just such a world away,, I’ve become a shell of myself,,,

Lucky enough my lumpectomy showed. I had no spread in the sentinel lymph node or outer area of the tumour. I’ve been put on letrozole Slowly, the horrendous side-effects are kicking in I start radiation around four weeks time,,, I am trying to squat up on all the knowledge I have to make sure this never enters my system again but you get so many conflicting results. What we read what we learn what we look at it is just so overwhelming. X

I wish us all well️I really do think us women go through it ,,,,periods Birth menopause not saying men don’t but our hormones are in overdrive and unfortunately my oestrogen hormone decided to feed a beast

Hi SJM 

This is really reassuring to know. If.its same as.last time I have nothing to worry about. 

Good luck on Thursday!!

Andrea

 MG66 

I can fully empathise with what you are saying. Normal life now looks so wonderful and you see your friends carry on living their best lives without a care in the world. Not that I wish it on anyone else at all...I just wish I wasn't me right now. 

But then I think of all the horrible things going on in the world right now like war zones and things could be much worse. Kids dying in bus crashes and floods etc. 

I used to drink more alcohol than recommended and also used to be sat working longs hours all the time. I'm not overweight but I could probably do with losing a little weight. I have given up alcohol altogether and I am being active everyday and eating much more healthy. Also switched black coffee for green tea. Not sure if this will help but I'm.willing to try anything..

I think different surgeons, different practice, so if you want to be sure you could contact your BCN or else your surgeon will likely tell you when he sees you pre-surgery. 
I had wle and snb but had to have a further op as didn’t have clear margins on 3 points. My second surgery I was offered a mx or therapeutic mammoplasty - I was told outcome (chances of recurrence etc) were the same. A mammoplasty is much more extensive than wle but less drastic than mx - recovery was more challenging than 1st op for me (but obviously a v different surgery) but I was still up and about straight away. 
Either way, the surgeons are amazing so try not to worry ️ Wishing you lots of luck x