Just starting on this journey.

Thanks so much for your advice HCam it's really helpful.  It's so reassuring to hear how positive you're feeling at 12 days post op. How long did you have to stay in hospital? I'm dreading that bit (as well as having to sleep on my back).  Do you know when you'll have your mastectomy histology results? Sending lots of good luck that it's all out  .I've been trying to get back into a run every other day (am a sweaty beetroot after having to stop my HRT) and trying to eat healthily.. Just hoping I'll get my appointment with the plastic surgeons soon (and they'll agree to a DIEP). 

Time to get looking for the perfect nightie.  I'm making lots of lists. Sounds like a very good plan to take some time off before the surgery to spend time with the kids. 

It's a shame your surgeon won't consider reconstruction mazzo99, have they explained why? The waiting is rubbish isn't it?

Arturoartura thanks! Histology back with in a week and all clear! My surgeon warned me that some women find this really hard - having got rid of an otherwise perfectly healthy breast. But for me…. Best news ever!

keep me posted on your journey and let me know if I can help in any way.

mazzo99 keeping everything crossed and hope you can manage to enjoy some of the weekend. It is hard to think about anything else at the start but hope you have something to take your mind off things…

That really is amazing news HCam, what a relief for you, and what a quick result!  I was thinking the other day how incredibly important the histopathologists are - such skilled people, and we don't really get a chance to thank them. My nurse was telling me they were down to just one (there had previously been two) covering their team, but my histology results were still reported in under a week.  Does your result mean this is the end of your treatment? 

Still waiting for my appointment to arrive.. Driving me crackers waiting!

Do you think a riser/recliner chair would be useful post op?  Found somewhere locally that hires them (looking at our low sofa and thinking I'm likely to get stuck on it like a beetle)! Not the most stylish items of furniture but if I hire it it's not going to be hanging around forever...

Hi Arturoartura, completely agree on your view…whatever the histopathologists get paid is probably not nearly enough! Like most of the wonderful people I have met in healthcare on this journey. Just amazing.

any news on your appointment?

I am just back from schlepping up to London to have my check up with the surgeon and all is good! He is even happy for me to drive again if I feel safe. Bizarre.

Aa for the chair, if it would give you peace of mind, definitely do it. I didn’t find the getting in and out of bed/sofas too hard but would prop myself up on a lot of pillows the first few days at home. They don’t cut through your muscles at all so you do still have all the strength there, it is just rather sore! Definitely do it if you think it will make you feel safer…. And hope that appointment date turns up soon…

Wow sounds like you're making great progress.  How much pain do you have at this stage? Do you still need the painkillers?

There has been a flurry of appointments arriving today - seeing the plastic surgeon tomorrow, then breast surgeons. Am unsure when to stop work, as at the moment I'm having to cancel work appointments at very short notice, which is tricky. But I don't feel ill, so it feels wrong to be off sick. Did you take long off before your surgery? Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more info about the number of appointments and scans etc needed pre-op. 

How's the research going @Mazzo99, are things feeling any clearer for you?

Arturoartura - actually already off the pain killers 2.5 weeks in which has surprised me no end. I haven’t been trying to stop I just realised one day I had forgotten to take them all day and so didn’t bother starting again. 
10 days off before (which I booked as holiday) to isolate, hang out with the kids and get my shit together. Now signed off for 3 months but, honestly, imagine I will be back way before that…

good luck with all the appointments and glad the ball is rolling now!

have you told everyone at work?

Thankyou for your reply. Sorry I have been very busy and not really been on the forum.

However, I have now had 3 more core biopsies, the radiographers cannot get a sample from the chest wall! They have put 2 more titanium markers in (3 in all) so hopefully the surgeon will have enough information to go ahead. I have had pre op, they were a bit concerned about my pacemaker, fitted during covid.

I hope NOT to need a vacuum biopsy, is it an ok procedure?

But to more positive things I discovered " knitted knockers" what a great charity!

Thank you all for being so supportive and willing to share all your information. It really helps.

I can't remember if the mammogram guided biopsy was a vacuum biopsy (they used a high tech machine) or was it the US guided biopsy (used a needle that made a "click" sound). They were both similar for me, bit bruised afterwards. Think I found the local anaesthetic injections more uncomfortable than the biopsies themselves though in both cases. Sounds like your surgery is due to take place soon, mazzo99 hope it all goes really well, keep us updated how it goes. 

I had a great appointment with my plastic surgeon today, he answered so many of my questions and was very reassuring.  Have a date for surgery! (Around a months' time). He's happy for me to have a mastectomy, DIEP reconstruction and reduction of my healthy breast at the same time.  I think the post op time is likely to be TOUGH but am trying to keep positive about the end result.. 

Hi, I have had further core biopsies and the surgeon now says that she can remove the DCIS with vacuum excision. No surgery. I have nit been able to find any information about this as a treatment option. I know it is used for biopsy.

Did you have the vacuum excision as a treatment option?

Hello there, I did a Google search and it looks like this is in Phase 3 trial and are recruiting until 12/2022.  Here is the link. It is the SMALL study.  

https://associationofbreastsurgery.org.uk/professionals/research/trials/badged/small/

Barbara