3rd excision of margin

Sorry to hear that your margins weren't clear enough after your second op Mary4004 and that you are feeling down.  I'm glad to hear that the rest of your nodes were clear. Why don't you treat yourself to something nice which might help with how you are feeling.

Wishing you the best of luck with the next op whatever you decide to do.

Daisy53

Hi Daisy53

im going to try for a 3rd time. If this isn’t clear I’ll have accept the mastectomy. I just can’t deal with reconstruction. I’m an E cup though and worried what this will be like having one flat side and one large boob. It’s so upsetting to me. I was hoping that someone has had this done and could give me some reassurance

Dear Mary4004 

First, I am so sorry you have had to join this group - although we aren't a bad bunch and secondly, for all the extra worry you are putting yourself under.

I don't know if my words will help or make any sense - however I'll say it as best I can .....  
'Margins' are a difficult topic - the reason I say this when I first started on my journey via the NHS I said to the Consultant that I did not care how much they took out, extra if needed so long as they got clear margins.  
The reply: when an operation is done on the NHS they have to take as 'little' extra tissue as possible ..... reason begin the NHS have had patients moan (not sure if thats the right word) but they have talked about pressing charges for 'taking too much'!! so for this reason (I dare say there are other reason too) but this is one of the main reasons they have to take as little skin as possible to avoid law suits.  I said I was more than happy to sign a disclaimer as all I wanted was clear margins. (talk carried on for me to have 'therapeutic mammoplasty' (operation on one boob and other boob 'reduced' to match) after a lot of soul searching and thinking I got behind this idea and started to look forward to it.

I am like you rather a larger busted (plus I'm sadly overweight)  similar age and not bothered (at the time) how my boob would look.  Due to various reasons I decided to pay and go private with a combined single operation of lumpectomy and radiotherapy, called TAGIT IORT (although this is now available on the NHS given the right criteria).

Anyway, I'm side tracking, the 'c' that I had was very large (approx 3" / 75mm).  I asked my new consultant about therapeutic mammoplasty, to which he replied - why would you have this? I said to reduce the 'difference' so boobs match.  I was told, the space where the tissue is taken from 'will fill up/be absorbed by the body in time' - yes boob will be slightly smaller, however body fills in the space and within a year or two it won't be noticeable.  (Then carried on that if I had wanted a boob reduction - I'd of already had one etc).

So where is this taking me.......

I know you have already had two operations and lets pray third time lucky - lets say your 'c' is smaller than mine, then each operation will have taken extra tissue, this could still be far smaller than my 75mm and the area where mine was taken from as filled in (at first I had a triangle shaped flat part - I will be honest I hated it, it took me weeks, if not months to fully look in the mirror - this is coming from the person 'take it all, take as much as you need' - our minds seem to change afterward and it does bother us up to a point - don't get me wrong the scaring is minimal and not the area as filled in/body has reabsorbed the space.

So now I'm waffling - what I am trying to say is - when you have your operation say to your Consultant/Surgeon please take as much as you need and offer to sign a disclaimer - this might ease is mind (I think my private surgeon may of took slightly more due to my fear and possibly that I was private.

Focus on the good news, it's brilliant news about the nodes taken being benign.

It's good news that your surgeon is prepared to do operation a 3rd time - some won't even after the first operation - and it gives you some strength to say 'please take more to get clear margins' - it might just make him feel at ease.

Once you get your date you can then focus on the operation and moving forward xx

Thinking about you and praying this time you will have clear margins xx 

Morning 

Thank you so much for your reply. You can’t imagine how much it has made me feel better reading this. I will definitely mention to my consultant that I’d be willing to sign anything if he will take more than he thinks necessary. If I had a mastectomy I would stay flat that side and being an E cup it would look awful. Even half a boob would be better than none. Surely they can understand this? 
now I just have to pray that any multifocal cells don’t increase (I’m not sure how it works) while I’m waiting for the next op 

I hope you are doing well now and thank you once again x

• Hello Mary4004,  oh my you are going through a lot right now and I think the fear of not knowing what the outcome will be is draining.  My situation was different as I am small breasted (34A).  I remember the surgeon’s first notes and started off as small breasted but my last notes were very small breasted.  I cannot complain as had lumpectomy on both my little breasts and one was stage 1 with DCIS and the other breast was DCIS only.   Not multifocal though.  Well the breast with stage 1 and DCIS went well and had 3mm margins but the other one with DCIS only had the inferior margin just less than 1mm I was not a candidate for reexcision so the tumor board met and the advice from surgeons and radiation oncologists was 3 weeks radiation and a boost of 5 extra to the DCIS breast.  I was a bit concerned but the studies confirmed that most reoccurrence happens in the tumor bed so that is where I got boosted.  My surgery was done in Feb 2022 so 3 years out and doing well.  Thank God.  Margins are tricky and there have been studies that show that taking more than is needed does not improve reoccurrence or mortality.  
  My little breasts look good now and I am happy to have them. I am 76 and work on keeping healthy as I know it is my responsibility to do what I can.  I always have a slight fear of reoccurrence when I go for mammogram and so relieved when all is well.  
  Glad that your lymph nodes are ok and hoping for the third operation to be the charm.  Hugs to you.  I live in Florida so getting warmer but spring is coming.