Newly diagnosed and options

Hi Trishabc,

Thank you for posting on the online community. I am sorry to learn of your diagnosis of DCIS and that you require a full mastectomy. I do hope that people are able to engage with you about their experiences of mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

In the meantime I would like to let you know about our survivor support programme. Through the survivor support programme we can put you in contact with a trained volunteer who has been through a similar journey as you. Our volunteers are carefully selected and trained to give support, practical information and reassurance when you need it most. I have attached information about this service here.

If you would like to be referred to the survivor support service or speak with one of our cancer nurses please contact the Support Line. Our Support Line Freephone number is 1800 200 700, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Kind regards, Cancer Nurse

Hi trishabc, I’m really very sorry to hear this. I too was diagnosed with BC in June. I had a single mastectomy in July. It’s a tough decision when it comes to reconstruction and often you don’t get a lot of time to make your decision but having done my research and considering all options based on medical advice, my age, general health etc I opted for the silicon implant and reconstruction during surgery and it went really well! I also had node sampling done during surgery. I spent 3 nights in hospital, sent home with a drain for two wks which I found very easy to manage. Between meds, a little physio and lots of rest and a BC nurse I could call while recovering which was fantastic, 7 weeks in I’m back running around doing my usual day to day stuff! Apart from being a little tired and still having a little sensitivity around my chest and slight restriction in my arm from the node sampling (and forgetting to do my physio) I’m feeling really good and ready to start my treatment journey on tamoxifen. I don’t regret my decision to opt for the implant and reconstruction but I know it’s different for everyone.

Stay strong 💪 and most importantly know that it’s ok to allow yourself moments of feeling overwhelmed or being scared, it’s a lot to process but try to take things in stages and keep focusing on the positives as much as you can. Trust the medics, they see people like us everyday and they do an amazing job.

I really wish you well on your journey 🙏🏻😊

Some of the members on here who opted for early chemo have had amazing results. Some have continued working throughout and not many have had horrendous side effects. Presumably if you started chemo and found it too tough you could call a halt. Perhaps worth checking with the specialist. You can always use one of the cancer apps like Ankr (ankr.us) or chemoweave (chemowave.com) to get information.