One of the benefits of sharing the news of an illness is that you find many people know someone who has the same thing. Sadly, Breast Cancer is becoming very common, probably because of early detection. Fortunately though, there are higher and longer survival rates.
Last week, I was telling a friend in my writing group about what I'm going through, and she offered to have someone she knows who had a Mastectomy three years ago give me a call. The friend called me. Let's call her Joan. It just so happens that the surgeon who did her Mastectomy is the same one I'm working with.
What a relief to her story. She was very pleased with our surgeon, Dr. Lynn Clarke. She didn't have much pain, her scar isn't that bad, and she is cancer free. This particular woman has a huge family history of Breast Cancer. A total of 7 out of 8 close relatives have had Breast Cancer - her grandmother, mother, two sisters and three cousins.
Joan was diagnosed in her early 60s with the same cancer I have, which is DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ). She opted for Mastectomy without reconstruction. A relative of hers didn't have a good experience with reconstruction. The relative had difficulties with the expanders that are put in prior to reconstruction (after the Mastectomy). I don't have much data on this, but the few stories I've heard and a woman I know are finding that if you have to have chemo and radiation, then opting for reconstruction during those treatments might not be the best option. Choosing reconstruction at a later date when your chemo and radiation are complete might be a better option.
I'm thankful for input like this. It is a question I can pose to my breast surgeon and the plastic surgeon later on. A question such as, 'If after testing my lymph nodes and there is invasive cancer, will the plastic surgeon be willing to postpone the reconstruction or will he charge me for his time in standing by while the breast surgeon does her job.
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