How do I know whats right

[Cathy1957]

Hello everyone, it's me again, I have seen going on 3 Dr.'s now and seems like none can give me the same information, my oncologist says the choice is mine between lumpectomy or mastectomy,  then I get to the 1st. surgeon, an he's pushing me to do the lumpectomy. And I am Not comfortable with doing that. The reason is the oncologist said I have a nasty kind of breast cancer..Then the 1st surgeon tells me he can't do the dye test on the lymp nodes, so I am seeing another surgeon 03/11/09, to set the surgery up. ( MAYBE)  Seems like alot of run around to me.  My husband say's it's up to me, an he'll Love me  No matter what ! I'm at my WITTS ENDS..
     Any insight might help me.. Thank you all !!!!!
                   And God Bless

[SueYoung55]

I'm all for mastectomy. It's what I chose for myself and I think I've said that to you before. I needed the peace of mind I could only get from removal of all breast tissue. I fired my first sugeon because she pushed and pushed and pushed for a lumpectomy even though I kept saying absolutely not. Then when the MRI came back showing 10 cm cancer she changed her tune. I don't want a doctor that doesn't hear me or respect my decision as part of a team. I'm not going to tell you what to do. It's your body, it's your life. It's your decision. Best of luck. Whatever you choose will be the right thing for you.

[Nancy277]

Hi Cathy,

I know what you are going thru...sometime you wish that your doctor would make the right decisions for you. They are the experts! You mentioned that your doctor said you had a nasty cancer-did you mean triple negative?  If so, that is what I had and I decided to have a mastectomy done even though my doctor said to have a lumpectomy. I decided on mastectomy because my cancer was in the left breast and I didn't want to have radiation after the lumpectomy because it can tend to cause heart problems years down the road. You do need to find a good experienced doctor who knows how to do the sentinel node biopsy. Ask your doctor how many times they have performed it. My doctor said he had performed it 360 times so far. I had the dye injected an hour before surgery and I'm glad I did. It showed no node involvement and I did not have much swelling under my arm after surgery. My doctor wanted to start me on AC and Taxol about 6 weeks after surgery, but I did my homework and found that the Mayo Clinic recommends 4 rounds of Taxotere and Cytoxin 3 weeks apart for triple negative people.  
Keep thinking positive and you'll get thru this. Take care.
Nancy

[Sue0871]

I totally agree with what ** said, you need to do whatever is going to give you the most peace of mind.  I myself had a similar dilemma.  I wanted to do a mastectomy but my surgeon and husband felt that that was too radical and that I would be happier with a lumpectomy.  To make a long story short, after two lumpectomies, they still could not get it all and I ended up having a mastectomy.  It was a huge relief to me to have it gone.  I now have just finished up reconstruction and while my breasts aren't the same as God gave me, they look pretty darn good, (a lot perkier) I just have to get this 48 year old body to look like my 20 year old breasts!  Seriously though, you do need to make the decision that you can live with and that will bring you the most peace.  Take care and pamper yourself during this time.  It can be very stressful.  Warmest Regards

[BJSaws]

    You need to go with what will give you the most peace of mind.  Although I have read that there is no statistical difference between lumpectomy with radiation and mastectomy in recurrence and survival rates, you need to do what you feel is best for you.
     I assume that the first surgeon cannot do "the dye test on the lymph nodes" means that he/she is not experienced with the procedure for sentinel node biopsies.  If that is the case, he/she is probably not a breast surgeon.  You really do need to have a breast surgeon do the surgery if at all possible.  The sentinel node biopsy eliminates the need for complete axillary lymph node removal unless cancer is found in the sentinel nodes.  The fewer lymph nodes removed, the less the chance of complications such as lymphedema.
     A great deal of your decision should be based on the actual tumor, i.e. the size, the type, the grade.  If it is small, a lumpectomy would eliminate the need for breast reconstruction which involves more surgery.  If it is large, a lumpectomy might disfigure the breast.
     Ultimately, the decision has to be yours based on the recommendations of your surgeon and oncologist.  And yes, your husband will still love you and find you attractive.  He loves you, not your breasts (although I'm sure he likes them...LOL).
     Make sure your decision is something YOU can live with.  My thoughts and prayers are with you on this difficult journey.  You will survive and be a better person having gone through this struggle.