**Tamoxigang counting down to Easter eggs- thread 48**

[BetsyBoop]

throws some hot cross buns on the trolley

Amber- thanks for the 'look'. Have now got a grip and taken a step back from google! Was feeling very down last night but am more positive again today- just need to get it all started. Better mood helped by the news that my ct scan was clear; bones fine, lungs clear and tumour exactly the same size as three weeks ago.

Tiny- thank you for the link, I will check that one out.

Thanks again for all messages.
Hugs to all but now have to plan an assembly for tomorrow, last one for a while so I had better make it interesting.

Well, got chemo done despite cough as bloods were pretty good. Back on the anti-bs niw though. Only 3 left - out of 16. Been a long tine coming.

Hi all
I've been reading this and Tiny's other thread and am a bit confused!
I had dcis which sounds very similar to Harriet. I had a mx and implant recon but I haven't really been offered the option of a 2nd mx. I'm awaiting surgery for an uplift on the other side and am on tamoxifen but having some bleeding issues so currently awaiting pelvic scan.
I'm thinking that if I went for a mx on the other side, that would reduce the risk of recurrence to zero and I could come off the tamoxifen thus avoiding the risks associated with that. Is that right? Am I missing something?
Smee - are you on tamoxifen? Harriet - did you have much opposition to the bmx?

I've been reading tonight too and wonder if I made the wrong decision to go for a lumpectomy, was told a mx was too drastic and wouldn't be any better survival wise but people seem to think differently. It's so hard isn't it

On a more positive note I had a lovely day at work

It is hard Malt. I guess I'm thinking that if I'm gonna have surgery on the other side anyway, why not a mx if that has the benefits I mentioned just now. I don't quite understand why my surgeon hasn't suggested it as a possibility

Glad you had a good day at work. I did too

Malt -in your shoes I would most probably go lumpectomy :) A number of studies have shown lx +rads = mx.

I had to have single mx due to multifocal and lobular. The surgeon was right to advise this as path report said cancer cells were in single line strands (typical lobular growth pattern) which would have made it really hard to be sure of clear margin doing a lx. Lobular is also at higher risk (10-25% chance in the next 10years, depending which study you believe) of popping up in other boob too. (for ER+ ductal it's not that different to "normal" and tamoxifen lowers the risk of course.) So with that risk and hating the idea of the droopy j cup mono-boob look, it was decision done for bmx.

It's all about risk really, lobular, hormone negative and BRCA (which don't apply to you) all put you at increased risk of contralateral disease and as already been said, the thought of doing ths all again in 5 or 10 years on the other boob just doesn't bear thinking about...

I hope that helps?

Marshy, I don't know much about DCIS risks, if I get time later on I'll see if I can find and studies that quantify risk :)

Hi all
I've been reading this and Tiny's other thread and am a bit confused!
I had dcis which sounds very similar to Harriet. I had a mx and implant recon but I haven't really been offered the option of a 2nd mx. I'm awaiting surgery for an uplift on the other side and am on tamoxifen but having some bleeding issues so currently awaiting pelvic scan.
I'm thinking that if I went for a mx on the other side, that would reduce the risk of recurrence to zero and I could come off the tamoxifen thus avoiding the risks associated with that. Is that right? Am I missing something?
Smee - are you on tamoxifen? Harriet - did you have much opposition to the bmx?

Hi all
I've been reading this and Tiny's other thread and am a bit confused!
I had dcis which sounds very similar to Harriet. I had a mx and implant recon but I haven't really been offered the option of a 2nd mx. I'm awaiting surgery for an uplift on the other side and am on tamoxifen but having some bleeding issues so currently awaiting pelvic scan.
I'm thinking that if I went for a mx on the other side, that would reduce the risk of recurrence to zero and I could come off the tamoxifen thus avoiding the risks associated with that. Is that right? Am I missing something?
Smee - are you on tamoxifen? Harriet - did you have much opposition to the bmx?

Hi all
I've been reading this and Tiny's other thread and am a bit confused!
I had dcis which sounds very similar to Harriet. I had a mx and implant recon but I haven't really been offered the option of a 2nd mx. I'm awaiting surgery for an uplift on the other side and am on tamoxifen but having some bleeding issues so currently awaiting pelvic scan.
I'm thinking that if I went for a mx on the other side, that would reduce the risk of recurrence to zero and I could come off the tamoxifen thus avoiding the risks associated with that. Is that right? Am I missing something?
Smee - are you on tamoxifen? Harriet - did you have much opposition to the bmx?

Hi all
I've been reading this and Tiny's other thread and am a bit confused!
I had dcis which sounds very similar to Harriet. I had a mx and implant recon but I haven't really been offered the option of a 2nd mx. I'm awaiting surgery for an uplift on the other side and am on tamoxifen but having some bleeding issues so currently awaiting pelvic scan.
I'm thinking that if I went for a mx on the other side, that would reduce the risk of recurrence to zero and I could come off the tamoxifen thus avoiding the risks associated with that. Is that right? Am I missing something?
Smee - are you on tamoxifen? Harriet - did you have much opposition to the bmx?

Hi all

So yesterday was my first zapping, the appt took 45mins!! Apparently it will get quicker! I hope so! Lying half naked in a room full of strangers, isn't really my idea of fun! On a plus, they were a lovely group of people!

malt I'm glad you enjoyed your first day back to proper teaching!

foofoo hope things are going okay for you!

Sorry not to respond to anyone else, I can't keep up with everything at the moment! Between Rads, working and trying to sleep!! Life's just busy!

Blimey, sorry everyone, don't know what happened there!

Just to clarify (as took me a while to get my head round this)

Mx vs lx on cancer side is all about clear margins and local recurrence risk.

Prophy mx is all about risk of second primary tumour on other side.

No choices make any real difference to your risk of distant metastises, which is the thing that might actually kill you! (Although as amber would say lots of potions now to turn them into long term annoyances!)

Marshy, I'll PM you, my bmx was 'allowed' because my aunt had ovarian cancer in her 40s which puts me at 'unspecificed high' risk of recurrence. But certainly not the best decision for all. And this is all so personal, unkown and frustrating: I hoped I was putting my risk of recurrence down to 1-2% with a bmx, turns out my mx has positive margins due to proximity so skin so I'm not there

Morning everyone.

really I'm glad that yesterday was okay. I'm impressed that you are still working. I called my office to tell them I won't be working until I'm fully recovered, which I imagine won't be much before the end of this year.

Recovering from bone marrow biopsy I had yesterday. Very sore but I'm glad it's been done and I'm keen to just crack on with things.

I've got a meeting with ds's school today to sort out plans for next term. They are continuing to be so so difficult, you'd think they had never had a pupil who had a seriously ill parent. Goodness recommended I speak to Macmillan and they have said the teachers may have their own issues so recommended they call to discuss. Reassuringly they said that all of ds's behaviour (getting upset at break time and then carrying that upset into the next lesson where he refuses to do work) is all perfectly normal behaviour. I'm looking forward to sharing that with school!

Marshy, I had to ask them for my second mx. My first mx was by then a tight pert implant and the surgeon was going to do another op on the remaining breast to try and get it to match, so I thought well why not just get rid. She was quite reluctant, but stats then (3 years ago) said it would give me better odds so she relented. It's probably all changed now, but I haven't googled. On your Tamoxifen question you have to keep taking it regardless as that's a good line of defence. I'm on it for 10 years..

How are you foofoo? Hope you're not too uncomfortable.

difficultpickle, hope the pain goes soon. Good look for your meeting. School sounds a bit

Lumpectomy v Mastectomy? Big study of over 3000 women done in 2013, some with cancer in nodes, some without. Overall, the 10-year survival rates for BCT (lumpectomy) and mastectomy were 95 and 92.1 %, respectively. The results were similar for both node-positive and node-negative. Not a lot of difference at all. If anything, lumpectomy can be better for some. In other words, it doesn't make any difference what you have, unless you have a type that is very very rudely behaved or multiple lumps or some such thing. It's totally personal choice for most people.

I like you Malt was starting to wonder if I had made the wrong decision to have Lumpectomy.

That's reassuring amber as my consultant told me that for me Mastectomy wasn't necessary.

Smee - can I ask a really stupid question. Surely you can't get breast cancer if you don't have any breasts so why would you need to keep taking tamoxifen after a bmx? Is it in case it pops up somewhere else?

feeling properly silly now!

Harriet - have pm'd you

Smee my question sounds really to the point. Not meaning to offend, just struggling to get my head around things

marshy - even a mx isn't guaranteed to get every single breast tissue cell and as you said the tamoxifen will also block anything that might pop up elsewhere.

I managed to find these studies if they help

one
two
three

No not rude at all, but as Betsy says even with mx they can't take all tissue and Tamoxifen hits floating cancer cells that have roamed off round your system and are trying to build a tumour elsewhere. I was told to think of it as a 4th line of defence, so my order was mx - chemo - rads - Tamoxifen. If you're hormone positive it gives you far better chance of no recurrence so don't stop taking it unless you have to.

Sitting in a hospital room having my first ever blood transfusion (been a donor rather than a recipient in the past and am really thankful for everyone who makes the effort to donate).
Usual hospital mix up over bloods labelling has held things up and I am hoping to get out of here before Waitrose closes! Nice lunch and am now watching TV and dealing with work emails.

Hi Smee and Betsy
Thanks for your thoughts and the info. I think I have to see what the gynaecologist says and take it from there. Tamoxifen seems to be a good thing as long as it's not causing me other problems and uplift or press for a mx? Not sure yet. Oh what fun...

Good luck, Marshy.

Lily, did you get to Waitrose?! Hope you're zooming around on the new blood boost.