Hi, just after other peoples experience with mastectomy/ lumpectomy with larger breast. I’ve had 4 EC and just had my 3rd docetaxol yesterday (4th one due in 3 weeks). I’m have a meeting with the breast surgeon in about 10 days time to discuss the operation. I was diagnosed grade 3,  ductal carcinoma 4.5cm with one lymph node in armpit also had cancer. I’m HER2 + .The chemo has done its thing and after round two of EC it had shrunk to half the size and the lymph node now looked normal. Last week prior to my 7th chemo (3rd docetaxol) I had another ultrasound and they couldn’t find the tumour.. there was nothing left to measure! So that’s great news. The chemo has been so hard but when you have news like that it makes all those days laying in bed filling sh*t worth while. So to anyone starting out on chemo.. hang on in there!

Anyway back to my surgery query.. I’m just wondering how much of a say we get on the type of surgery and reconstruction on nhs? I always had it in my head that I would push for a mastectomy for peace of mind.. just get rid of of it all there and then. The thing is I have large G cup breast and wondered what do they do with the other one? Would they offer a breast reduction? I wouldn’t want some big G cup implant put in! But now that the tumour has visibly shrunk to nothing I think they will say a lumpectomy. My tumour was close to my nipple so im thinking they may take it away for clear margins.. which I’m fine with. Has anyone had anything similar? If they take the whole boob off or even half of it I’m fine just worried a bit about symmetry with the other one.  Any feed back or ideas on questions I should be asking during consultation would be great.

thanks and hang on in there people x

fishnchips