One Woman's Journey Through DCIS Breast Cancer

The phone rings. Please come back to Breastscreen Australia. You have calcification and we need to re-check it. Don't feel for lumps. You don't have any. Oh yeah! I think. They're just over-cautious.

No! I was wrong. I had DCIS. So I am very quickly put on the Breast Cancer roller coaster designed to nip it in the bud and save me.

I read recently that 14,000 Australian women were diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2010. Of those, 1200 were diagnosed with DCIS. The proportions are similar around the world.

DCIS flies under the radar. What is it? It is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ ie calcification in the milk ducts of the breast. Like me, those 1200 Australian women only find out that they have it after their regular mammogram check-up. It is non-invasive which means it has not got into the body. No one dies from it. It may be how Breast Cancer starts but the researchers are not 100% sure. You are more at risk of a recurrence later or even full-blown Breast Cancer but with surgery and radiation therapy, this risk is reduced to less than 10%. Finally, you can keep your breast and your hair.

There is a lot of breast cancer literature available. Here are some of my personal experiences that might help you or someone you know get through it a little easier.

With a left breast that needed a lot of loving thoughts and tender care, she needed a name. (I adapted this idea from a wonderful speaker, Marie Farrugia, on one of my Business Swap CDs.) Annie it was and I still talk gently to her as she continues to heal. Not to be left out, my right breast is Mitzi because they are a team who need to support each other.

I found that one of my slightly flattened, soft square cushions kept my hand and lower arm comfortable as I could only sleep on one side of my body. This suited my situation better than the free Breast cushion from Zonta. Wish I'd had that square cushion the first night after the operation.

Short spiky hair and sleeping on one side only don't mix; so I had to adopt a slightly longer softer hairstyle.

A very soft, real Australian lambswool seatbelt protector has made driving more comfortable for my swollen, tender Annie after surgery, during radiation therapy and still as she continues to heal.

Finding a Blog that related to my love of laughing at life's idiosyncrasies was daily medicine for my soul.

Also on the funny side, receiving hugs from others became an occupational hazard as I protected Annie from harm. She even demanded that I change my handbag to the other shoulder and this made supermarket shopping sometimes quite funny as Annie and I shared our little problems.

My 30 radiation sessions were re-named Radiation Therapy Healing Sessions and going to them became a blessing not a chore. Annie and I needed to be reminded of that often. When the hospital green radiation gown got to me, I bought brighter material, copied the design and sewed my own version. All these little things were my way of being an active participant in my healing rather than a passive observer.

On the down side because DCIS is not life threatening, I had days when I felt a Breast Cancer fraud, especially when people called me brave. I was in no danger of dying. So I did not feel brave. It was then I learnt to remind myself that all illnesses require courage and everyday courage is as important as big inspiring acts of courage.

With my strong colouring, pink is something I choose to take in very small doses. Everywhere I turned there was a mountain of pink. At times I found that to be emotionally over-whelming. Even going overseas I couldn't escape Breast Cancer pink. It was just something I had to experience and let it show me my pink lesson.

I am blessed to have had wonderful medical care, a loving husband and supportive family, friends and business associates. DCIS changed me physically. Now it is important for me to decide how I am going to live the rest of my life.

DCIS - what's that? On behalf of Annie, Mitzi and me, I hope this may help you or someone you know who finds it unexpectedly in her life.

Margaret Sims is an Image Consultant and Fashion Translator who was diagnosed with DCIS in June 2009. Read another of Margaret's personal thoughts on DCIS at http://margaretsims.wordpress.com/. Margaret helps women discover their true personality and how to shine as a modern woman over 40 with or without breast cancer. If this interests you, visit http://thefashiontranslator.wordpress.com/ Blog for more fashion tips. Go to the Signup page where you can sign up to get the free twice-monthly newsletter on fashion and life lessons and receive your free eBook and Audio - 'Look Fabulous, Feel Confident Every Day'.

Original article

Breast Reconstruction After Lumpectomy or Mastectomy: Woman's Legal Right To Psychological Recovery

About one out of every eight women will develop some form of breast cancer within their lifetime. In 2010 approximately 207,000 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed, with another 54,000 non-invasive cases diagnosed. Although breast reconstruction is an optional process after mastectomy, with over 2.5 women who have beat this disease, more and more women are choosing to have breast reconstruction as a part of breast cancer treatment. In fact, over 93,000 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2010, an increase of almost 20% from the year before (1). In fact, breast reconstruction has been seen as being so critical to a woman's recovery that in 1988, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) was passed. This law actually requires all insurance companies who offer mastectomy coverage to also provide for reconstructive surgery, including any adjustments to the opposite breast to achieve symmetry and revision surgeries to refine the breast shape and recreate the nipple.

For most women, the treatment of breast cancer really consists of three parts. The first part of treatment is Physiological and involves the physical surgical removal of the tumor. A general surgeon performs either lumpectomy surgery, which removes the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue, or a mastectomy, which removes all breast tissue from the chest. Sometimes radiation therapy is used in combination with lumpectomy or mastectomy to treat any cancer cells that potentially remain. The choice of either surgery is usually determined by the size of the tumor, the size of the breast, and the patient's personal choice. The use of radiation is determined by the size of the tumor, tumor characteristics on biopsy, and what type of surgery is performed.

The second part of treatment is Pharmacological and includes chemotherapy in IV and/or pill form. Medications that modulate hormones are also sometimes used to reduce the risk of recurrence. This portion of the treatment can take anywhere from a few months to a year depending on chemotherapy drug choice, and tumor characteristics.

The final component of treatment is Psychosocial and includes all activities and treatments that help women to deal with their cancer and recovery. Studies have shown that breast reconstruction is important to helping women cope with cancer[2]. Because of this fact, breast reconstruction is a legally protected optional third part of treatment chosen by many women every year in the United States.

Breast reconstruction can be performed immediately after mastectomy or in a delayed manner, even months or years after mastectomy. There are several methods that can be used to reconstruct the breast, but they all fall under two main types - Flap reconstruction, which uses tissue from another part of the body, and Implant reconstruction, which uses a breast implant to recreate the breast. Sometimes a combination of both methods is used to get the best result possible.

Flap reconstruction uses muscle and fatty tissue from the back, tummy and occasionally other areas to create the breast mound. Skin can be transferred along with the other tissue when the chest skin has been damaged by infection, radiation, or a superficial tumor. Flap surgery requires a hospital stay of 3-7 days, leaves scars both on the breast and where the tissue was borrowed, and full recovery can take 2-3 months. Flap surgery has the benefit of avoiding an implant, but for patients who are very overweight or whose health is in poor condition, flap surgery may not be safe. Many women like that borrowing the tissue from the tummy is almost like having a tummy-tuck and that using tissue from the back can remove excess tissue that hangs over the bra straps.

Implant reconstruction has typically required two stages. During the first stage, a temporary implant (called a tissue expander) is inserted under the chest muscle. It is gradually filled with saline (IV fluid) after surgery through a needle that's inserted into a special part of the expander. In order to get more fluid into the expander at the time of the first surgery, tissue grafts called Allografts are sometimes sewn to the bottom of the muscle to make more room. The allograft also provides more coverage for the bottom of the implant. Complications of implant reconstruction with radiation are almost 50%, and the allograft can decrease some of these complications ( capsular contracture, exposure of the implant, and wound healing problems).

Using the allograft, sometimes an implant can be placed at the time of surgery (single stage reconstruction). This can only be done if the skin is in good condition after mastectomy. If the blood flow to the skin is poor, the traditional technique of slowly inflating the implant will need to be used.

If radiation is going to be needed, tissue expanders can be placed followed by flaps or implants, depending on how the skin recovers from radiation.

For more information the Author can be contacted by using this link.

[1] Report of the 2010 Plastic Surgery Statistics. Annual SASPS Procedural Statistics represent procedures performed by ASPS member surgeons certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery® as well as other physicians certified by American Board of Medical Specialties-recognized boards. ©ASPS, 2011

[2] Rowland, Julia H. "Psycological Impact of Treatments for Breast Cancer", Surgery of the Breast, 2nd Edition, p. 382, 2006

Dana M. Goldberg M.D. is one of the fastest growing cosmetic plastic surgeons in West Palm Beach Florida. Dr. Goldberg was trained at the Ohio State university in plastic and reconstructive surgery. After completing her training she moved to Florida to create the thriving medical practice she enjoys today. Dr. Dana works with patients throughout the world, and is happy to answer questions for patients.

Original article