Have You Had a Single Breast Mastectomy?

Yes I have. Had an expander put in at same time and then a silicone boob. I just had a nipple tattoo done also. The silicone boob is not always comfortable. But they got it all. Margins clear so no further treatment.

I had a lumpectomy without clear margins for DCIS. Further imaging and biopsy revealed several large areas of DCIS. I opted for single mastectomy without reconstruction at the time. I am 69. I wanted to get the cancer treatment behind me. Pathology showed no lymph node involvement and was not upgraded to invasive cancer. I am weighing options for reconstruction. Possible DIEP, but recovery is lengthy. I may opt for reduction of other breast and wear a breast form. Some days I wish I had gone flat. Time will tell. But time is on my side to make the best decision for me. Good luck!

Hi Janice. Glad your final path was good. I was wondering how you had several large areas of DCIS on imaging after lumpectomy. Were these areas not seen on your imaging that prompted lumpectomy?

That part of my story is complicated. The first area was large (6 cm) without clear margins. My surgeon presented my case at the tumor conference. She was surprised that the imaging and findings at surgery were so different. They recommended I have additional imaging. My 2nd diagnostic mammogram was a LOT more pictures than my first. I then had 2nd biopsy showing DCIS. The areas were in 2 parts of my breast that were not close to each other. At that point I elected to have mastectomy to try to get all the cancerous areas with one surgery. I was uneasy about them “missing” the extent of my involved areas on the first images. I asked my surgeon about that. She said the best she could explain it to me was when they started looking very, very closely things became more clear. I am so glad I was able to remove the cancer through surgery alone and grateful that in the end things turned out the way they did. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and advocate for yourselves. I am a retired physician assistant if 35 years, so I know very well that in the end, nothing is perfect.

Thank you. I have a 4cm area of DCIS then 5 cm of normal looking tissue then a 1 cm IDC in DCIS. Debating large lumpectomy of that 10cm as they think likely DCIS throughout the segment vs mastectomy. I really am afraid to lose my breast. I think if I knew for sure that all that area had DCIS I would be okay with mastectomy. But if only 4+1 I’m less confident

Wendy, are the cancers DCIS or invasive? Would you need radiation? It’s so complicated. Would you need reconstruction? Is your cancer hormone positive? Would you need to consider hormone inhibitors? Lots of variables so hard to offer solid advise. I had my surgeon draw diagrams of different scenarios. That helped a lot.

Both DCIS and invasive. Would need radiation with lumpectomy…likely not with mastectomy unless sentinel node positive. Er and pr+ and would need 5 years tamoxifen with either surgery

Had a mastectomy on the left side, expander put in...radiation...scans look great. Getting ready for reconstruction...going to have a mastectomy on the right side, then they'll match them up.

Hi Lisa. Glad to hear your scans look good. Wondering what made you decide to get other breast done? Implants or flap?

There were several factors to go ahead and do the other side...reduces recurrence risk was #1, reflecting, I should have just done both to start with...better platform for a more symmetrical reconstruction. I was going to do a diep flap, but decided to go with implants because I really like the doc, and was not impressed with the team for the diep

I had a mastectomy on my right side and have a tissue expander. My mass was 1.3cm, but surgeon was concerned about lumpectomy and with the amount of tissue they would have to remove that it wouldn’t look right. I have to delay reconstruction until six months after radiation due to them finding one micromet. I will start Tamoxifen after radiation. It seems like a long road. Feeling lots of ups and downs.

Many people in this community have experience with single breast mastectomy, and you're likely to find others who can share their experiences and insights about the surgery and recovery process. This is a great place to connect with others who understand what you're going through and can offer practical tips for navigating this journey.