tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post115703613385933369..comments2024-02-18T13:53:30.168-08:00Comments on Surgeonsblog: Breast cancer: some basicsSid Schwabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-9884643788869047862016-08-25T08:55:26.849-07:002016-08-25T08:55:26.849-07:00Thanks for posting this. It's a complicated an...Thanks for posting this. It's a complicated and freighted decision, for which the opinions of others ought not weigh very heavily. I like what some women have chosen to do with tattoos, too!Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-73755095847329630262016-08-25T08:41:21.533-07:002016-08-25T08:41:21.533-07:00My wife choose not to have reconstructive surgery ...My wife choose not to have reconstructive surgery after a bilateral mastectomy. Straight people mostly didn't understand. It helped that we're a lesbian couple and had a more supportive community. Therapy was also very helpful in dealing with the negativity from society. Loved the sister who told her surgeon, why get reconstructive surgery to make someone ELSE comfortable. Amen! I think Jesus would say that too.cybergracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09378213161792301539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-79160457915769358962016-08-19T06:46:48.336-07:002016-08-19T06:46:48.336-07:00This and you others on other posts are excellent c...This and you others on other posts are excellent comments! Thanks for them.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-76352073923686371792016-08-19T01:59:59.604-07:002016-08-19T01:59:59.604-07:00I finally got my insurance and my doctors on the s...I finally got my insurance and my doctors on the same page. For the past 2 years, I've been trying to get a prophalactic mastectomy. Well, finally got it (I had a strong feeling they would find cancer but hey, what do I know), and it looked okay... except the path report came back that I had a 2.3cm of ILC. Thank the gods of surgery, the margins were negative. Unfortunately, no SLND was done. Rats. But we did go ahead and do an axillary lymph node dissection later. 12 out of 12 negative. Can't say I'm happy but the future doesn't look too bad. The cancer is ER and PR positive, HER2 neg. The only bad spot is that the Mitosis rate was 10 on a 1 to 10 scale.. Not too sure what that indicates but after reading the St. Gallon International report from 2011, I can say it's probably not a good thing. So here's the rub. First no one would believe I needed this surgery (family fought it, docs didn't agree, etc., etc.) now, having had the mastectomies and not having immediate reconstruction, the docs don't understand why I don't want ANY reconstruction. So I finally hauled off and said to my surgeon, and oncologist, reconstruction for whom? I want another surgery so some man can look at me and feel comfortable? I don't think so (I'm 62 and this attitude is pretty sensible in my opinion). <br /><br />Funny how styles of thinking follow the ability to do things - I mean if cosmetic surgery wasn't were it is today, would they be pushing reconstruction like it was your obligation to go through with it? And as far as women's rights, I remember back in the day when women's rights included burning your bra. So I figure I'm just taking the bra burning one step further.... hmmmm. BJ Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18170764749521354628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-7513468616490595632007-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:002007-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:00cybergrace: that's a very sad story, and highlight...cybergrace: that's a very sad story, and highlights another reason why I favor (as I wrote in this blog) some sort of single-payor system: it would eliminate (hopefully) the wild differences among plans, all of which are trying as hard as possible to avoid spending money. Assuming -- which isn't a sure bet -- that the rules would 1) make sense and 2) be applied fairly.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-14628029001411503922007-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:002007-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00Sid,Unfortunately it is not true. My mother had a...Sid,<BR/>Unfortunately it is not true. My mother had a cancerous lump and BRCA gene diagosis. Then she had several more lumps that weren't cancerous, but made her worried sick. She was 60 and really wanted a bilateral mastectomy. Her doctor agreed with her too. But the insurance company (she worked for U.S. government and had decent insurance) said no. They said not until she had another cancerous lump!! I feel very sad she had so much needless stress in her life. She then got colon cancer diagnosed at stage 3 (she got a colonoscopy the year before, was the healthies person you'd ever meet) and the little southern town she'd just moved to delayed everything so long it turned inoperable. She then got a lot of breast lumps. At that stage in the game of course why torture her by a lumpectomy. Healthcare in the country is truly terrible.cybergracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09378213161792301539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157214234362534642006-09-02T09:23:00.000-07:002006-09-02T09:23:00.000-07:00Ren: thanks for a great post. And I agree, and as ...Ren: thanks for a great post. And I agree, and as I said, she indeed wrote an excellent book which I've suggested to many a patient; and she dropped her shtick over the years..,<BR/><BR/>And, coincidentally, "Our bodies our selves" was written by women who were friends and classmates of my wife in college... (Some or all of them -- I don't recall for sure)Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157207739868478622006-09-02T07:35:00.000-07:002006-09-02T07:35:00.000-07:00I'm a little late coming to this series, so forgiv...I'm a little late coming to this series, so forgive me for commenting on both this and the previous post.<BR/><BR/>I've seen the female surgeon on TV, the one you have been alluding to, though it's been at least 10 years since I last saw her. What I recall is her being plain-spoken about breast cancer, and explaining this disease in easy-to-understand manner. What I most remember is her saying that it's not the tumor in your breast that kills you, it's the spread of the tumors to your lungs, liver, brain, etc. that is lethal. <BR/><BR/>I think she was one of the first surgeons to write a book about breast cancer, though I'm sure there have been others since then. How sexist she was/is towards male doctors, I can't comment on, but I don't think it's an attitude that does anyone any good. At any rate, her books have helped increase the knowledge about this disease amongst women. <BR/><BR/>You mentioned about the women's liberation movement and the decision to not have reconstructive surgery. I first became aware of this choice reading the book 'Our Bodies, Ourselves', which was written by women who were/are involved in liberal side of women's issues. The book had a photo of a woman showing her mastectomy scar, and not being ashamed of it.<BR/><BR/>And last, but not least, the French and their propensity for radiation therapy. France is where radioactivity was first discovered, by Pierre and Marie Curie, and other physicists. And it evidently is the country where radiation therapy for cancer was first developed. So, they have a long tradition using this approach, and are proud of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157141263923002822006-09-01T13:07:00.000-07:002006-09-01T13:07:00.000-07:00feralhiker: I don't disagree with anything you sai...feralhiker: I don't disagree with anything you said. If you indeed carry the gene, I'd assume you'll be able to get bilateral mastectomy covered, if that's what you choose.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous: sounds like you are doing great! Glad to hear from youSid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157134150634394832006-09-01T11:09:00.000-07:002006-09-01T11:09:00.000-07:00As a breast cancer survivor, I had NO choice-two s...As a breast cancer survivor, I had NO choice-two sizable tumors in one breast would have made for a bad result with lumpectomies. I was 40 at the time, but living to bounce my grandbabies was more important that looks at that point. I had a modified radical mastectomy on that side followed by a simple mastectomy on the other. Yes I did bilateral reconstruction. I am now at 3 yrs 2 months of survivorship. My kids were 2 and 7 at diagnosis. <BR/><BR/>I also did chemotherapy and radiation. I chose life, and did not look back. I did have excellent surgeons and doctors.<BR/><BR/>DebAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157132252991367862006-09-01T10:37:00.000-07:002006-09-01T10:37:00.000-07:00When I had breast cancer 8 years ago, my surgeon p...When I had breast cancer 8 years ago, my surgeon presented the choices but obviously leaned toward biopsy and radiation so that is what I had. Later, on reading more about the risks and discovering I probably carried a BRCA gene, I tried to get a bilateral mastectomy for preventative reasons and was refused another surgeon I was referred to. I detest the way some people make this a political issue and a choice they make for others.feralhikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05514686008033742226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157125828911948212006-09-01T08:50:00.000-07:002006-09-01T08:50:00.000-07:00anonymous: it's a good question. We can't always t...anonymous: it's a good question. We can't always tell. When there's an obvious lump, you just give it room. Then the pathologist looks at the edges under the microscope. It's not entirely accurate. Sometimes you find that cells have streamed away from the obvious lump, via the ducts, and you have to go back and take more. Most of the time it's done by look and feel: you give the lump what you know to be enough room, and you can tell grossly that the tissue you are cutting through is normal. But it's hardly precise, and not always correct.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157116023881098332006-09-01T06:07:00.000-07:002006-09-01T06:07:00.000-07:00I always wondered, if breast conservation surgery ...I always wondered, if breast conservation surgery was done, how does a surgeon know he really has clean margins? How does he, or she, feel confident they've gotten it all?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157088627775401822006-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:002006-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:00As a cancer survivor, (not breast), I can't tell y...As a cancer survivor, (not breast), I can't tell you how much it meant when my doc. gave me all my options. He told me all the pros and cons of each. I then made up my mind as to what I wanted. He spent atleast one hour with myself and my husband on that day. He used medical books, and atlases to make me understand what was happening inside my body. I appreciated it so much! <BR/><BR/>This is all very informative. Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157086472126254522006-08-31T21:54:00.000-07:002006-08-31T21:54:00.000-07:00Very informative. I enjoyed reading it and look f...Very informative. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more. I'd also be interested in reading your thoughts on prevention, when and should you get around to it.Spiritual Emergencyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16283478682307609903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30499448.post-1157048328512344142006-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:002006-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:00If you get a choice, it is nice to have guidence. ...If you get a choice, it is nice to have guidence. Many of the survivors that I speak with are confused by the choices at a time when they are in a deep state of shock and fear. My surgeon was awesome. My cancer was such that there really weren't a lot of choices that I could make, but everytime I asked her why we were doing it this way, she would explain it to me again. It took me until I was finished with treatment to fully understand what had happened.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com