I think if I was found to have DCIS in the other breast, I would be devastated because I think you’ve got to make more decisions if you’ve got DCIS. If it’s a lump you know it’s got to go, if it’s DCIS do you wait and see whether it becomes cancer because, you know, as far as I’m aware nobody really knows do they? Whether it will or not. And do you then go through yet another traumatic mastectomy, reconstruction? That bothers me more than the fact that I may have breast cancer. Because then you’ve got to make decisions.
So you think it’s harder to be diagnosed with DCIS than invasive breast cancer?
Yeah, because, well, I mean obviously it’s hard and if it was in your system it would be devastating knowing that you’ve got to go through with the chemotherapy round and whatever. Because I’d had a lot of health problems, the idea of chemotherapy was really worrying me because I really didn’t think I would cope. But, I just, but it isn’t until now that I really know what DCIS is.
So you, you had some information from the doctor that said DCIS?
No, not really. It was just on a letter. It was the letter that he sent to the GP and to the surgeon just saying what, discussing the treatment that he was going to give me, that you know, that was going to have tamoxifen for two years and exemestane for three years.
That was the first then you kind of realised?
I’d actually saw the letters DCIS yes.
Did you look for more information? How did you find out more because you sound like you would know quite a bit now?
I’ve been looking on the breast care backup website and whatever, and reading odd little bits. And the areas, I don’t know, I think perhaps they could’ve reassured, when the surgeon drew the picture of my breast and did specks all over it, in hindsight that was a little bit of an exaggeration, you know, perhaps somebody could’ve talked me through it a little bit better.
