Take your time
First of all, you should know that you have time to think and decide, unless your case is advised otherwise by your doctors. In each case the time you have to decide on a treatment varies, so ask your breast surgeon.
Listen to other doctors and ask for their opinion
The doctors will always give you their most honest opinion, recommending the route you should take because they are interested in you being well, not only right now but also having a good quality of life. They have in mind the type of cancer you have, whether it has a receptor for any hormone, the rate at which it is growing, your age, your general health, the size of the tumor and its location, your genetics, family health history, etc.
It is convenient to meet with several doctors and ask for their opinion – the breast surgeon, the treatment oncologist and the medical oncologist, even the plastic surgeon – each have different experiences and special considerations. Ask as many questions as you can think of, do not be shy. Not only ask them what they recommend and what they would do in your place, also ask other women who have gone through your similar situation: same age, type of cancer, etc. Each one of us is different, and not all of us are accommodated with the same treatment.
Follow your instinct, listen to your body
In this there is no good or bad answer; in the end you are the one who is going through this, you understand and listen to your body, you know your limits, and you know what you can take and what you want. Do not feel guilty about what you choose if you have family or friends who do not agree, follow your instincts, and trust your doctors a lot.
It is necessary that you surround yourself with a support team that lifts you up, encourages you, and that you fully trust. If one of your doctors doesn’t give you a good feeling, change it! Seek another opinion until you feel calm; do not allow them to dismiss your concerns, questions or fears.
Trust your decision
When you decide on something, you must enter with a strong, determined and courageous mind. It is part of a successful path to recovery, which gains even more strength when you have the best doctors on your side who are on the same page as you and supporting your decisions.
In all of this, I have learned that we must be our own advocators. We must fight for our health and not allow doctors to ignore us because of our age or gut feelings. You know your body and you know when it is telling you that something is wrong. Go and find what you consider you need and think will do you good. No one can predict the future, and a scar of cancer is that it will always live somewhere in your mind, with the fear that whatever you do, one day it will return. But no one can know; we have to live confident in our decisions, listening to and loving our bodies by doing what we can to prevent the cancer from coming back after treatment.