Wanda Sykes opens up about double mastectomy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

“I had breast cancer. Yeah, I know it’s scary,” she told Ellen DeGeneres.

She discovered the cancer after she underwent a breast reduction.

“This was in February. I went for the reduction. I had real big boobs and I just got tired of knocking over stuff. Every time I eat … Oh lord. I’d carry a Tide stick everywhere I go. My back was sore so it was time to have a reduction.”

She continued: “It wasn’t until after the reduction that in the lab work, the pathology, that they found that I had DCIS [ductal carcinoma in situ] in my left breast. I was very, very lucky because DCIS is basically stage-zero cancer. So I was very lucky.” ]

The 47-year-old actress decided to have a bilateral mastectomy.

“Cancer is cancer,” she said. “I had the choice of, you can go back every three months and get it checked. Have a mammogram, MRI every three months just to see what it’s doing. But, I’m not good at keeping on top of stuff. I’m sure I’m overdue for an oil change and a teeth cleaning already.”

In addition, “I have a lot of breast cancer history on my mother’s side of the family.”

“I had both breasts removed … because now I have zero chance of having breast cancer. It sounds scary up front, but what do you want? Do you want to wait and not be as fortunate when it comes back and it’s too late?”

This interview will air Monday, September 26, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.