Would you want to know your cancer risk level?

[ZestfullyBling]

I already do. Physical recommended I get it a few years ago because my dad passed away after being diagnosed with skin cancer when I was 18 and my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a double mastectomy 11 years ago.

Bottom line life is precious. I have experienced so much loss in my life I just appreciate each day I take a breathe...knowing my risk level didn't affect me, didn't change my perspective.

 

[Mary Queen of Scotch]

@Mary Queen of Scotch, I am so sorry for your loss. That is a tough pill to swallow, especially with the mutation history in your family.

I lost my mom to breast cancer, too, a few years ago. It will get better, you know. It takes time - a lot of time - and although you never stop missing them and you never forget them, it does become much easier to bear.

I'm very glad that you are negative, and I'm so glad that your sister is forewarned. Forewarned is forearmed. And there are great advances happening now in gene editing, which one day should be able to fix these mutations. They're coding errors in our DNA, and can theoretically be edited like you'd edit a spelling mistake in a Word document. It's named CRISPR, and it's thought to hold a lot of promise. Your sister is still very young, so hopefully she might be able to benefit from gene editing one day.

I understand your feelings about your aunt. My dad's side needs to get tested for similar reasons, and they won't. It is SO frustrating.

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this whole BRCA thing. The strain these mutations can cause is huge.

Hugs,

J.

I typed up a whole response several days ago and never hit “post reply”! Here goes:

Thanks, Jambalaya, and I’m so very sorry to hear you lost your mom under similar circumstances. It’s a bad club we’re in. I’m glad it’s gotten easier for you with time — grief is a weird thing, I’m learning, and I still find myself surprised at each ebb and flow.

I hope your dad’s family can somehow be convinced. I’m sure “frustrating” is the understatement of the century! Maybe I’m less generous of spirit than you (likely), but I was genuinely concerned about seeing this aunt at the funeral — I was sure I’d cold-cock her right in the middle of the church! She has yet to acknowledge that she played even a small role in all of it. Even if it’s not her “fault,” I can’t comprehend her lack of remorse. As a sister myself, the guilt would eat me alive!

Thank you for letting me know about FORCE — I will pass the recommendation on to my sister. She’s a med student, so she’s pretty plugged into the available resources and current research (in fact, she just published a paper on onco fertility — first author!). Like you, my sis is taking the annual MRI route for now. She has no reservations about getting all the relevant -ectomies in her 30s (post-babies), if that is still the most effective prevention tool a decade from now. We are hopeful that with the huge strides that continue to be made (and boatloads of money poured) in breast cancer research, gene editing, etc., she will have more/better options than prophylactic surgery in 5-10 years’ time! We have all been following CRISPR closely, as well as new treatments like mRNA “vaccines” for BC.

 

[Bonfire]

Thinking of you @Kaycee2018

 

[Calliecake]

Sending lots of healing dust your way @Kaycee2018. You have lots of people in your corner wishing you well here.

 

[Kaycee2018]

Thinking of you @Kaycee2018

Sending lots of healing dust your way @Kaycee2018. You have lots of people in your corner wishing you well here.

Thanks so much @Bonfire and @Calliecake . I truly appreciate the support

First surgery was yesterday, reconstruction surgery is next Friday. Feeling better than I expected, but may still have some of the nerve block suppressing the pain. I probably can’t take the opioid pain meds much longer. They make me very sick with severe headaches, nausea, etc. if I take them every six hours as directed. So hoping my max pain level stays where it’s at and I can take Tylenol during the day and the pain meds at night only. Fingers crossed

Oh, and my genetic test results came back negative. But as I stated above, I am 100% convinced there is a genetic link, the technology just isn’t there yet. But the negative test result is good news for my treatment plan. And preliminary pathology of my sentinel lymph nodes is negative, so hopefully the full pathology is the same. Fingers crossed

 

[Bonfire]

Sounds like you are doing well @Kaycee2018 .
Awesome on the negative sentinels! I was able to keep my pain in check with 1 gram of extra strength Tylenol alternating with Advil. I took Tramadol at night though. Like you, they made me dizzy and icky during the day. Be sure to stay ahead of the pain though.
keep checking in, I’m thinking about you and wishing you a speedy recovery! Huge hugs to you!

 

[Calliecake]

Thank you for checking in @Kaycee2018. I’m happy to hear you are doing as well as can be expected right now. Please stay ahead of the pain. Wishing you a speedy recovery and will be checking in to see how you are doing. Sending hugs

A close friend of mine went thru this 11 years ago. She has had no issues since and is doing great.

@Bonfire, Thank you for always being you.

 

[Bonfire]

Thinking of you @Kaycee2018. Big gentle hugs and healing dust!

 

[Jambalaya]

@Kaycee2018 Thinking of you and sending you heaps and heaps of sparkly healing dust. Cyber-hug: ((((Kaycee))))

 

[Kaycee2018]

Thank you for checking in @Kaycee2018. I’m happy to hear you are doing as well as can be expected right now. Please stay ahead of the pain. Wishing you a speedy recovery and will be checking in to see how you are doing. Sending hugs

A close friend of mine went thru this 11 years ago. She has had no issues since and is doing great.

@Bonfire, Thank you for always being you.

Thinking of you @Kaycee2018. Big gentle hugs and healing dust!

@Kaycee2018 Thinking of you and sending you heaps and heaps of sparkly healing dust. Cyber-hug: ((((Kaycee))))

Thank you all. So very thoughtful of you. It is a slow road, but making progress.

 

[Kaycee2018]

Wanted to pop back in and thank everyone again for the kind words. Things are still moving along, but I finally felt good enough to get a mani/pedi. And check out my new wrist bling

 

[Calliecake]

I’m so happy to hear you are doing better @Kaycee2018. Your new bling is beautiful and very much deserved. Love the nail polish color too.

 

[Bonfire]

@Kaycee2018 good to see you!! Keep popping back and keep kickin’ cancer’s a$$!!!!!!