I know I rave and rave about how amazing my support system is (I know that I'm a very lucky girl) but I just can't stop when they've helped my Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team raise $1,270! Wonderful job everyone!
I know I kind of left a teaser about my BRCA1 and BRCA2 test results (sorry!); they came back negative, which means the reason I got cancer was just the luck of the draw. While it's a little unsettling to not have a definite answer why, it's wonderful to know that the women in my family are "safe" (I use quotes because they could be "lucky" and get random cancer too (knocking on wood that it never happens)) and I get a little peace of mind knowing that my risk of ovarian cancer isn't elevated. It is what it is I guess; there's another gene test we can do, but it opens the Pandora's box of diseases I'd be susceptible to (they're diseases we can't watch for or prevent), and I'm not sure I want to carry that knowledge around every day.
Ashley made a great point that technology in this area of medicine is developing so quickly that it's not impossible there's another breast cancer-causing gene out there that no one has discovered yet.
Anyway, I hate to come back to this because it's probably so boring to read about, but I'm still having some pretty intense muscle pain. The exercises my PT showed me a few weeks ago definitely stretch the muscles, but they're not taking away any of the pain/tightness. I even went as far as calling my surgeon's office Friday afternoon to see if it's normal to feel this way. Bad news: it is. Good news: the nurse assured me I'd feel much better after New Boobs Day (31 days!). I'm going to bench myself for the remaining 3 kickball games we have and really try to watch what I'm lifting, drink a ton of water, and continue stretching. I can handle 31 days!
Showing posts with label BRCA2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BRCA2. Show all posts
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
It's October!
I have to start out by saying how awesome my family, friends and coworkers are! In less than a week we've blown past my initial fundraising goal of $250 and are sitting at $495 with 11 days to go!! That's $5 short of half of the team goal of $1,000 I set! Your generosity is fantastic - keep spreading the word!
I attended my second breast cancer support group this afternoon, and I have to admit it was kind of a downer compared to the nutrition/fitness conversation we had last month. Some of the ladies are having a really tough time and it makes me thankful that I have the love of so many people to help me get through everything.
One thing that stuck with me (maybe it's because I'm new to being part of the breast cancer club) was that one of the group members said she has a hard time every October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is so focused on it and somehow everything turns pink, and she has a hard time with the constant reminder of her experience. I guess I never looked at it that way, but I get her point of view. I feel like it's a month for people to be more active for the cause, donate a little and maybe reach out and help someone who may be battling the disease.
As I left the meeting, I noticed I had a message from Ashley (my gene counselor) at the Breast Center. (I was in the Breast Cancer suite when she called me - wish I would've bumped into her!) She left a message saying she has "good news" and that I should call her when I can. It was already after hours so I'll call her back tomorrow, but I'm trying to decide what her good news is. Here's how I see it:
New Boobs Day Countdown: 36 days!
I attended my second breast cancer support group this afternoon, and I have to admit it was kind of a downer compared to the nutrition/fitness conversation we had last month. Some of the ladies are having a really tough time and it makes me thankful that I have the love of so many people to help me get through everything.
One thing that stuck with me (maybe it's because I'm new to being part of the breast cancer club) was that one of the group members said she has a hard time every October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone is so focused on it and somehow everything turns pink, and she has a hard time with the constant reminder of her experience. I guess I never looked at it that way, but I get her point of view. I feel like it's a month for people to be more active for the cause, donate a little and maybe reach out and help someone who may be battling the disease.
As I left the meeting, I noticed I had a message from Ashley (my gene counselor) at the Breast Center. (I was in the Breast Cancer suite when she called me - wish I would've bumped into her!) She left a message saying she has "good news" and that I should call her when I can. It was already after hours so I'll call her back tomorrow, but I'm trying to decide what her good news is. Here's how I see it:
- I have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that caused me to have breast cancer. In this scenario, I can have my mom and/or dad get tested and from there, alert my other family members. I can also, after having kids, choose to have a hysterectomy and/or oopherectomy, which would eliminate my risk of ovarian cancer. Get rid of it!
- I don't have the mutation, and we have no idea why I got breast cancer.
New Boobs Day Countdown: 36 days!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
BRCA
So with much encouragement from my care team, I finally had blood drawn and sent off to see if I test positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. I wasn't hesitating because I'm afraid of the results; believe me, after being diagnosed with cancer I think I can handle gene test results. I'd made a note to schedule it, pasted it to my computer, and then each time I saw it, looked past it. It just started blending in with my surroundings ha!
If I remember correctly from the gene counseling session I had before my surgery, it was discussed that I have a 17%(?) chance of having a mutation (fun fact: we all have the gene, it's just a matter of it mutating or not that causes breast cancer). That could be way off, but it'd be nice to know (and nice if one of my parents would get tested too) so I can tell any potential affected family members that they're at risk too. I should find out the results in 3-4 weeks, so I'll keep you updated.
If I remember correctly from the gene counseling session I had before my surgery, it was discussed that I have a 17%(?) chance of having a mutation (fun fact: we all have the gene, it's just a matter of it mutating or not that causes breast cancer). That could be way off, but it'd be nice to know (and nice if one of my parents would get tested too) so I can tell any potential affected family members that they're at risk too. I should find out the results in 3-4 weeks, so I'll keep you updated.
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