Test Results

If you didn't know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer just about 1 year ago.  She has gone through chemo and radiation treatments and so far things are looking positive.  Her lump was caught early, unlike my grandmother her mother, who almost 6 years ago died of breast cancer.  Since my mom got diagnosed, she also got tested for the BRCA gene.  She got confirmation that she is a carrier for the BRCA 2 gene.  Currently, in my family, my mom, my grandmother, my grandmother's twin sister, and my great grandmother all have had breast cancer.  My grandmother's younger sister also had and died of pancreatic cancer, which the BRCA 2 gene puts you at higher risk for.

Now that my mom got tested, my sisters and I had to decide if we were going to get tested.  At first, I was leaning totally against having the gene test.  After talking with my doctor, I decided that it would be better to find out if I had the gene, because with my family history, without getting tested, I would need to have increased testing to ensure that things were caught early just in case I was at higher risk and didn't know it. I got met with a genetic counselor right after Christmas and with my husband decided to have the test.  Just about a week ago, I found out that I tested positive for the gene.

I wasn't totally surprised at the results, but I was still in shock from actually seeing it on paper and having one of my worst fears confirmed.  Of course, the immediate recommendation was to have a bilateral mastectomy and oophorectomy.  I was told that I needed to meet with an oncologist and discuss my options.  If I decided not to have surgery, I need to have a mammogram and a MRI every 6 months alternating each time.  If I don't have the oophorectomy, I need to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound and a CA-125 blood test every 6 months.  Even though I don't have cancer, I left that appointment feeling like I had been given a a death sentence, especially if I didn't have surgery.  Not exactly a great feeling to have especially not actually having cancer. I thought that since my family tended to get cancer later in life, I have a decent amount of time to decide, but no, they just lucked out (if getting cancer at all can be considered lucky) and got cancer later in life.  The BRCA 2 gene tends to cause earlier cancers, something I did not expect to hear.

I am still trying to figure out where to go from here.  I have 3 small kids and a great husband.  I don't want to get cancer.  I don't want to go through the pain and suffering and even potentially die, but I also don't want to have surgery.  There are too many reasons to go into right now, and at some point I will probably write about it just to put it in words that I can actually read.  My New Year's goals go along with the changes that I want to make especially now that I have tested positive for the gene.

My diet needs to change and so do my exercise habits.  I have joined in with another twins mom's blog for a healthy challenge.  I am hoping that this challenge will help me make the changes that I need to make and hopefully make theme stick.

Amy

Way Back When-esday: Haircut

I'm joining in with http://twinfatuation.blogspot.com for way back When-esday.  This time I am going to post pictures off myself, which I hate doing, but I am thinking that after a year and a half of growing out my hair, I am really considering cutting it off.  For years I had a short pixie cut, then I decided to grow it long because that is what I always do.  One of the newest reasons for wanting to cut my hair again is my mom's cancer diagnosis.  When I found out she was going to have chemo or at least the potential of it, I thought about cutting my hair short in support of her potential for losing her hair.  I know that this is not a lot, but I thought that it could be a way to support her since losing her hair was one of her concerns.  Now, I have been thinking more about cutting my hair, I want to do it because I really liked my hair short.  So here I am going from this:

I'm the one blowing out the candle

To this:

October 2008 The first haircut after I decided to grow it long

It had been this short:

December 2008 1 month before I gave birth to the twins!

What do you think, should I cut it?  My plan is to cut it like the middle picture.  I felt like Audrey Hepburn, not that I looked like her, but I felt like her, classy and beautiful!

Amy

My Mom's Cancer Update

I found out on my twins 2nd birthday (January 23, 2011) that my mom's mammogram showed a lump in her left breast.  This is the same one that my grandmothers breast cancer started in.  She has since had a biopsy which revealed that the tumor was 0.9 cm (about 3/4 in) and they removed 3 inches of tissue.  The pathology report stated that she has stage 1 grade 2 breast cancer.  This means that the tumor was small but semi aggressive and definitely invasive.  This meant that they recommended and MRI to r/o any metastases as well as a lymph node biopsy.  She was unable to complete the MRI with out getting sick, so that is one test that they are unable to do for her.  Today was her lymph node biopsy.  I guess, yesterday they injected her with a dye that would tell the surgeon what nodes to remove if any.  My step-father said that the most the surgeon would take out would be 2 nodes, but they ended up only needing to take out 1 node.  I guess that is a good sign.  Now we just have to wait for this pathology report.  As for treatment options, it really depends on the lymph node biopsy.  If the biopsy comes back with cancer, then they are recommending 8 treatments of chemotherapy, then 5 days a week for 6 weeks of radiation.  If the biopsy comes back without cancer, then she can choose either 4 treatments of chemotherapy and then the same radiation treatment or she can choose just to have radiation.  At least one of my sisters and I are thinking that she should do the combo treatment and hopefully knock the cancer out of her system no matter what the results of the biopsy are.  We also think that she can do conventional treatment along with CAM therapies (complementary and alternative medicine). 

Because of this and the other cancers and heart disease in my family I am attempting to get a little healthier.  One day I will be able to say that I am eating the way I want to be eating and exercising like I should be!  The warm weather can't come fast enough.  Maybe this is the push I need to get rid of this baby weight (ok teh baby weight is gone,  this is jsut my fat)!

Amy

Makes My Monday: Play Date and Kids Crafting

Today we met with some friends for a play date and the kids did a St Patrick's Day craft.  The kids had fun and the moms got to talk.  Play dates and crafting certainly make my Monday!

Eva Rose was the only one who stayed at the table while I got my camera, along with our friends

All the shamrocks we made

Update on my mom:  She goes tomorrow for her lymph node biopsy.  One we have the results from that she can then make a decision regarding treatment.  She will either get to choose between chemo and radiation or just radiation if lymph nodes are not involved, and if they are then she will have chemo and radiation for sure.  What we do know is that it was a small but invasive tumor that is semi aggressive.  We can certainly use any all all prayers!

Amy

The Big C Word

I found out today that my mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Luckily, at least so far, it is the early stages and hopefully she can be treated and not have any negative effects from it long term.  The scarey thing about this diagnosis is that my grandmother died from breast cancer almost 5 years ago.  She under went 2 mastectomies a few years apart, and unfortunately teh cancer just spread through out her body.  The last couple of weeks of her life were extremely rough for her.  She was so sick and initially they didn't know what was wrong until they did surgery and found that the cancer was all in her abdomen causing all of the problems that she had been suffereing with for months (as far as I know, it could have been longer).  Not only do my mother and my grandmotehr carry the diagnosis, but my grandmother's twin sister as well as their mother (my great grandmother).  We still have to wait for some more results and then my mother is having a meeting with an oncology team.  At that point, I think we will know how significant the level is and what mode of treatment she is going to decide on.  She will also be having the gene test to see if it is the hereditary form of breast cancer.  I am hoping that since it seems like it is the early stages, the prognosis is good.  I am hoping that the prognosis is good, because obviously I want her around for a long time.  I want her to see my kids grow.  I want her to be a major part of their lives.  I am hoping that thing go well and we get good news.  At this point, it doesn't matter if she carries the gene or not.  I am going to be changing my lifestyle to do what ever I can to prevent this from happening to me.  The one positive, if there is ever a positive in breast cancer, is that everyone in my family (on my mother's side) with breast cancer got diagnosed post menopause.  That seems to have a better prognosis, so I am hoping that that remains the case.

Amy