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