Is breast cancer in your family?

For those of you who know then you know my answer. Yes, breast and a list of others. It's like a the fat that is perfectly steadily streaked through a Kobe steak. And if you know a bit about it then perhaps you noticed on my side bar that I am BRCA 1 positive. Don't know what the means? Well....so far there has been 2 genes found to be related to breast cancer, the hereditary kind. So if u don't have the gene, it just means u have "normal" risks, but if you have the gene you have a drastically higher risk of potentially getting the disease. But that doesn't mean you'll get it. Just higher risk. And since this issue means alot to me, because i'm positive, because of my family, and because of medical field interests. I want to share my story, so if anyone needs a little education or support, i'd gladly share whatever i know.

My mom had breast cancer when i was 2, so it's always kinda been around in my life. When I was 21 I went to a Planned Parenthood to get some birth control and a check up. The nurse practitioner would not give me any birth control because she said my breasts tissue felt "lumpy" possibly fiber cystic tissue but "could" maybe be cancer. So she referred me to Dr and said i could return after their permission. Well the first Dr was a surgeon i believe and she didn't offer me much options. I got a sonogram and she said i could keep monitoring it or have a prophylactic mastectomy and suggested that my mom get tested for the breast cancer gene. The Dr my mom saw for this tested her and i eventually became her patient because i didn't like the first Dr. And a few months lady, at age 21 I found out my mom was positive for the gene. Next step was me but since i wasn't married yet and so young they didn't want me to get tested yet. Well by the next visit i was married and no longer 21 so they said if u want to get tested then lets do it. And so i did and about 6 wks after i had the test i got the results. I pretty much thought they would be positive. When i was a kid i thought i would get cancer just because my mom had gotten it.
So it was positive. I had thought i wanted to get rid of my breasts asap but i guess i just didn't know enough to fully commit to it. So i had a several tests and just went to Dr every since to check'em out for a few years. Then in December of 2007 my aunt discovered she had breast cancer and that it was not the first stage. I think it was that event that made me consider my original intentions of having a mastectomy. In my mind I didn't want to die and leave my future kids motherless because i waited to get cancer; i didn't want to have to take time off work and maybe lose my house or just have to suffer or my family, if i thought i could avoid it. So Last spring i told my new cancer Dr in TN that i was seriously considering it, he completely agreed and made me an appointment with a surgeon. A couple months later, on May 19th, I went into surgery and it took 7 hours. I was told just before they put me under that my Dr was going to try to save my nipples and put the implants in. He originally was going to take it all and put in expanders and over the summer they'd slowly stretch my skin until implants would fit and manufacture some nipples. So I didn't really know what i'd wake up, but since for weeks i'd been thinking i'd be flat as a bored and hide out in my house. I woke up and i had my new fake boobs and my nipple grafted back on. This was my first major hospital visit, it really wasn't too bad. It was kinda nice not having to get up to pee LOL. It's now march and my boobs are healed, although i imagine they still have healing like maybe thickening of the skin or fading of the scars. I did have some minor complications with healing and i believe because of that one of my nipples does not "function" but maybe some more grafted will fix that or tattooing to complete the process. And they are shaped differently now too, my boobs. But I'm happy with them.
I could still get breast cancer but because i have such little breast tissue left it reduces my chances. That doesn't mean I can't get ovarian cancer or pancreatic cancer or anything else that might be related to the gene i have. And yes, my future sons and daughters might get this gene and continue to pass it on. I will still have to see an oncologist every year and may need to redo the boobs in the future (breast implants don't last forever, although my mom has had hers most of my life). I don't feel pressured to have kids, which was advised to me when my test results were given. Having kids before is supposed to reduce breast cancer risk, and cancer treatments can potentially make u sterile. I'm glad with my choice and don't miss my old boobs, just my piercings but that will hopefully change sometime in the future.
Two of my favorite causes or important things i support are animals, like dogs, humane society and stuff and cancer issues foundations. So take care of your pets, they deserve it; and get tested, get your routine exams and don't hesitate or it will be too late.