I am at a lost!

Cammychris

I just recieved a phone call as tomorrow is my double mastectomy I am now finding out I am brca 2+  what does this mean can someone please help me!

BayouBabe

Cammychris - so sorry you are finding out this news.  Being BRCA + means that you have a genetic disposition that makes you more likely to get breast cancer in your life time.  Many women who are BRCA + with a cancer diagnosis chose to have a BMX to avoid/lessen the risk of cancer in the other breast.  They also often have their ovaries removed, as the chance of ovarian cancer is higher as well.  Please visit the FORCE website, www.facingourrisk.org for more information.  I am sure others will share more info here as well.

Moderators

Cammychris, as well as the information and support you'll find here on the forums, you can learn more about BRCA2 in the Genetic Testing section of the main Breastcancer.org site.

We're sorry you're dealing with this news! Best wishes for your surgery tomorrow - we'll look forward to seeing you back on the boards again.

• The Mods

lekker

Cammychris - who gave you the results?  They should've told you details like the specific name of your mutation and what level of risk you face in developing another breast cancer or ovarian cancer in the future (some mutations have higher risks than others). Do you have a copy of the test results?  Please don't make surgical decisions based on this until you fully understand what you're dealing with - even if it means postponing.  The one exception to this would be if you were planning on having a BMX tomorrow whether or not you tested positive - then you can go ahead.  If you're trying to decide on oophorectomy, I can't imagine you could add it to tomorrow's surgery even if you wanted to so you can take some time to heal from the BMX before making that decision.  Do you have a genetic counselor who can explain the results to you?  

ells37

cammychris,

I'm sorry you've gotten this news, you have so much on your plate!  Youve already been given good advice but i thought I'd Add one thing....I'm pretty new to the site, so forgive me if I read it wrong but I believe you have IDC?   I don't think your brca status will change your surgery tomorrow, but make sure your surgical/medical team is aware of it.  Your surgeon should label your tissue as brca+ before it goes to pathology.  The pathologist will then examine your non-tumor affected, healthy tissue in smaller slices than they might usually,  just to be sure there's nothing else of concern. Again, I'm sorry you've had this additional blow. Good luck tomorrow, one step at a time, you can focus on the other brca decisions once you've made it over this hurdle.  Wishing you the best.