DARN Cancer!!!!!!

dawnmarieg

Hi all!

Was diagnosed with Stage 2 BC in April 2016. I have chosen to do a bilateral mastectomy. I have a tumor in my left breast 1-2 lymph nodes and a benign mass in my right breast. No family history of breast cancer until March of last year when my youngest sister (44) was diagnosed with stage 0. In February of this year my older sister (47) was diagnosed with stage 2 also. I am not a stranger to cancer, my father has lung cancer and another older sister had thyroid cancer and my youngest brother (32) had lymphoma.

After speaking with Oncologist I believe this approach to the double mastectomy is the best decision for me. SO May 26 is my day for surgery. I will have to wait on reconstruction as I had Bariatric Surgery in January of this year and still losing weight so the plastics dr said to benefit me more to wait on reconst until I have lost 50 more pounds.

June 22 I get my port put in and start my first chemo of 8 sessions. Then told possibly radiation and 5-10 years of Tamoxifen.....

I need opinions. I was told that after my first chemo I would start losing hair. Have any of you cut your hair or buzzed it off totally prior to chemo? I am not attached to my hair or my breast and will wear hats or whatever.

Good luck to all my May surgery buddies and those coming in June

mustlovepoodles

I decided to have my hair buzzed on Day 17 after my first chemo. My hair was coming out in handfuls, landing in my cereal bowl and getting all over the dog. Time for that stuff to go! I didn't lose every bit of my hair, but it was very thin and patchy. I also lost hair everywhere else, including my eyelashes and eyebrows. I am 5 months PFC and I just started shaving my legs again last week.

One thought for you--have you considered getting genetic testing? I know you said you had no family history, but you actually do have some significant history there. If you decide to get the testing done, I would recommend that you get the expanded test, not just the BRCA genes. My family is just rife with cancers of all kinds, but mainly lung, colon, pancreatic, and breast. I came up negative for the BRCAs, but positive for PALB2 (pathway to BRCA2) and Chek2 and guess what? They cause lung, colon, pancreatic, and breast cancers (and others, including lymphoma.) I would strongly suggest that you see a genetics counselor, especially if you have children because if you are positive, each of your children will have a 50% chance of also being positive.

dawnmarieg

Yes, had blood drawn for genetic testing today, my panel covers 18 test!!!! The 44 yr old sister who was first diagnosed did not have genetic testing done. The 47 yr old sister had a panel done for 16 cancer genes and came back negative on everything. I have talked my youngest sister into genetic testing and has scheduled it for the beginning of June. I find it strange as well that three of us sisters have been diagnosed so recently.

Thanks for your reply!!!

Jacklin

When I received my diagnosis, I had my long, blonde hair cut to a very short style so that I could get used to having short hair before it all fell out. This way I could also donate my hair. Then, when my hair started to fall out, on Christmas Day or 21 days after my first A/C treatment, it wasn't all over the house and I just took the razor and buzzed my head as I had a few straggling hairs that like staying attached and it looked weird to me. I actually enjoyed using different hats and scarfs rather than using the wig which I found hot, itchy and just not me.

Hope all goes well for you.