Thinking and very curious what your answer is

Nope, none.  Coulda been anything.  Of course, I did work for years as a chemist, exposed to all sorts of nasty chemicals and radiation......................

I took prepro for 5 years supposedly to prevent heart disease.  Then found out for each year one took it, would increase your chances for breast cancer by 5%.  So that increased my chances by 25%.

Heredity played another big roll as I tested positive for brca2, so did my older sister.  My middle sister passed away from cancer of the ovary 16 years ago.  We were not really doing genetic testing like we are now.

I wanted to add that I agree with the emotional/stress being a big risk factor.  When one is stressed, it suppresses you immune system and i think bc is sneaky and would take advantage of that.

Nicki 

I agree with you, wholeheartedly, Amy.  I think that I got cancer because the conditions were there.  The HRT didn't "give" it to me, but it may have encouraged the tumor to grow faster than it may have grown over time.  I don't regret taking the HRT, when I was on it, the benefits far outweighed the risks.  I think that genetics play a large part in what happens to our bodies.  And, my reaction was the same as yours:  if not me, then who?  We get what we get and we play the hand we are dealt.  Fortunately, my cancer was found early and I am most comfortable with the decisions we are making regarding my treatment.  Will I die from cancer?  Maybe.  Will I die from heart disease?  Probably.  Will I get run over by a dump truck?  There's a possibility for that, too.  The key is not to dwell on the cause but to focus on the care and just make the best of what you have now. 

I would agree with most of the above.  It isn't just one thing.  It is a culmination of genes, environment, food, stresses on our immune system, etc.

When my teenage daughter was dx with cancer I went crazy trying to figure out what had caused it.  Was it something I had done while pregnant?  Something we exposed her to?  The food we fed her?  Eventually her onc convinced me that I was wasting a lot of energy on this subject and that we would never really know.  He told me to focus on what we do know and go from there.  Some of the best advice I got.

As I've had BC 3 times now I would guess that there is a genetic component for me.

Hanna, do you have any links to any such studies and do you know the scientific methods used to come up with this data? I'm curious because I spent a lot of time doing academic research and would love to see statistically significant research on this. I can't figure out how they could do a double blind study on this and rule out other variables precancer or illness.

I'm convinced my BC started way back when I was about 10 or 11 and was exposed to DDT in the mid 1960's. It wasn't until the 70's that government outlawed DDT -  but even then, my mom kept a "stash" in the basement to spray her plants. Once she sprayed it in the house at a bat flying around. Check out the following link where you'll find this statement:

"Women under that age of 14 when DDT came into widespread DDT use in the US have a 5-fold increase in risk of breast cancer if they are within the high exposure group. No relationship is apparent for women 14 or older."

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0730cohnetal.html

Back in the 1930's, my mom lived in Ireland (their life was similar to that of someone living in the 1700's.........no running water, no food, little money, 13 kids and 2 adults living in a 2 room thatched cottage on a leased potato farm.) They suffered terribly from bedbugs - and when DDT was invented, they all said, "Thank God for the man who invented DDT". This story will help you understand why my mother kept her "stash" against all advice. Back then, they knew that DDT was dangerous to birds and the environment - but no one said it was dangerous to pre-pubescent girls.  Oh - and back in the mid-60's - I recall airplanes and trucks spraying DDT over the beaches of Long Island sound to kill the mosquitoes while we kids happily dug in the sand.  

My dad died from brain cancer when he was just 60 - he swam in the polluted waters of the creeks in the Bronx in the 1940's and was also exposed to DDT while on those mucky beaches and while serving in the Navy. Maybe DDT was only a small piece of the puzzle of why he got brain cancer - and why I have BC - I'm sure a genetic disposition is involved too.

It's like that picture showing blind people examing a huge elephant in a room - each of us holds a "piece" of truth in our hands.....................maybe my truth is only the "tail" - hopefully, someday, we'll be able to put all the pieces of this puzzle together and CURE this beast!

Hey winner, Me too with you!  Although my mom died of ovarian at a young age, and I smoked, I feel that the discovery of my husband's infidelity made me way too open for a nasty sucker-punch...and BC delivered it.  When you walk around too sad and too angry and not caring whether you live or die for an extended period of time....welll there you go.... 

.

.

Hi Gals:

Prior (several years) to BC..I had a great

deal of stress in life

however, did take HRT and

birth control tabs

I do not place blame on one thing

but several, certainly an unbalance in the body

lowered immune system and whammo

My Father had Cancer, but, as I say

several contributors.. this is my opinion

Best to all

Sierra

I have very dense breasts which I've read increases BC risk by 30%.  I was also overweight as a teenager - remember that big study earlier this year that linked BC with being fat in the teen years?  I also didn't have my first child till age 31. Not having a child before age 30 increases BC risk even more than never having one.  And finally, I used to drink water at my desk out of a nalgene bottle that contained BPA.  I live in Canada..where the govt has recently banned many plastic products containing BPA because of it's link to cancer.  Here I thought I was being so virtuous by drinking my water.  All those things added up are why I think I got BC at age 38.  Bugs... can I have some of that wine?  I hear Sweet Bitch is a very good brand, and I sure could use a glass!

An interesting question. How many of us have wondered whether something we were exposed to or experienced may have contributed to our cancer?

I have often thought back. I took birth control pills for years, the high-estrogen ones because they didn't exacerbate acne and I had complexion problems. I ended up with estrogen-positive BC.

My husband blindsided me with a divorce when our children were 4 years old. He went to a lawyer, had papers drawn up, and announced it to me in a so-called counseling session. He'd already identified and gotten engaged to his next wife. My world went tumbling into chaos. I was underemployed, working a part-time job, forced to move out and try to find a better way to earn a living. I had no family closer than 1200 miles away and he wouldn't permit me to take the kids and relocate. It was a horrible trauma and I'm not sure I'm over it today.

My kids and I moved into a rental house that was a huge step down from what we were used to. I didn't have the $$ to fight him in court. I agreed to 50-50 custody even though I didn't agree with it. We never had 50-50 custody; I've always had the kids 80% of the time. But his child support payments reflect 50-50 custody. I earn about 1/4 what he earns.

A couple of years later I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that's incurable. I have to try to control it with injections. Later that same year I got the BC diagnosis. I've also struggled with allergic asthma as I'm severely allergic to the pollens of this area of the country. But still I can't relocate, even for my health.

I feel so beaten down at this point I just slog through each day, working a job I don't really like, not earning enough, seeing my family only once or twice a year, and I miss them terribly. I'm so afraid one of my parents will suddenly pass away and I haven't seem them in months, it haunts me and keeps me up at night. But I can't afford to travel frequently and don't have the time off from work.

I don't know if emotional issues contribute to BC but I feel I had severe emotional stress in the years leading up to it.

hi Gals:

Lisa and Iodine:

 I had dense breasts as well

hmm. but the stress, loss of a job

and financial worries, boy that

grates on a person's immune system,

since DX.. I have changed my coping mechanisms

and also reset boundaries with family... v. important one

My heart goes out to nurses, having had

some wonderful ones during TX

Namaste

Sierra 

for Carol:  sending you a big hug

what a huge plate you carry there

hope it gets lighter

I also had to downsize recently

very much so.. due to finances

BOY, have I cut back )

Note re weight:  My onc told me

not to put on any more, some yrs

back, I have since lost

Wow! I always thought it was luck of the draw, but after reading everyones post????

1. I had very dense breasts (still have one).

2. I was exposed to DDT in the 60's. (We use to run behind the mosquitoe truck)..I was under 14.

3. Mother took drugs to prevent miscariage before she was pregnant with me.

4. I have an autoimmune disease.

5. No family history of any kind cancer.

6. No Children.

7. I am fat. (50 lb over weight)

8. And both my parents died (with in 6 months of eachother) 2 1/2 years before I was DX. (Very, very stressfull Time!!!!!!!!!)