BRCA2 +

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pdelperd
pdelperd Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in Genetic Testing

Hey gals! I'm Paige diagnosed in June 2009 with the BRCA2 gene.. I'm 19 years old. any advice for me? All i know i can do from here is self breast checks and so on.. but it really gets me down when i get to thinking about it once in awhile about whats to come eventually (if ever)..

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  • LISAMG
    LISAMG Member Posts: 639
    edited April 2010

    Hi Paige!! Welcome to bc.org. You are so very young to be facing BRCA, but know you are never alone and many other young women your age can share their similar experiences. Remember knowledge is power and having a BRCA mutation is something you were born with, but now have the ability to know what this all means, whether it be surveillance or preventative surgeries. Both are viable options, but not everyone agrees which is best for themselves. Please visit 2 other sites/organizations that can specifically help you:

    www.bebrightpink.org  This is a special group just for young women like yourself that face unique needs from other BRCA carriers. You will feel very welcomed, I promise.

    www.facingourrisk.org You will find lots of support here as well and there is a special forum devoted to young previvors like you!

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  • jessicawollin
    jessicawollin Member Posts: 7
    edited May 2010

    I found out I had a BRCA mutation when I was about 25 I think. I was told to alternate a mammogram and MRI every 6 months. They generally want to do a followup ultrasound just to make sure everything is covered since I do have dense areas and benign cystic areas and fibro-something. But for now they are just following up every 6 months to make sure those areas don't show a change in growth or blood supply.

    Anyways, I always feel so awkward walking into the breast clinic for these appointments because I feel i'm 20 years younger than everyone else there. But then again, I feel very fortunate for having the opportunity to get tested for the mutation so I can decrease my risk of ending up in the waiting rooms for the same reason many of those other women are in there for.

     Also, I don't know about you, but getting breast cancer TERRIFIES me after seeing my mother fight it and lose. So I plan on getting a profolactic mastectomy within the next few years. And my ovaries removed a few years after that.  I just don't take those risks. Epecially when risk for getting BC is already 87% just because I have the mutation.

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  • krista87
    krista87 Member Posts: 10
    edited June 2010

    Hi Paige! Doesn't the news about being BRCA2+ suck? I found out I was at about the same age I think! Not to scare you, but more of a cautionary tale, I was just diagnosed not even a month ago with DCIS and it was not a lump, but calcifications. I never would have felt anything, and neither would my gynocologist. Because of it I just had a bilateral mastectomy. Just be very on top of it, carrying the BRCA2 gene brings major responsibility! Ahhh I did not want to scare you at all! You could end up never having it. I just thought I should spread my story. Good luck!

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  • Farhana
    Farhana Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2010

    i am bc survivor and now i tested positive with brca1 & brca2, should i need to undergo overian remoal surgery?

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  • Carrol2
    Carrol2 Member Posts: 2,903
    edited August 2010

    I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a bilateral mastectomy 17 days ago. I just did the BRACA test today to help me decide if chemo is a viable option for me. I am not sure what it will tell me and how that will affect things but I agree the more info you get the better. The oncologist is doing the oncotype test on the pathology from my surgery so that is what he suggested to do.

     I think it's great that you young women are  taking this test and taking action to protect yourself as best you can. I caught my cancer pretty early in a self exam. I had a mamogram 6 months earlier that did not find anything. I went to the doctor about a week after I fount it. It was grade 3 but only 1.2 cm. The MRI showed 7cm so did the mastectomy and found out different. But there is no other way to see how big it is before surgery. I am also considering removing my ovaries if I find a mutation in the BRACA. 

    Good luck to all of you. I commend you on being proactive. 

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