23, mom, brca+ now what

Go to the Dr and have that lump looked at. I had a lump in my armpit that would get sore.. yes cancer can hurt, and it turned out to be IDC. I am also brca2+ and there is no family history. I would not wait... even if you go to a breast surgeon you should get the lump looked at. Once you figure out what is going on then you can change Dr's (if needed). I hope this helps.. take care and remember try not to stress.

Julie

Hey Jenamae, Marcia sent me this thread - she helped me so much during my journey, would love to help you through yours!  I'm on FORCE as well and I highly recommend it, you'll meet a lot of people your age in similar situations.  It all can seem so impossible at times, but if you can make connections with someone who has walked in your shoes or is currently walking in them it makes all the difference!   I'm a bit older than you, I'm 35 but I am also BRCA1+ with a wicked family history - 8 out of the 10 ladies in my immediately family died of either BC or OVCA by the age of 40 - some had both!  Very scary indeed.  I took the plunge and had both the double mastectomy and the hysterectomy - very hard decisions to make for sure but I'm 100% sure I did the right thing.  I was very lucky, had no complications and have fantastic cosmetic results.  I did a nipple sparing mastectomy which if you can do it really helps!   I also used my own tissue (DIEP surgery) from my abdomen to reconstruct my new breast so there is nothing foreign in me.  I know this is a lot to digest all at once - when I first found out in January I thought, no way!  But in May I was under the knife and again in August for the hyst - long hard road but there are so many ladies who can hold your hand, give you advice, let you vent/cry/yell/laugh...whatever you need to do.  Hope this helps - please send me a message if you want to chat sometime.  Happy to answer any questions you might have or just be a sympathetic ear.  {{{HUGS}}} ~dana

jenamae, do u have sonograms at all? Mammos are often not the recommended choice for imaging at your young age. Ultrasounds have been more effective along with the MRI. There are lots of great books u may be interested in as well. Positive Results by Joi Morris, Pretty is What Changes, by Jessica Quellar, Previvors by Dina Roth Port are all great reads for you. The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook by Kathy Stilego is wonderful and describes all types of surgery.