UCSD or San Diego Reconstruction Girls?

Hi Ladies:

I guess I fell off the face of the planet for a few months. Thank you for asking about me Ispy. I did have a prophylactic mastectomy on my left breast in January. The histopathology was negative for any cancer, which was good and bad. In a way, a positive would have justified the surgery in my mind, like it did for you. However, a positive would have been really bad considering I had just finished some hardcore chemotherapy, so I guess I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I had my exchange surgery May 24. That surgery went really well and I was back to work in a little over 2 weeks. I've been really focusing on trying to get more fit since I have done a minimal amount of exercise for a year. I'm sorry to hear about your back surgery not going well, Ispy. I hope that you are doing better now. Dealing with the cancer and its sequelae is bad enough. I think the silicon implants are a little more comfortable than the expanders, but they are a constant presence. I can't sleep on my belly at all. I can only sleep on my sides for short periods, so I am stuck with sleeping on my back, which I have never liked. I have been swimming for exercise (In my day, I was not an ice skater, but a competitive swimmer ;-) ), and pulling with these objects under my pectoral muscles feels really weird and somewhat uncomfortable. I'm hoping that over time I will learn to ignore them and they will feel like a part of me, but once again, I still wonder if I made the right decision in choosing reconstruction. What are you planning for nipple reconstruction? Tattoo? Graft? Nothing? My PS makes a new nipple out of the skin in that location and then he grafts tissue from the groin area to make an areola. I am still thinking about that surgery and whether I want or need it. He will also transplant fat at that time to help hide the implants. Now that the swelling is gone from the surgery, I have a little dip above each breast where there is no subcutaneous tissue. It's not horrible, but probably noticeable if I wear a low cut shirt or bathing suit.

My sister and mom got genetic testing and they are also positive for the same Bard 1 mutation that I have. My cousin who has breast cancer is also getting tested. The limited info on how to interpret the results is frustrating. My genetic counselor recommended that my sisters both have annual MRI since we have dense breast tissue and the mammogram did not detect my cancer. Apparently, it is a dominant mutation that has a 50% chance of being passed on to your children. Even though males don't have an increased risk of breast cancer, if they carry the mutation, they have a 50% chance of passing it on to their children. It is a horrible legacy. Insurance did not cover the genetic testing in my mom and sister because they have not had breast cancer. My genetic counselor recommended the test from Color Genomics (getcolor.com) which tests for 30 different cancer causing genes for $249. It was worth it for my family to know so that we can determine the risk our children face.

Wishing you all the best and that you are enjoying your summer. I am looking forward to celebrating my parents' 60th wedding anniversary at a family reunion in the Smokey mountains in a few weeks- the first vacation I have taken since diagnosis!