Genetic testing. Why?

No Eigna there was no discussion of genetic testing with respect to chemo. In my case, an oncotype was ordered on the tumor after it was out to determine whether or not I'd need chemo.

I'm feeling great thanks. My treatment is finished except for the Tamoxifen I need to take for awhile. It's not causing me too much trouble.

my bc is stage 2b, I've had double mastectomy and start chemo tomorrow

I came back positive for a mutation that made radiation ill advised and increased the risk of contralateral breast cancer. So my planned lumpectomy with radiation was changed to a mastectomy.

I believe your chemo status would not have anything to do with the genetic testing. Your post surgical pathology, staging, grading and oncotype are typically variables which are weighed when talking about chemo.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

It could be several reasons but I know I was tested due to family history and being under age 45.

It's okay to freak out, but then take a deep breath. Try to stay calm until you have all your results and then you can make a plan of action. It's not easy I know.

If you're under 45 when you're diagnosed, it's recommended to get genetic testing because if you do have a genetic mutation associated with increased odds of developing breast cancer, then that could change the recommended treatment plan. There are about a couple of dozen different mutations associated with increased odds of developing breast cancer, so it's a lot more than BRCA1 and BRCA2 that you hear a lot about in the news.

What the genetic counselor told me is that it's something like 95% of cancers are NOT caused by a genetic mutation. If they're recommending it, then you should seriously consider doing it. It's really easy. I just had to spit in a plastic tube. 7-10 days later, the results came back.

The genetic counselor also told me that 95% of cancers are not due to a genetic mutation; if I had tested positive I am pretty sure that I would not have had a mastectomy but would have wanted to be monitored very closely. It turned out that I was negative for some 40 odd genes that they tested, but I am not sure now how much comfort that gives me as I did get breast cancer regardless .

Eigna - I don't think there's a right way to navigate any of this. For me my decision of having a BMX was purely driven by knowing that I never wanted to experience any of this again if possible. While no guarantees I wanted to be as aggressive as possible. I have two daughters in High School and a husband that I love to spend time with. We love adventure, sporting events and travel and I want to be able to keep doing those things for a vey long time. There are many stories on this forum and elsewhere of women who have a BMX and are surprised to find out there was cancer detected in the "non-cancerous" breast or women who have lumpectomies and rads only to have a new primary years later on the other side. I didn't want to live in a constant state of what - if and worrying about every ache and pain. Honestly, I still find I do that sometimes! But...I know that I did what I could right now to try to nip this in the bud. I was 45 when diagnosed and was relieved to know that genetic testing was available. I wanted to know for myself and for my daughters if there was anything I could do to be more proactive with my health. I know a BMX isn't your first choice but for what it's worth my recovery was surprisingly easy. I had my surgery on the last day of November, hosted my husbands family for Christmas Eve and went on a NYE vacation. I'm not trying to convince you of anything but just want you to know that depending on the results of your genetic testing a BMX is doable and maybe not as bad as you think. Keep us posted, once you have all your results and your final plan in place you will feel better.