NEWLY DIAGNOSED

I have an apalling family history Margie with 5 close relatives in Scotland with breast and or ovarian cancer (1 had 2 breadts cancera and ovarian) and a known gene + in at least one member....so I opted for bilateral mastectomy for a couple of reasons. I still await genetic testing.

• My breasts were very dense and a mammogram 5 weeks before discovery of a lump couldn't pick it up. If I lived in a city I may have been able to have MRIs instead but not an option in country areas. I wasn't  aware of this beforehand.
• My cancer is Her2+ ES+ and I knew that the her2 could mean recurrance in the same breast, in the margins or even in the 2nd breast. 
• My cancer on biopsy was grade 2 but final pathology was a grade 3...so aggressive even though very small.
• I had planned to undergo genetic testing to see if I carried the gene or just the random bad luck anyway...and I was considering that I would have ovaries removed and possibly  bilateral mastectomy even without cancer.
• I opted not on a lumpectomy for above reasons and also as radiotherapy would have been onorous as live 500km from a treatment centre.
• My breasts were large which would mean major reconstruction on the remaining breast anyway to remotely get a match.
• I opted for reconstruction at time of mastectomy...and a reduction. Although not complete I have a reasonable bust and still have an expansion and changeover to go.

Hope this is helpful. As to chemo...although I am miserable and tired on it...it isn't  as bad as I thought, but I haven't been able to work as yet on it.