So very scared

I had my chemo in Albany which was great - no disruption to family life at all. I could've had radio in Bunbury but opted for Perth.

In regards to genetic testing, I cant remember if it was my oncologist or breast care nurse who asked if I wanted it done. They said I qualified for free testing due to my age and the fact it was TNBC. There was no drama at all and it was a simple case of extra blood being taken when I had my regular blood test the day before chemo. The results can take up to 4 months to come through (oncologist cant understand why it takes so long) and I'm not expecting it to resolve much. I have done it so if it is positive I will have double mastecomy to help reduce the obvious incresed risk of BC again and then my children, sisters and parents can also be tested for free if my result is positive. Only thing that is annoying is you get a Yes you have the gene or maybe you have the gene! There is no definate NO.

I had a lumpectomy before I started chemo. Both oncologist and Breast Care nurse have siad they dont believe mastecomy will be advantagous to me except to reduce my own worries about local recurrence. They would've still recommended radio as mastecomy doesn't remove all breast tissue and that due to my clear surgical margin and no lymph node involvement, a lumpectomy was all that was required for success. I am happy with that decision but I guess like a lot of women in my situation, I'll kick myself if I have a local recurrence that isn't found in time and I could've prevented it with a mastecomy. I have been told that blood tests and mamograms will detect any recurrence early but I dont want early detection - I just dont want it back!!

Hopefully I have helped - I get paranoid about rambling on.Hopefully you get some answers you are looking for from your oncologist. I must say, down here I've always had straight up, honest answers and info right from the getgo which has been great.

If we dont talk again, good luck with your treatment, all the best to you and your family.