Friday, August 29, 2008
Update...
I am recovering very well and very quickly. I seem to be back to normal after a week, so I think that is pretty good. I am hoping to get back to training for the 3day soon. It has been too hot to even think about walking in Paso. I took Carina to the park this morning after we dropped Carra off at school, and we had to leave by 9:30 because it was already getting too hot to play on the equipment! Carra has adjusted to the First Grade pretty well. Her days are much longer of course, so she is really tired, but other than that she is doing great. I am enjoying my time with them as much as I can. I am supposed to start back to work on Oct. 1st. I must say that I am not looking forward to it. I really miss all of the gals I work with, and I couldn't have gotten through a lot of my days during chemo without them. But, I still don't want to go back. Most of it is because I love being with my girls so much, but another part of it is kind of like returning to the scene of the crime. I was at work when I walked over for my mammogram and ultrasound last October. When the radiologist told me he was 99% sure it was malignant, I left the ultrasound room and went back to my desk to call Rick and to await my biopsy. I will never forget that feeling and I am not sure I am going to be able to get past it so I can do my job every day and not think about it. The good news is they are remodeling the unit right now, so I will have a new desk (probably not a better one, but a new one!). Maybe the new look will help me overcome that obstacle. So, think of me on October 1st. I will probably be in tears as I head back to work. It will probably be a good thing to go back. Maybe it will help me feel like life is getting back to normal. What is normal, anyway?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Goodbye Ovaries!
Most everyone knows I will be having my ovaries removed this Wednesday. For those who don't, well I am having surgery! It is just part of the process to kick cancer's ass, so it isn't anything to worry about. Of course, I worry the ovaries will be full of cancer when they remove them. I know it isn't likely, but breast cancer for me wasn't likely either. I will rest much easier once the pathology is back and they are cancer free. I am having the ovaries removed so (a) I stop producing estrogen and (b) I don't want the cancer to find it's way to them. So, menopause, here I come! I have been having hot flashes since they put me on Lupron and Tamoxifen, but I know they will become much worse once the ovaries are gone. My new mantra is "it's better than cancer!" What else can I say? Menopause will suck, but cancer is much, much worse. The other down side of all of this is the weight issues. I gained a lot of weight in chemo, but I always thought I would just get back in the program and it would come off. Well, with menopause it is so much harder. I walked almost 30 miles in one week and I didn't lose a pound! What is that about? I guess I need to give up my trips to the yogurt shop and my cravings for Mexican food!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Update on me
Good News Today!! I had the BRCA1 & BRCA2 tests done last week. The results are in! Negative! There is no mutation to the gene. I am incredibly relieved and excited! Here is some info from the American Cancer Institute. Thought you would want to educate yourself. Keep in mind while you are reading this that I do NOT have a family history and my test was negative!
In a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, it may be most informative to first test a family member who has the disease. If that person is found to have an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, the specific change is referred to as a ”known mutation.” Other family members can then be tested to see if they also carry that specific alteration. In this scenario, a positive test result indicates that a person has inherited a known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 and has an increased risk of developing certain cancers, as described above. However, a positive result provides information only about a person's risk of developing cancer. It cannot tell whether cancer will actually develop-or when. It is also impossible to predict the effectiveness of special screening or preventive medical procedures for people with alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Not all women who inherit an altered gene will develop breast or ovarian cancer.
A positive test result may have important health and social implications for family members, including future generations. Unlike most other medical tests, genetic tests can reveal information not only about the person being tested, but also about that person's relatives. Both men and women who inherit an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, whether or not they get cancer themselves, may pass the alteration on to their sons and daughters. However, not all children of people who have an altered gene will inherit the alteration.
A negative test result will be interpreted differently, depending upon whether there is a known mutation in the family. If someone in a family has a known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, testing other family members for that specific gene alteration can provide information about their cancer risk. In this case, if a family member tests negative for the known mutation in that family, it is highly unlikely that they have an inherited susceptibility to cancer. This test result is called a “true negative.” Having a true negative test result does not mean that a person will not get cancer; it means that the person's risk of cancer is the same as that of the general population.
In cases where no known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 has previously been identified in a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, a negative test is not informative. It is not possible to tell whether a person has an alteration in BRCA1 or BRCA2 that was not identified by the test (a false negative), or whether the result is a true negative. In addition, it is possible for people to have an alteration in a gene other than BRCA1 or BRCA2 that increases their cancer risk, but is not detectable by this test.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/brca
In a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, it may be most informative to first test a family member who has the disease. If that person is found to have an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, the specific change is referred to as a ”known mutation.” Other family members can then be tested to see if they also carry that specific alteration. In this scenario, a positive test result indicates that a person has inherited a known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 and has an increased risk of developing certain cancers, as described above. However, a positive result provides information only about a person's risk of developing cancer. It cannot tell whether cancer will actually develop-or when. It is also impossible to predict the effectiveness of special screening or preventive medical procedures for people with alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Not all women who inherit an altered gene will develop breast or ovarian cancer.
A positive test result may have important health and social implications for family members, including future generations. Unlike most other medical tests, genetic tests can reveal information not only about the person being tested, but also about that person's relatives. Both men and women who inherit an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, whether or not they get cancer themselves, may pass the alteration on to their sons and daughters. However, not all children of people who have an altered gene will inherit the alteration.
A negative test result will be interpreted differently, depending upon whether there is a known mutation in the family. If someone in a family has a known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, testing other family members for that specific gene alteration can provide information about their cancer risk. In this case, if a family member tests negative for the known mutation in that family, it is highly unlikely that they have an inherited susceptibility to cancer. This test result is called a “true negative.” Having a true negative test result does not mean that a person will not get cancer; it means that the person's risk of cancer is the same as that of the general population.
In cases where no known mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 has previously been identified in a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, a negative test is not informative. It is not possible to tell whether a person has an alteration in BRCA1 or BRCA2 that was not identified by the test (a false negative), or whether the result is a true negative. In addition, it is possible for people to have an alteration in a gene other than BRCA1 or BRCA2 that increases their cancer risk, but is not detectable by this test.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/brca
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