Breast Cancer Awareness - Part 2

There I was, BRCA 1 positive. That evening I told the news to my husband who got teary eyed and then said, "What does that mean?" It is funny how "informed" we are, yet when it comes to our own well-being, we can be quite ignorant. Actually, earlier in the year my husband had shown me an article about the need for women with an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish background to get tested for the BRCA genes. I had read the article and somehow forgotten all about it! Oops!

Thank goodness for the internet. My research gave me these facts: I had an almost 90 per cent chance of getting breast cancer, and a 44 per cent chance of getting ovarian cancer in my lifetime. MUCH, MUCH higher odds than the general population. Was I a ticking time bomb? Anyone who has ever had bad news from a doctor usually feels two things afterwards: fear and total confusion.

Within a week or so, husband and I were in soft-spoken doc's office to discuss my test results. As I was nearing 50 years old, doc said it was the perfect time to remove my ovaries. (Yay! No more children! No more birth control! And best of all, drum roll, please, no more period! Whoo-hoo!) Don't get me wrong about the children part, I love them dearly, but I'm so done, if you catch my drift. The surgery is called an "oophorectomy," and is a relatively simple laparoscopic (done through the navel, so not invasive) procedure. The surgery lasts only about 40 minutes and poof, I would be ovary free. I'd go through instant menopause, but I was gearing up for that, anyway. Doc said he would provide treatment for those pesky hot flashes if need be.

That was the good news. Oophorectomy to be scheduled, a no brainer. Now about those breasts of mine...

Very casually, toward the end of our conversation, doc mentioned that he would like me to meet with a prominent breast surgeon, just to learn about my "options." Note to self in the future: beware of any soft-spoken doctor who nonchalantly refers you to a freakin' surgeon!

I must be the most naive person on the block. I made an appointment with the breast surgeon.

In Part 3 I reveal what every breast surgeon wants.