Hi everyone, i thought that i was young to be diagnosed with BC (i’m 40) but i have been reading the posts here and am amazed at how young some of you ladies are, and the courage you have is amazing. I have had 2 miscarriages within the last 9 months and i thought my bad luck would turn, but then came this latest bombshell so i suppose i will have to put having another child out of my mind. Luckily i have a wee girl who is 6. I go in for surgery next week and i am glad i have found this site, According to the surgeon the miscarriages have not triggered the cancer, but it is oestrogen positive, does anyone know about the effects of pregnancy on cancer?
Hi Powerjen - So sorry that you have joined us, but I am really glad that you have found this site and can promise you that you will get lots of support and help here as you go through the next few weeks and months. You have had a truly rotten time - to have to have dealt with the emotional turmoil of two miscarriages, and now to be confronted by breast cancer must be pushing your ability to cope to the limit. Do you have friends/family who are being able to support you through this? You must need all the love and care that you can get, and hopefully you are being really gentle with yourself as well. I do hope that the surgery next week is as straightforward as possible. Are you having a mastectomy or WLE? I’m sorry I can’t answer your question about the effects of pregnancy on cancer, but I have never heard of cancer being triggered by pregnancy. Lots of us have oestrogen positive breast cancer and it is very common. You might want to phone the help line here with your specific queries. Do let us know how everything goes - and feel free any time to have a moan or ask a question or just be yourself - you’ll be among friends. Love Sarah
Hello Everyone
I am new on here. I am 35 yrs old, I was diagnosed after fertility treatment in March 08 with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Grade 3. I had to have a masectomy and 7 lymph glands removed (Which were all clear). I have had 3 cycles of chemo epirubicin and cyclophosamide which I found quite rough, I have got one more cycle of that to have then I am going onto Taxo?? and herceptin. I would really appreciate if anybody could tell me if they have had tax and hercepetin, and how they found it.
Thank You
Thanks sarah, for your kind words. Luckily i have lots of good friends and family to help . I go in next week for WLE and node sampling. MY sister had BC at 38 and she was told it was because she had a late baby, but the surgeon told me my miscarriages will have nothing to do with the BC developing. To Norma1, sorry about your diagnosis , i am sure you will find this site helpful, i definately have
x
Hi everyone
Powerjen-
I am sorry to here you are having such a terrible time, how you are coping I never know.
I am fairly new here too. I am 34 and was dx with IDC. I am also going in next week for WLE and node sampling. My sister had BC at 27 and again at 33, she has no children. I lost my mother to this horrible disease when I was 6yrs old (she was 34) so no suprise that our gene test showed BRAC1 identified gene.
I doubt the reason your sister had BC is purely because she had children late but I have read that having children early in life can have some affect, I use the word ‘can’ loosely, as I have no idea how much research has gone into it. I had my daughter when I was 19, so it didn’t do me any good!
Wishing everyone here the very best of luck with their treatment.
Big hugs
Catherine x
Hi Norma - You have already been through a lot, but I am glad you have found this site “the club no one wants to belong to”, but actually once you accept you are here, it is just so supportive and wonderful to have a group of cyber friends who know just what you are going through. I had three cycles of taxotere after having FEC, and found it generally a bit easier - the aches and pains were a bit like flu, but relieved with pain killers. It was nice not to have the nausea. I was lucky with my nails - was advised to keep them painted a dark colour throughout the treatment, and they stayed firmly in place. If you go onto the chemotherapy forum you will be able to find loads of advice there, and also the thread on targeted therapies/eg herceptin will link you up with others once you get to that stage. Good luck.
Good to hear from you again powerjen . I had a WLE and was able to make a good recovery from it and am pleased with the way I look afterwards. Do hope that your nodes will be clear and that the op goes well for you - will be thinking of you. I don’t think it was fair, or accurate, of the doctor to tell your sister that she had BC because she had a late baby. There are lots of factors that can increase or decrease the overall risk that a woman has of developing breast cancer. " Having children is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. The more children women have the more their risk of breast cancer appears to be reduced. Among women who have had children, having them at a younger age (less than 30) is associated with lower breast cancer risk". This is a quote from the Australian (that’s where I am) National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre. They have a very interesting questionnaire on their site where you can establish your individual breast cancer risk. But there are masses of risk factors, associated with personal characterisitics, family history, the breast itself, hormone and menstrual history, lifestyle and health, protective factors and unproven factors - the age of having a baby is just one possible risk factor among dozens of others. Have gone on a bit here! Anyway, the very best of luck for your surgery, and let us know how you get on. Sarah x
Thanks for your input Catherine and Sarah, What day do you go in next week catherine? You are right this is a horrible disease and i am worried now for my daughter and nieces but i will speak to the nurse at the genetic clinic to update her, now that i have also been diagnosed.Sarah i do wonder if my sister had been given some wrong information as you are right there are many factors involved with the development of BC. The hardest bit for me is accepting that i will not be able to keep trying for a baby, but i am blessed with a lovely daughter x
Hi Powerjen
My surgery is on Tues 15th, just happens to be my birthday too!! When is yours?
I really worry about my daughter especially having an identified gene. I feel so guilty knowing I may have passed it on to her and that she may have to go through all of this, I have cried so many times about this.
We are very lucky to have beautiful daughters as some ladies my never get that chance. I was looking into the possiblity of egg donation for my sister but my recent dx has put a stop to that. Although I don’t want anymore children (I am single) I always wanted my sister to have the opportunity of her own children. I find this very hard to accecpt.
((((HUGS))))
Catherine x
Hello Seabird
Thank you for your advice, I will have a look on the chemo link.
Take Care
Emma
xxxx
HI folks, well that’s the WLE over i went in last Wednesday and i also had 4 nodes removed for testing, so now it is the anxious wait for results, amethys how did your surgery go?i have spoken to the nurse at the genetic clinic and she feels my niece should be screened from the age of 35, but she is asking if i want to take part in a research project and is sending out the info
love Jen x
Hi Jen
sugarsnap as was amethys, changed name, long story.
We have being catching up on your other tread, newly dx.
Just wanted to imform you incase you thought amethys was being ignorant! lol
Just wanted to say, screening form the age of 35!! That seems a bit late to me.
I have a super GP and he insisted I had screening from as early as possible. My screening started at 21, before my sisters two dx and before both of our gene test. My screening was purely on the basis that my mother was dx at 29 and lost her battle at 34.
I would get your niece to speak with her GP, the earlier the better.
How are you doing?
Catherine x