4 Reasons Why I Don't Want To Lose My Breasts

The surgeon and I talked for a long time. He looked carefully through the surgical notes from my previous breast surgery and at the films from my most recent mammogram. Then, he crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair and peered at me over the top of his bifocals. Firmly, but with compassion, he said: "Your breasts have to come off." He saw the tears welling up in my eyes, tears that surprised me because after talking with a genetic counselor and five other doctors, I knew this would be his verdict. He leaned forward, took my hands in his and said: "When is the best time to remove your breasts? The day before you get breast cancer. We know you will develop breast cancer, but since we don't know exactly when that will happen, we need to take them off now." I found out in July that I carry both the BRCA 1 and 2 gene mutations. My mother has the BRCA 1 mutation and is a 13-year breast cancer survivor. I pray daily that when my daughter's results come in, they will be negative. I had my ovaries removed three weeks ago, but I'm having a hard time with the decision to remove my breasts. And so, like thousands of women today, I'm offered a choice: alternate mammograms and MRI's every six months or undergo an elective mastectomy, which would reduce my risk of developing breast cancer from its current 85% before I turn 60 (in a mere six years) down to about 5%. Me, my mother, and my daughter together in 2008. Somehow, I had the impression that an electiv...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news