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Can I ask for a preventative full mastectomy

3Racha
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Hi I dont know where to turn for advice so Im hoping someone here may be able to help. 

I have three children who all have Autism the youngest is much more dependant on others . I have no family they are all deceased and no family friends as is commonplace with SEN families in my area .. But I love my kids and now I am wondering what to do.

My Great Grandmother and Nan both had breast cancer in their early 60s my nan fought it twice and recovered bless her. My mom got told a few months ago she also had breast cancer and told she only had at max 6 months so we were beginning to make plans. A few days later some more results came and we were told its not going to be months it could be a few weeks , she died 6 days later. So it went from shock , to shock.. 

My mom is only 16 years older than me  .The specialist said I would need to get tested then said no its fine it was just incase other results came back.Now mom has died they wont discuss anything with me . My GP said my chances of getting any genetic tests are very low  

I have been thinking about things the last few weeks and think the best thing for my children would be for me to get an elective double mastectomy but I dont know if this is even possible in the UK . I am in no means making this decision lightly but I hate my boobs they cause me back and neck pain they get sore in summer and cost a fortune in bras so Im not worried about the psychological side of losing my boobs.

 

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    Hello and thanks for posting

    It sounds like you have a stressful and busy life and I'm sorry that you also now must be grieving for your mom.

    I can appreciate that you are now looking at your own breast cancer risk, and though this is understandable, do bear in mind that many families have people who have had breast cancer, without this meaning that you yourself will have it.

    You may want to go back to the GP with a view to discussing the following information that NICE have produced which would indicate that you could be referred to a clinic as you have a first degree relative with cancer (that is your mum) and a second degree relative (your nan)  

    That would be the first step, but it's a big leap to go to surgery for a double mastectomy. This would really only be looked at if you were shown to carry the BRCA gene - more information about this and familial risk here  , although it would be good if you were able  to talk things through with a geneticist or specialist.

    The only other alternative would be to go privately, but even then, it's a big decision to make, and some surgeons may not feel that you would be at a big enough risk to carry out this procedure.

    There's a lot to take on, so please do give us a ring if you would like to go over this with one of the nurses on the helpline - the number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    I hope you are able to have a good chat with the GP again

    All the very best to you

    Wanda

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