Hi Fluffychick,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am so sorry to hear that you carry the BRCA gene too and I understand your concern. I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer and always thought that I was prepared for a cancer diagnosis. When the diagnosis came, I went to pieces totally. Firstly, let me assure you that there was just no comparison between the diagnosis, treatment and after care which we both had. Cancer care has come a long way in recent years. I discovered a second cancer within under a year from the original bout. I had a lumpectomy, followed by Tamoxifen for the first year, but had a double mastectomy, followed by Letrozole for 6½ years for the second bout.

Much to my surprise, I found the double mastectomy easier than I found the lumpectomy. Are you planning on having reconstruction? Unfortunately, due to previous, non-cancer related surgery, I was not a suitable candidate for this and I have remained flat since then. I have an assortment of prostheses, which I wear for different activities and I cope quite well with these. It is now 15 years since I was first diagnosed and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life. 

I think that most of us worry for our children. My 2 were young teenagers at the time. Since then, I have seen them finish school, go to university, graduate, find gainful employment, fall in love, marry and they have given me 2 very special grandchildren. 

It is a big step to have everything removed, but I think that I would do the same in your position. We are fortunate that we now live in a time, when we can have preventative treatment. It is important that you place your trust in your surgeon and let him get on with things. Recovery can be slow and you may feel quite tired after surgery, so try to rally the family and have them ready to help you out for a while.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx