Posted on 07/01/2004 6:28:06 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows
A young woman whose mother had her healthy breasts removed after it was found that she carried hereditary cancer genes is to undergo the same operation.
Becky Measures, 22, said she will have a double mastectomy after tests showed that she had a 90 per cent chance of contracting the disease in later life.
Her mother, Wendy Watson, became one of the first women in Britain to have a double mastectomy on healthy breasts.
The decision by Miss Measures, who works as a DJ on Peak 107 FM in Chesterfield, Derbys, is thought to be the first case of a daughter undergoing the same operation as her mother.
She said: "My mother had a double mastectomy 11 years ago although she hadn't got breast cancer and genetic tests at that time were in their infancy.
"It has been a major part of family life since I was very young. My grandmother and great grandmother died from breast cancer. At 22 it was a hard decision to make but I have grown up with it and I have just got to get on with it. My chances of catching breast cancer are minimal at the moment but as time goes on it would get more worrying.
"Before it gets to that stage it is better to get it out of the way. My boyfriend, family and friends are very supportive and it helps that my mum went through with the operation at 38."
She added: "Other family members have contracted breast cancer in their 30s and 40s so I have this large support network and the doctors have been fantastic. The surgeons carry out wonderful breast reconstruction jobs at the same time as the operation and their work is unbelievable.
"I have a lot to live for. This is my way of giving myself a future. A lot of women do not have the opportunity. I see it as a privilege."
Mrs Watson, 49, from Bakewell, Derbys, said: "When I had my double mastectomy it wasn't even recognised that breast cancer could be hereditary.
"When I discovered that nine family members had suffered breast cancer I went to my GP and asked what could be done.
"I had this awful feeling I was waiting to get breast cancer and hoping I had caught it in time."
After her operation, Mrs Watson set up the Genesis Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline for women.
She has recently sat on a panel for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence developing guidelines for women at high risk of breast cancer.
You've been inhaling too much of your gas. Will know going forward that no opinion is worthy unless it matches your own.
btw--knew with a 90% certainty that you wouldn't answer the hypothetical question regarding a prophylactic amputation of your penis.
Shame on you - why let facts spoil a lovely argument? ;-)
It seems that the jury is still out on survival statistics. Some say longer, some say the same, some say shorter. There does seem to be a consensus that with BRCA-1 mutations that the tumors are more aggressive and appear earlier in life. Those that argue that survival rates are comparable or longer seem to indicate that since the tumor is more aggressive, it responds better to treatment.
You brought up gold as a treatment, not me.
Because I had a blood relative with breast cancer who had that treatment and died an agonizing death.I also know about the studies that prove that it is NOT an efficacious treatment.
Haven't you read any of the posts thus far? She could develop it in the next 5 years. And a very aggressive form at that. Getting a diagnosis isn't always that quick and easy, even here in the US. Took me almost 4 months to finally discover a mass was benign (3-week wait for mammo, 3-week wait for ultrasound, 3-week wait for reading of the ultrasound,schedule core biopsy. After that things moved somewhat faster, though we still had to pull strings to get the excisional biopsy before we were transferred to another state. Depends on what part of the country you're in as to how long that sort of thing takes.
My husband and I were discussing the thread and agreed in the same position we would have made the same decision as the young woman.
Oh I get it...it was a TRICK question...you are SO clever. You know, kind of a "dig", right? I must be slow tonight.
How can I give you an answer to a question I have not (thank God) contemplated, and do not know the answer to? I would certainly consider the option, as I would be a fool not to. I would talk to my family, consider the evidence, weigh the odds, and pray. Then I would decide.
Once again, apparently you, if placed in this woman's shoes would not have made the same decision as her. So be it.
But your criticism of the woman's decision, coupled with your immediate questioning of the ethics of the Doctors involved serves no useful purpose.
Maybe you should get your representative in Congress to introduce legislation to ban this type of medical care. Maybe you should contact the state board of healing arts and get the Doctor's licenses revoked (for those that do this in the US). Maybe you could call the unfortunate others contemplating this proceedure and tell them that they're wrong, having been conned by the medical establishment into unnecessary surgery (oh, and be sure to mention that luckily you are not in their situation).
That's the ticket. I'm sure everyone will listen.
Just make sure you're available if the patient you talked out of the surgery dies of breast cancer in 7 years to console the family.
I mean, they made the right decision...it was just bad luck.
I think I saw her smash a beer can with one of those on the man show ! All fun and games till someone loses an eye !
Stay safe !
I walked in his footsteps, and had the privilege of rounding with him, Ben Friedman, and Tinsley Harrison.
Goggle Tinsley Harrison. In 1972, the man was a living god.
Oh they've read the posts...they just know better.
Even after all you've been through, and after discussing the situation with your husband and your Doctors, they feel that if you had the surgery, you would be wrong.
This whole thread is surreal.
Agreed entirely - we've been reading through the posts with jaws dropping. But then I never cease to be surprised at some of the ignorance on this site. While I love the political stuff, don't get people started on the evils of fluoride (Hubby's a dentist).
BTW, I have a very warm feeling in my heart for gas passers ;-). Had a TKR just a month ago and when the epidural wasn't holding 2 days post they came up without asking and gave me a femoral block.
It would have been nice if there'd been a bit more explanation however. Just as he was about to inject I asked if there would be any temporary motor deficits or if it just affected sensory. That got a suprised, "Oh, are you medical?" and then a much more detailed explanation. (I was a PT for 20 years before doing transcription for the past 5).
LOL! Harrison would have been about the right age for my mom's story, being born in 1900.
The doctor in the story believed there was a typhoid case on the floor because typhoid patients have a peculiar odor. It was described to my mom as a "mousy" smell. I did a cursory google on typhoid fever to double-check this, and the CDC website, as well as some other modern descriptions and methods of diagnosis don't mention it. But I found this
http://www.worldortho.com/huckstep/typhoid/
which looks to be an old, but comprehensive study, judging by the photos and graphics, and he describes a "musty odour".
Getting frequent mammograms and other breast cancer screenings are an option; but not necessarily a good option.
My family has had many deaths from ovarian cancer and breast cancer. We didn't start putting all the pieces together until one of my sisters and her daughter both died of ovarian cancer. Starting back in 1994 the doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston told me that ALL of the women in my family would need to have complete hysterctomies by age 30.
I followed up on the information and was eventually persuaded to have the genetic testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. Unfortunately I carry that gene and so does every member of my family that had the courage to have the test. We have an 84% chance of breast cancer and approximately a 40% chance of ovarian cancer. (I think it varies slightly with whatever specific gene marker you carry. It will be the same in all family members; but, can vary from family to family.)
Up until this point I had only been concerned about ovarian cancer. I had no idea I was at such high risk for breast cancer.
After consulting with more than 5 doctors who all recommnded prophylactic bilateral mastectomies (I had already had a hysterectomy years ago) I chose to have the mastectomies with immediate reconstruction. They basically remove your nipples and scoop out as much breast tissue as humanly possible. With my procedures they replaced the breast tissue with fat from my abdomen. I had major complications and was severely ill for a few months. It has been a very long road to recovery and I am not fully their yet. However, I went from having an 84% chance of getting breast cancer to LESS THAN 4%!!!!!! I was told by one doctor AFTER the surgery that my breasts had precancerous cells and that without the surgery I WOULD HAVE BEEN DESTINED TO GET BREAST CANCER IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
Is my body beautiful? No.
Does it look completely normal when fully clothed? Yes.
Am I glad I had the surgery? Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!! For me it was the right decision both for my physical and mental well-being.
Am I cancer free? YES!!!!!!!!!
For all of my fellow Freepers who are making hateful, derogatory remarks about anyone who would have this surgery, WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES. Believe me it took a lot of courage to submit myself to that surgery; but, I have family members who need me and I am going to do everything I can to be around as long as I can for them.
Some of my other family members have had this surgery, too. Another one has chosen to take Tamoxifen. Others are too scared to even be tested. This is an extremely personal decision that ONLY the person with the gene can make. Please try to be more understanding and compassionate for those facing such a difficult decision.
See post 233
Don't mind me asking you, but how old were you when you had the double mastectomy?
See post 233
I do still have breasts. I just don't have "breast tissue" inside of them. I have been happily married for 35 years. However, I believe that anyone who had to face a prospective husband with this information would find out quickly if he really loved her and if he was worth loving. BTW, men can have breast cancer, too.
BTW, I had a friend who had 'precancerous cells' discovered in a mammogram last year. She had a lumpectomy, and is cancer free.
I was 51 when I had this surgery, 18 months ago. My daughter had it at 32. She has twins toddlers to raise and I plan to be right there beside her helping her. I also have an 18 year old neice who has to be tested soon. She lost both her grandmother (my sister) and her mother to ovarian cancer.
AMEN!
That should shut up a few people but I doubt that it will.
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