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.
I'm guessing she has decided not to have children so as to not pass this along to another generation. If she doesn't have a companion now, I have to wonder how you tell someone you meet and want to have a relationship with that you no longer have breasts. It would be tough no matter how understanding that person may be.
Exactly so -- maybe she should have aborted her kids -- you never know how they might have turned out.
How the hell are ye anyway, head? :-)
Well, considering that, since there is no current cancer, she will have "under-the skin" removal of the glandular breast tissue but will have breast implants, it might give her a great advantage depending on what size of implant she chooses and what kind of men she dates.
However, if you are worried all the time that you are going to get it, and the worry interferes with your life, than it might be worth the surgery.
My friend is terrified of getting breast cancer. Her mother almost died, and her aunt did die of it. They have other family history also. My friend is done with having children. So far, she hasn't decided to go this route, but I would understand if she did.
That said, I wonder if anyone has studied whether women with these genes will *still* get cancer *if* they do what prevents breast cancer best - have a lot of children; start having children early in life, and nurse them as long as possible.
The problem is that so few women begin marrying and having children in their late teens, and then go on to have 6-10, with long and unlimited breastfeeding. If we're seeing a big jump in genetic, premenopausal breast cancer, maybe it's because there *are* environmental factors that make it worse than it would have been in the past.
Or maybe not - perhaps the prophylatic effects of more children and of nursing only apply to the post-menopausal kind. But it seems it would be valuable for women to know either way.
,,, twice a week, with meals... and you?
Right, 10% of not getting it. I think it's irrational at her young age before even having children.
That is like saying that bomb disposal units don't have any purpose because the bombs they remove have not exploded yet.
These are not a "healthy organs".
These are organs with genetic time bombs that have a 90% chance of killing her according to her genetic markers.
This individual had a 90% chance of developing breast cancer, maybe by a young age. As another poster on this thread stated, her mother developed breast cancer by the age of 30.
Nine bullets in a clip. One empty shell casing. Randomly dispersed.
Are you willing to put that gun to your head and pull the trigger?
"after tests showed that she had a 90 per cent chance of contracting the disease in later life."
This implies she had genetic testing done for the BRCA gene. Double mastectomies have been performed on health tissue in the US under the same circumstances. They have been performed without genetic testing based on family history of multiple maternal relatives having breast cancer, especially if a woman's sisters and mothers had it.
My mother's surgeon recommended a double mastectomy upon discovery of a single tiny cancerous tumor in one breast because her mother and her mother's sister both had breast cancer. My mother's oncologist and surgeon have pressed us both to have the genetic testing, but we have refused because we could be denied individual health insurance (not group) based on the results of genetic testing. The doctors freely admit our fears about health insurance are correct.
Genetic testing for the BRCA gene.
Better yet, this woman perceives having a time bomb on board, before knowing whether or not it exists, doesn't pursue more knowledge on the subject to make a logical determination, decides to jump ship in midair before getting the facts to ease her perceptions.
So sad...........who am I to say, who are ANY of us to say what OUR decisions would be when faced with the same dilemma as this young woman!! I've always hoped to see a "cure" for cancer, at least, in my children's lifetimes.
Sheer insanity!
Diet and check-ups make all the difference in the world.
I'd NEVER let ANY doctor scare me into something so dramatic. What they base these "opinions" on in this situation is pure JUNK SCIENCE.
Regular as clockwork.
The prunes are working wonders! *LOL*
A-HA!!!
I've found an alternative to the lobotomy!
Frequent Guinness infusions! *LOL*
Well, I AM Irish! :-)
Sorry if I came across as condescending.
I have a tendency to do that, seeing as I come from the superior race!
Well, I AM Irish after all!
(And if it wasn't for the whiskey, we'd rule the world! *L*)
If you want to know more personal testimony...FREEPmail me.I feel dorry for your friend,but she's only making things much worse for herself,being that scared all of the time.
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