The Week Ahead

This week, I will be going to City of Hope for genetic counseling, which could (we hope) lead to genetic testing. Right now my medical group has only approved counseling. The testing, should the counseling lead to that, would be to determine if I have the BRCA1 or 2 genetic mutations. We are hoping I can be tested for the sake of other females in the family (so they would know if they are also at risk for developing breast cancer) and because a genetic mutation can, in certain cases, also lead to ovarian cancer. If I happen to be at risk for that, I'd need to get my ovaries out. (It's true, my lady bits are disappearing faster than roaches in daylight.)

Though it would seem like a no-brainer that I have a family history of breast cancer, because my maternal grandmother (hi, Grandma Dow!) also had breast cancer, clinically that's not considered a strong family link because 1) we are not first degree relatives and 2) she did not get breast cancer at such a young age. In addition, there are several kinds of breast cancer, and mine is rarely found to be genetic (although it is the same kind my grandma had). Since I've been on the surprising end of the odds before, I'd rather be safe than sorry, and am hoping City of Hope decides I need to be tested. It's only a blood test, but it is a costly one.

Also this week I will be meeting a new plastic surgeon, after not being super impressed with the first one I was referred to. (Warning: The following may be too much information for some of my loyal readers, such as ... all my male relatives.) Reconstruction is really a complex process and you only need to see a few pictures before you realize that some doctors are better than others at creating life-like breasts from nothing but scars and ribcage. Some plastic surgeons--as in many of the really snazzy Orange County ones I looked up--don't even attempt breast reconstruction after mastectomy because it's such a specialized series of procedures and the results are often not worth bragging about. Unlike the first doctor (whose work I didn't see until the end of my appointment), I have seen some of this particular surgeon's reconstruction work already on the internet and he seems very good.

So, we are praying that we will feel good about him in person and can move forward in the process, as it will take approximately 4 to 6 months to complete and we'd really like to be done before next summer. I could explain what takes so long right now, but then what would I have to tell you about later?