New here, just diagnosed

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Hi,

I just joined after receiving a diagnosis on Thursday which came as a shock and I am still processing.

I got confirmation that I am BRCA2 positive in January 2025. I was 55 at the time, have adult kids and perimenopause, so I decided on preventative surgeries.

my ovaries and fallopian were removed in September 2025.

Preventative mastectomy with reconstruction took a bit longer as I opted for immediate DIEP and waiting times were longer. In the meantime I had mammograms and MRI. After MRI showed suspicious area, I had biopsy in August last year, and the results were clear, but I was moved to 6 monthly MRIs just in case.

My surgery took place at the end of August and tissue examined. I expected all to be clear as my mammogram just two month prior was all clear, as was a CT scan a week before surgery. But it turns out I had four small tumours, three different types, two in each breast. Some of them are triple positive, all invasive :( this came as a shock to me as well as surgical team. I am now waiting for my first oncology appointment, but understand it will be chemo plus injections for HER2.

it sucks. My mum dies in early 90s from secondary breast cancer and I always felt I will get it. I really thought I will be safe with all prophylactic surgeries once BRCA was confirmed 35 years later.

Coddfish 1 day ago

Hi AutumnSage

I am sorry that what you hoped was preventative surgery found some small tumours. The good news is they were small and they are not in your body any more. No-one enjoys systemic treatment but it’s well tolerated by most people and the time will pass. I am sorry your mum died of secondary breast cancer. Treatments have improved significantly since the 1990s and most people who are treated for early stage breast cancer return to a normal life. Wishing you all the best.

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HappyFeet1 1 day ago in reply to Coddfish

Hi AutumnSage yes I agree it sucks! Sorry you find yourself here, the club that none of us wanted to join.
Just thought I’d pop in as there are some similarities to my situation. My mum also died from metastatic breast cancer, in the late 70s. She was 53. I’ve always feared I’d have the same, and had many referrals over the years for breast issues and uterine polyps. All benign until I was 59, when my lump did turn out to be cancer. Story in my profile. I had surgery, Radiotherapy and 7 years of hormone therapy. I’d been assured initially that my cancer would not be hereditary but after a few years a lovely surgeon agreed at an annual follow up that he’d refer me to genetics. Many months later it was confirmed that I have an ATM mutation, which carries a moderate risk of breast cancer and is likely why I got it. I’m at increased risk of a cancer in the other breast but so far so good.
Sorry for the long ramble, I mainly wanted to say that despite my fears, my outcome has been very different from my mum’s. I will be hoping that the same will be true for you. Sending love and a big virtual hug, HFxx

HappyFeet1 xx

Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. – Hopi

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