What a year...

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I hope the big fat man bought you lots of goodies and most of all, happiness and well deserved time with your family and friends. 


I always find myself becoming reflective in this week between Christmas and New Year. The magic of Christmas is fading and the dawn of a new year is upon us...

Where has the time gone?!

I can not believe it is nearly January again! 

So how has your 2013 been? I hope that is has been a prosperous and happy year, one to remember, for the good and not the bad.

 2013 has been a year of mixed emotions in our family... Some of the most wonderful memories: my son saying "mama" for the first time, my little girl being able to count to 20 and saying her alphabet, my children's first holiday to France, my husband having a prosperous year in his job, the decision of a future move back to Paul's hometown, the making of many wondrous friends, the celebration of my two best friends marriages (they were both amazing!) the remission of two family members, a great start to my husband's catering company, the completion of Hell Runner and my first half marathon, conquering those damn cake pops(!!!) and many, many more...

The year also included some sadder times, my father in law's progressive illness and the loss of a very dear family member. It is the sad times that encourage me to reflect more. Where is my life heading? Am I good mum, wife and friend? What do I need to do next year to help myself and my family grow? How do I show myself to the best of my ability to be a good role model to my children?



I will always count myself so incredibly lucky to have the family and friends that I have. Their love and guidance and support shows no bounds and without them, especially this year, I would have been a much less of a person. So, thank you, all of you.

       

My only disappointment this year is with my bilateral mastectomy and the events that followed. This means that I will continue, with the help of my family, friends and wonderful consultant, treatment procedures into the middle of next year. I call it a disappointment, but the whole situation has been a blessing, and I should try harder to remember that! (no.1 resolution I think!) 

So to you, my blog friend, I wish you the most prosperous, happy, healthy and enjoyable 2014. Cherish everyone and everything. Love yourself and your family. Smile as often as you can, you are amazing! 

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

All my love,

Bex xox

.

Untitled

In times of sadness, it's so hard to know what to say or do.

I wrote a poem...

To sit is to wonder, to cry and to ponder

To love is to miss and remember each kiss

The mould we were breaking and convinced no more taking

A beautiful life gone, so much love to pass on.

Words escape me, the thoughts they break me

What message to send to help and to mend?

There’s nothing I can say to make the pain go away

So my love to you all, may it help cushion the fall.

Stand strong and stand tall, we will remember you all

xxx

God Bless

xxx

Boobs schmoobs...

3 weeks ago, I walked out of hospital and phoned my husband. "The doctor has given me the all clear, my breast tissue is clear, it's time to get on with our lives!!!" The sun was shining, I was over joyed.

Tonight, I am sat here 2 days post op, wondering what happened...

My left breast, "lefty", had been a bit of a nuisance since day one. It hurt more, it was more swollen, the drains coming out of it were filled with nasty liquid, it was always just a little bit more trouble.

Last week I saw my consultant on the Tuesday. I was concerned about the look of the wound across the middle of my left breast. It just didn't look right. My consultant agreed. We discussed leaving it for a few days to see how it developed and if I had any trouble I was to call him. On Thursday it had become worse. I made a frantic call to the Breast Care nurses and left a message. Friday morning I received a call back saying my consultant (Mr S) would like to see me ASAP.

Paul rushed me up to the clinic and Mr S assessed the situation. Mr S explained the risk of another surgery, infection, general anesthetic etc. He told me he didn't wish to operate unnecessarily but that the implant was pushing my scar open. Basically, the wound would pop open at some point, he just didn't know when. I was sent home with a complete kit of saline, gloves, dressings - the works! And Paul was sent home with strict instructions on what to do "when" my breast burst open! - Well the weekend was a nightmare. I was petrified to do anything. I was scared I would end up at A&E and no one would know what to do!

Luck was on my side and by the Tuesday, there was still no split. I found myself back with Mr S. "We need to operate" was his response. I knew it was coming, but I had hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be necessary. I'd hoped that my awesome breasts would make a come back and save the day. Mr S explained to me that the surgery would be a 10/15 minute procedure where he would cut away the bad skin, the part where my blood vessels had died, and literally pull the skin back and sew.

The morning of the op, I was slightly apprehensive, but nothing major. I kept thinking "It'll be fine, the last operation was a lot longer, this will be easy" ... I saw patients in the day unit coming in and out. Some crying as it was their first ever operation, I felt optimistic. At 2:30 I was called and sent down to theatre.

I awoke 2 hours later. The first thing I did was check down my gown. Phew... I saw gauze and padding, I thought it had all gone well. Within a minute of opening my eyes, Mr S was there.  He held my hand, looked me in the eyes and said "I'm so sorry Rebekah. I did everything I could, but I could not save the implant.."

Two tears fell.

I was numb.

I looked again, "lefty" wasn't there.

Before I was let home, Mr S came to see me. He explained that the strattice (pig tissue) hadn't taken. It hadn't attached itself to my skin, so was effectively floating around in the build up of fluid. He had no option but to take it all out. He had tears in his eyes as he told me. I wanted to hug him and tell him it was ok...

I left hospital at 9:30pm drain in hand and one boob down.

It's been tough. The discovery of having the BRCA gene was tough, but incredible. The first operation was tough, but worth it. Now... well... I have to live for the next 4 months or so without my left breast. It's so very hard to come to terms with. The hardest part being, I AM NOT ILL!!! I've been so lucky not to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, yet I'm forced to bear a similar scar. I will see the prosthetic department next week and they will supply me with a fake boob to pop into my bra.

Mr S says he can rebuild my breast, but it will take time and multiple operations from now on. I had one shot at the strattice and implant and my body rejected it.

I'm in limbo at the moment. I can't look at myself. Looking in the mirror makes me cry. My left side is sunken in and flat against my chest cavity.

Big baggy jumpers will be my new best friends.

I have so much to be grateful for and in a few days, I will realise that again.

For now, I will grab the box of tissues, wrap a blanket around me and my new best friend, and cry.

To everyone who has been there over the last 12 months and especially recently. Thank you for your support.

To my two bestest friends in the whole world, thank you for allowing me to send you regular "boob updates" at inappropriate times! I love you both so much.

To my husband, well what can I say... If  you leave me for some double D model now, well... I couldn't blame you...

                         Seriously, thank you. I couldn't do any of this without you and your weird sense of humour.

To you...Thank you so much for reading and letting me lean on you to tell my story.

I love you.

Bex x








  

My boob job...

I want to run. I want to put on my trainers, grab my phone & put my running soundtrack on. I want to feel the ground under my feet as I run, run hard and run fast. I want to run to the top of a mountain. I want to feel the pain the breathlessness, the wind against my face. I want to stand at the top of this mountain. I want to stand there and scream. I want to scream "I did it!!!!"

I really did do it.

I took the gene head on and now I, have the upper hand.

I went into surgery at around 4pm last Wednesday. I kissed my children goodbye in the morning and my husband left me, teary eyed at around 8am. I was scared. So very scared. I was not scared about losing my breasts, I was not scared of how they would look afterwards, to me, all that was irrelevant. I was scared that I wouldn't wake up. I prayed and prayed and nearly 5 hours later I woke up in recovery.

I awoke with 4 drains in me and a horrible "tightness" around my chest, arms and back. The rest, to be honest, is a bit blurry. I remember Paul coming to see me around half 9 ish. I remember him looking so white, I can't imagine what I must have looked like, I'm grateful that I didn't have to see. Our conversation was a bit hazy as I drifted in and out of sleep. He kissed me on the forehead, told me he loved me and left. I fell asleep and had one of the worst nights sleep I've ever had - even with 2 kids!

I was closely monitored throughout the night by the wonderful nurses who kept coming in to check on me. I had a button clenched in my hand, it was for the morphine. I held on to it tightly but managed to get through the night without it.

It was 6am when I heard the nurses do their rounds. That's when I really "woke". That's when the pain really hit. The anesthetic was disappearing and I was close to tears. I had 1 drain under each arm and 1 drain under each breast. The most painful thing was the tightness. It's so hard to describe.

--------------

I wrote the above a week or so ago, after my operation. I saved it as a draft as I couldn't find the words to describe the whole experience. I also did not think I was worthy of moaning or wallowing in my pain or upset.

Now, another 10 days on, the drains are removed and I have had the "all clear" (in regards to my breast tissue) from my consultant, I feel elated. I feel happy and blessed. That looming operation that my husband and I had hanging over our heads for over 17 months, has been done. That's it. I have no worries now. We did it. I did it.

My life is a different colour now. I can no longer see any bad in any situation. I was given a chance at life and it may have taken me to 30 to realise it, but I will never be the same.

I will live my life differently. But I will never forget those who made it possible for me to walk around with this smile. For those REMARKABLE women and their sufferings, I will be eternally gratefully. Also, to my surgeon and consultant Mr S... how do you thank someone who has saved your life...? For him, a daily operation. To me, my life. Thank you. All of you...

So now it's time to move on, for tomorrow is another wonderful day.

Thank you for following me on my journey.

It's time to run.

Bex xxx

The day before...

Fear.

It feels like a rock that is lodged in my chest. I can’t really breathe in enough and its there blocking my smile. Gone are the boob jokes. Gone is any sense of bravery. Instead I am weeping for me and for my breasts. I don’t want to be cut up and I am so scared of the pain. I’m actually a great big woos and make such a drama out of the tiniest cut and I’m frightened of the fire pit that I now have to throw myself into.

My bag is packed but packed full of terrifying imaginings.

I hold my breasts tight to my chest not wanting anyone to touch them, to take them from me.

I am preparing to go into battle now. It is this powerful cancer gene versus me. For I may not let it win and take me from my children. Instead I have to now absorb all that kindness that I have had from so many and layer it on like shields of armour. Now is the time for the digging and with my shovel in hand I need to search for that courage, calmly and with a sense of control. I am not going to wait for cancer and like a fireman I am going to hose down the wall of fire so that it may not wipe me out and infest my body.

I can take my head back to that genetics room and look at my genetics doctor as she told me I had the gene. I can rewind the last 13 months and flick through the images since. The tears, my family, my darling friends, my determination, this blog and now it is finally time for the sacrifice. 

For that is what it feels like. I will sacrifice my breasts up onto the alter now and make a pact with cancer. You can take them from me but then you are to leave me well alone. You may not take the rest of me and you may not visit my body at all. Take them and run. That is the deal. 

My eyes are swollen and I now have to wash my face and put on some make up to hide behind. It will soon be time to dress the children and to take them to their daycare. I have hidden fear from them and I do not want my face to betray me. I can barely write this but if, god forbid I don’t make it back to this dining room table, then know my little ones that they could have taken all my limbs if it meant that I could bring you up and shelter you. This is all for you and actually I would do it every day without hesitation. I love you and mummy will see you in a few days. xxxx

My Little Prince Charming

Happy Thursday Folks!

I hope you're having a very relaxed evening, feet up, tv, a book maybe? I'm sat on the edge of my little sofa, listening to my two little terrors over their monitors. One is singing "Spongebob Squarepants" at the top of her lungs, the other is crying/whinging, trying to put his over-tiredness to bed, literally. Our little man has had one big day and he obviously does not want it to end.

Today was very emotional for me as a mum, for two reasons. One I am emotional anyway but two, it was Ben's last day at his wonderful nursery... and at the end of the day, as he held my hand and walked towards the door, he turned and waved. It was like a scene from a film and as I looked up with tears in my eyes, 3 remarkable ladies waved back at him with tears in their eyes.

In early 2012 I was fortunate to land an amazing job, which enabled me to still do what I love and visit the environments I love, with the added benefit of being "9-5". The job came along in the February when Ben was only 5 months old. I felt he was very young to be going into nursery as we waited until Elle was 2 before placing her with a childminder, but after considering all the pros and cons, we decided he would go. So I took the job and worked 3 days a week. After a few weeks, I noticed little things did not feel right with the nursery. Ben was always hungry when I picked him up, he was always dirty (to extremes) and always had a very full wet and or dirty nappy. I started to get concerned and we raised our concerns with the manager. Everything was great until the following week when I collected him and he was sat outside in the cold with no socks on. He shivered and cried for at least an hour when I got him home. I was mortified. We made the decision that night that he was not going back. Of course then we had the dilemma of either finding him a new placement or me leaving my job.

We are blessed with wonderful parents who helped out for a few weeks whilst we saw various childminders. In the end, we went to visit another local nursery, Andy Pandy's. I instantly liked it. As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by the most wonderful woman. Such a kind, smiling face, I literally wanted to just hug her there and then. The nursery was made out of an end terrace house and you could tell there had been a great many happy children walking around over the years, the place just oozed happiness.

This wonderful lady, Roz, explained to me that because they were a small nursery, there might not be a place for Ben straight away. They currently had no children under the age of 14 months and there would be no staff member to be his key worker. She did however mention that she had just interviewed a young girl who had just qualified and she was going to consider taking her on, just for Ben. A week later we got a call and we were thrilled. The new girl, Naz, would be starting and Andy Pandy's would happily take Ben into its care.

Naturally, we were very cautious to begin with. Leaving your child who you have carried in your womb, the little being that you loved from the second you "just knew" you were pregnant, smothered with love, cuddled from the day it was born and watched fall asleep every night, is so terribly difficult. But we soon had our nursery demons put far behind us as Ben thrived in his new atmosphere and with Naz especially.

Today, was Ben's last day at Andy Pandy's. (I'm welling up just thinking about it). I sent Ben in with a "Thank You" card and a huge chocolate cake this morning, kissed him on the head and wished him the best day of his little life so far. Roz told me she was planning a little teddy bears picnic for him and all of his friends. During the day I kept wondering how he was getting on, if he knew it was to be his last day. Then the moment I was dreading... the pick up and the good-bye's.

I rang the doorbell, from inside, "Clare, it's Benji's mum". Roz answered, I handed her an orchid for them to pop in the kitchen to remember little Benji Gould and she gave me the hug that I had envisaged over 12 months before. Ben came running to me and after him all of his little friends. He kissed and hugged them all. Naz stood quiet for a few minutes, I think, trying to compose herself. She then gave me Ben's development folder with all of his developmental milestone dates. The most beautiful thing was, in this folder, Naz had been taking photos of Ben over that last 12 months, doing the most wonderful little things. She'd made a scrap book. Then at the back were the pictures of today. Pictures of Ben's last day. Pictures of him with his crown on, sitting with his friends, laughing, smiling and loving every second of his last day. I was speechless (I was also crying)...

The abundance of time and love those ladies gave to our little boy, can not be described in words. I feel it only in my heart and it just amazes me. I feel so blessed to have known them and will make sure that Ben sees his wonderful scrap book when he grows up.

I am so thankful for so many things in my life, I can not begin to list them and every little life moment makes me more and more thankful. There truly are amazing people in this world and I know that my life will be fuller for knowing them.

And I am truly overwhelmed that Ben, at such a young age, has had such an impact on those ladies. I'm very proud and happy to call him my little boy.

Thank you Andy Pandy's. Thank you Roz, Liz, Clare and especially Naz.

I promise we'll pop in now and again.

I love you

Bex xxx

Birthday Wishes

Just a little post today to say...

Happy Birthday! 

To one of my dearest and best friends, honorary Auntie to my kids and Godmummy to Elena.

I do not see her anywhere near enough due to her living in Canada, but I miss her every day.

Wishing you the most wonderful birthday & roll on December!

Love you girl 

XoX

Elderflower Syrup and a warm July Evening

Happy Saturday!

I hope you've had a lovely day and that not too much rain has fallen where you are. We have only had a few minutes of rain this evening and I am sat by my open dining room window now, breathing in that fresh rain smell. Peaceful.

Paul, Elle, Benji and I spent yesterday evening and today with Paul's parents, such wonderful people. Kind and good natured, the kids love them! Especially as Nanny always has an abundance of crisps, sweets and "yummy food". There literally is no end to those cupboards! - I'm blaming the kids, but I must admit, I do love to dive into them too. Whilst we were pottering around this afternoon, I was thinking that I had not done a cooking post for a while and even I am fed up droning on about a certain gene, so I have a very special one for you this evening.

Making Elderflower syrup could not be easier. There are only four ingredients, the preparation doesn’t take that long and the best thing is that it can be done on a warm evening in July, out in the garden or in the kitchen with the radio on and the back door still open. I’m making syrup instead of cordial this year because, although it doesn’t keep for as long, I’ll still get about a month from it and it’s much more versatile.  I can add the syrup to ice cream, lemonade, sparkling water, ice lollies, vodka or prosecco. And I’m sure that you will think of many more wonderful goodies to add it to also.

Unfortunately, we do not have any Elderflower bushes in our garden or anywhere local, very typical of living in the city. This means that when I do find a bush I have to play with the traffic when I try to pick some from the roadside. If , like me, you do have to go out and about to find your Elderflower please be careful and try not to gather the flowers that are very close to a road with heavy traffic as the flowers will be super dirty. If that is all you can get be sure to rinse them well before using and leave enough flower heads on a single plant for the birds in the autumn, as they eat the berries.

Today, however, being in the countryside, I was able to grab quite a lot!

This is a rather typical Elderflower flower-head. Cut them from the stem when the tiny flowers have only just opened up fully. You don’t need to watch and wait for this to happen you’ll be able to tell if some of the florets are not open or if the open ones are past their prime as they tend to go slightly yellow/brown in colour.

Elderflower Syrup
Makes approx 1 litre

YOU WILL NEED
25 Elderflower flower heads
5 unwaxed lemons
1kg Caster/ Superfine sugar
1lt water

You will also need a large pan with a lid.

Shake the flower heads free of any bugs. You may not get them all first time, don’t worry they’ll appear and you can remove them.

Strip the tiny white florets from the flower heads. I pull them off with my finger tips. You only want the flowers, not the stems, the stems are poisonous if eaten in large quantities so try to separate them as best you can. It is fiddly doing this but rather therapeutic and it’s a lovely ‘sunny evening’ thing to do on the patio.

Add the tiny white florets to the pan that has the lid and compost the stems.

Zest five lemons and add the zest to the pan.

Juice the five lemons, I use a fork to juice mine as I find it easier, and add the juice to the elderflower and lemon zest.

Stir together so that the elderflower soaks up the lemon juice and the zest is combined.

The infusion has begun.

Move over to your oven hob and pour the water in to a pan.

Turn the heat up high.

Pour in the sugar and stir.

Stir until the water has turned clear. This means that all of the sugar has dissolved, which is what you want.

Carry on stirring until it boils.

Allow it to stay at a rolling boil for another minute or so and then pour the water/sugar mixture over the elderflower and lemon.

Replace the lid of the pan and place your ‘soon to be’ Elderflower Syrup to one side. Allow it cool and remain to one side for three days. If you drain it before three days are up you’ll find that the syrup has very little elderflower flavour and is just very, very sweet. Even after three days the taste of elderflower is extremely subtle, but that is the beauty of it. You’ll know the difference between a quality syrup and sugar water I promise.

After three days drain the liquid through a very fine sieve or a preserving stand and pour the syrup in to steralised glass bottles with an air tight lid or stopper. Keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Bottles of Elderflower Syrup make fantastic gifts for people. Add your own label and you can start a cottage industry!

- Some of last years batch!

It is so simple to do, and good fun too :) 

After some very exciting news today (Which I'm sure I can share very soon!) I'm ready for a glass of wine - or two and a snuggle with the hubby.

Have a fantastic day/evening wherever you are.

I love you and thank you for reading.

Bex xox

Mr S and My "Boob Job"

Good evening :) 

I promise, there will not be many more of these...! 

At 16:30 today I found myself sat in the waiting room in Outpatients 1, Subwait 2 with my husband holding my hand. 

He held it in a way that said so much. We were quiet, wondering, hoping and praying that all this would be over soon. As we sat in silence, I started to think back over the last 2 and a half years. The moment we found out we had a defective gene running in our family, the day we found out my sister had it, the day she had her operation, the day I made a decision to be tested, the day I found out I was positive, the day I made up my mind to have a PBM, the day I had a mammogram, the day I had my MRI, the day I met my consultant and today. The day I would find out the date of my operation. Each one of those days has dramatically affected my life and led me to that waiting room this afternoon. Luckily, we were not waiting long and a poor elderly gentleman was left alone in the waiting room - we had reassured him that he would definitely be next, poor soul. 

My consultant is called Mr Soumian and today would be the second time we would meet. A smile on his face and a good firm shake of the hand made me feel confident that I was in good hands and that all this would be just fine. 

Mr S, started to go over my options again to make sure I had made the best possible choice for reconstruction. He was very thorough and, after drawing a very lovely picture of my breasts and nipples on a piece of paper, it was agreed that what I had chosen would be the best choice for me.

So a little bit about the procedure I will be undertaking and why I have come to the decision that I have.

After having all your breast tissue removed, your first decision is whether you want reconstruction at all and if so when? You can have immediate reconstruction or wait a few months and then have another op where they re-create your boobs. I have chatted to many women who did not want reconstruction at all – viewing their boobs as their enemy and not at all bothered by being completely flat-chested. For me, I know I definitely want immediate reconstruction (I want to wake up with boobs of some sort) but I was unsure how this was going to happen.

The options for me were:

Implant (pretty straight forward) Although contrary to what a lot of people think I won't have bountiful breasts that resemble a Pamela Anderson or Katie Price. Due to the reason of the operation, every bit of breast tissue has to be removed (some will remain) so the implant is inserted behind my chest muscle. The results will not look like your typical "boob job" and more than likely they won't be completely symmetrical. With this procedure I can either keep my nipples or lose them.

A flap of tissue from my back - In this procedure the muscle is transferred to the breast area by "swinging" it around the ribcage so that it lies at the front of my body. I would need an implant with this also. This will give a more natural result but will result in a larger scar.

Flaps taken from the tummy - This is one chosen by a lot of women because a large amount of skin and volume can be replaced to achieve a very natural look and feel. Removal of excess skin and fat can also be a lovely surprise,  resulting in a "tummy tuck"  There are 3 types of abdominal free flaps, TRAM, DIEP and SIEA. This reconstruction will result in large scars.

Believe me, this decision was very easy to make. I knew I wanted implants purely on the recovery time. I have two young kids and I don't want to spend weeks recovering when I could be cuddling and playing with them instead. At the end of the day I just want the awful nasty tissue out, the reconstruction is just a bonus. The reconstruction is just psychological for me.  I did toy with the idea of no recon, but I thought about going to the opera with my husband at Christmas,  playing on the beach with my kids, going to work wearing every day clothes,  doing all that with no breasts would make me very self-conscious. 

So today, at approx 16:43 I confirmed to Mr S that I will be having the implants. I am still undecided whether or not to keep my nipples, but he said I can decide that as late as operation day, so I will sleep on that decision a little longer. 

The nipple dilemma - When they cut around my nipple to pull the flap of skin down and remove my breast tissue, they can either sew it back together after the surgery or remove the nipple all together and pull the skin up to cover where the nipple would have been. If I decide to keep the nipple, there is a chance that during the op, the blood vessels die off and once in recovery, the nipple itself could die (Which would involve another procedure to remove them) the other bad point is that the nipple will still have attached, some breast tissue, which in theory will raise my chances again, not by much at all but if I'm willing to go through all this, why bother with a nipple that may contain one little cell that screws me over...? 

The most interesting part of the operation is that the UHNS has recently been able to do part of the reconstruction using, wait for it..... 

...........
................
........................ Pig skin!

Although the posh doctor wording is Strattice Tissue Matrix. Basically, it provides a scaffold or framework which helps the natural growth of new cells and formation of new blood vessels. The piece of skin is designed and processed in a unique way to minimise the risk of rejection and will be placed under the bottom of each implant to create a type of hammock!

How unbelievably clever is that?! It is just incredible what these surgeons can do now. My new boobs will not have a web like mass of scars either – in fact the only scars will be around the nipples or minus the nipples, across the front of my breast. 

My pre-op will be within the next few weeks and then I'm on the home straight. A year ago, nearly to the day I found out I was carrying the defective BRCA2 gene and although there's been some tough, teary times, I am SO ready to jump and and get these damn things off. My boobs or my life, right?!

I have the BRCA2 gene mutation.

You would think that after all these months, after all this writing, that that simple fact would feel normal and acceptable by now. 

But it doesn’t you know.

I spoke to one of my dearest friends this evening to tell her my operation date. Well….she picked up the phone and the conversation went something like this:

“It’s me. I've just come back from the hospital and my operation is definitely going to be on the 28th August”

“Crikey. How are you feeling?”

“Scared titless”

“Titless??!”

…….oh did we laugh……

Laughter really is the best medicine.

So all that is left now, is to plan my "Good-bye Boob Party!" I am so very excited about this and can not wait to have my nearest and dearest with me to celebrate!

In the short term, I am easy to spot…I’m the blonde who is looking happy.. The one running/crawling when she gets the chance and the one who still squeezes her eyes shut every night and whispers “thank you” to the  big man in the clouds. 

Thank you for reading, this post especially.

I love you.

Bex xox

BRCA2 Information

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in woman in the UK, making up around 30% of all cancers in women. By far the majority of cancers occur by chance and only 5-10% of cancers are thought to be inherited.

Three genes have been identified that carry a high risk of breast cancer: BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53. A fault in one of these genes can confer with a lifetime risk of up to 85%

If you are worried, remember that if you have just one relative who has breast cancer you will NOT be at increased risk. However,  there are many specific characteristics that may indicate a gene mutation. Don't panic but just be aware of your risk so that you can personally make an informed decision about how to handle your situtaion.

Family histories are usually considered significant if there are:
1.     Two cases of breast or ovarian cancer under the age of 40 - especially a case of breast cancer in both breasts
2.    Three breast or ovarian cancers under the age of 50
3.    Four breast or ovarian cancers occurring under 60
(N.B 1-3: the ovarian cancer can occur at any age)

The Macmillan Cancer website has a useful  tool called OPERA which can guide you through your possible risk.

However, I can not stress enough that this is not a medical site and if you have any concerns please visit your GP.

It is also important to recognise that even if you are worried that you may have the gene, you do not have to be tested and may prefer to just have annual mammograms or MRI's. Similiary if you are found to have one of the genes you do not have to have surgery and instead can
be screened on an annual basis.  Having the test does not alter anything - you are the same person that you were from conception - but it may give you a sense of control.

For advice you can visit http://www.breastcancergenetics.co.uk/