New Foods

Faith has never been the type to try strange foods. She couldn't even bring herself to swallow the tapioca pearls in the pearl green tea that I brought home for her two years ago. She always loved salt and dill pickles, and ever since she was little she used artificial sugar instead of real. Now she is eating wheat grass, drinking Kombucha tea, and choking down turmeric with jam! She tells me about the health benefits of a basic (rather than acidic) diet and its effect on making the body inhospitable to cancer.
She says even if these don't make a difference, it helps to feel like you are doing something, rather than just having everything done to you.

Breast Cancer Gene

Today Faith and I went to a "Breast Cancer Gene" information session. Since she is so young, and most women don't get breast cancer until 50+years old, there is a possibility that she has a family tendency toward breast cancer.

At the clinic, they explained that there isn't a "gene" for breast cancer. Instead there is a type of mutation that occurs on two chromosomes that shows a predisposition for breast cancer. If you have one of these mutations you have an 80% chance of developing breast cancer during your lifetime.

In order for them to give you the blood test, you first have to fill out a detailed family history showing everyone who has had cancer, especially breast and ovarian cancer. Then they determine if you are likely to have the mutation, and then they test you. Because of her age, it is likely that she will qualify.

Only 1 in 20 women who develop breast cancer have this mutation. The test must be expensive to conduct because they do so much screening before they even decide if they will draw your blood!

If Faith tests positive, all three of us sisters will also qualify to be tested.

Trinka

Breast Cancer Clinic

Today Faith attended a breast cancer clinic at Kaiser in Santa Clara. (Joined by me, mom and dad.)

She has two tumors:
invasive ductal carcinoma, 1.3 cm (this is the one she found)
ductal carcinoma in situ, 5.5 mm (this one isn't spreading)
One tumor is estrogen receptor positive (meaning that estrogen makes it grow)

The doctor recommended a mastectomy with reconstruction for two reasons:

• If you do a lumpectomy you need to also do radiation therapy. Radiation therapy has side effects such as liver problems that show up 10-20 years afterward. For an older woman, that isn't a problem, but for someone Faith's age, it could be.
• There is less chance of re-occurrence if the entire breast is removed, and for someone her age, re-occurrence is more of an issue.
  

They will be able to do breast reconstruction at the same time as the surgery. After surgery, she will have to do chemotherapy to prevent reoccurance.

Trinka