Right, so, having killed the thread, let me say that I recognize that A)Several people on the board have had and are having experiences with (Fuck)Cancer that are far more serious. B)No, there's not really any particular response that would be helpful.

I have been finding that Bitches moves pretty slowly, and I think folks are in transition from work to home or have started their weekends already. So I say {{Debet}} that seriously and massively sucks.

I would be FREAKING OUT in that situation, so don't be so hard on yourself for being scared. Much ~ma to you and your mom and your whole family. Let us know how her procedure goes next week?

my risk, statistically, is now at least 25%

That's not exactly true. Current research puts the relative risk of a person with a first-degree relative with cancer at 2.1, which means, in essence, that you have twice the risk of a woman your age without close relatives with breast cancer. That would put your risk between age 30 and 39 at about .9 percent. The exception would be if you tested positive for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Your lifetime risk to age 90 would be about 25%, about double that of a person without a family history. Seventy-five percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. The comparison with lung cancer doesn't really work, because lung cancer is considerably more fatal.

I hear you, Debet. My mom had breast cancer at 40, so it's something that kinda freaks me out. But I think I am generally pretty good at denial, and at assuming that even though I have not had a baby before 30 or breastfed or whatever else is supposed to be helpful, I la la la la la not going to happen to me!

I hope everything works out great for your mom! (Mine is fine, 25 years later--and her cancer treatment was 25 years ago, imagine the strides they've made!)

Not a great reason to have a baby, I will offer. Unless you name it something like Improved Odds. Imp would be cute though.

Still not a good idea, what with the whole "grad school" thing, the "no money" thing, etc, etc.

I think your cat is comfort eating carbs.

I'm choosing to blame the butter on the toast and the salt on the chips. Cats Iz Strange.

Debet, that is a really sucky situation, both to be worried about your mom and to be worried about your own health. I don't think it's selfish at all to be thinking about what this might mean for you in the future; it's a natural and sensible response. I am 100% sure that it will not stop you from being supportive of your mom when she needs it.

Thanks, guys.

Ginger, that's what I was going off of (like I said, not-healthy googling. Access to the medical literature through school may not be super-helpful, either.). The "both sides of the family" thing freaks me out, largely because there's not much literature that I can find about it. I want data, people.

Still not a good idea, what with the whole "grad school" thing, the "no money" thing, etc, etc.

Poor Imp.

Hypothetical Imp, who would totally have a name that was less literal and more metaphorical (I do love a good literary reference).

Debet, do NOT think that this is any less of a situation than any of the rest of us are going through.

I wish there was something that I could tell you that would help, but (at least for me) knowing b.org peeps were around to listen and support me was (and is) more than comforting.

Once grad school is over and you are financially comfortable and if you get pregnant, I really hope the preg's nickname on the board will be Hypothetical Imp.

Man, I doubt my commitment to sparkle motion and caffeine. I just realized that ALL of the tea I've been drinking today has been decaf. Sort of meant for the first two to be actual tea. Dammit.