Breast cancer - so how much do you know?

Oh, how strange that I didn't get one - I do get the daily Newsletters (not that I read them, preferred the weekly ones).

Ana mine just appeared from GNHQ, totally out of the blue.

I hope I am as breast aware as I have to be. My DiL died of an aggressive form of breast cancer in her early forties. She was one of the fittest and most active people I had ever met, but had had a lot of stress in her life before she met my son. Her mother had had it and recovered from it. My own sister died of breast cancer. Believe it or not, she never sought any treatment for it, being absolutely terrified of hospitals. I did not see her very often, but on the occasions I did visit her I asked if she was quite well as she didn't look it, but she protested that she was ok, "just feeling her age", and wouldn't see a doctor. At the time, my BiL was in the early stages of dementia and sadly not a lot of help. By the time we forced medical help on her it was too late of course. She, too, had had, at times, a lot of stress in her life. I don't know to this day how she bore it so stoically or hid it so well.

Regards to you Grannybiker.I was diagnosed 8 years ago.Mine was a grade 2 all the lymph nodes were affected.I had them all removed as well as the breast.A course of chemo, radio therapy,and a year of herceptin,then 5 years of tamoxifen.You will be given a echo scan on your heart every 3 months.
Like you I wasn't a smoker walked a lot,still do.and I've never been over weight,so yes,cancer can strike anyone any time.
If you need an ear.feel free to contact me.good luck to you.

I didn't get an e-mail about this - where did it come from?

I filled it in but were there any answers to check? I'm not sure if it matters to the general populace if one in ten get it or one in twenty. Wouldn't make you feel better. It's surely more important to know thaT radiotherapy cures about 40%,and surgery about 50% and drugs about 10%. It's still horrible but not the horror story of an earlier generation

I've just completed the survey and feel pretty confident in my answers. Sadly there is a history of breast cancer in my family and I have lost friends to the disease who, if they had only acted more promptly, may have had more of a chance of beating it.

I filled mine in also with I think only one "do not know". There is a family history on my mother's side- an aunt, her daughter and then my aunt's granddaughter.

With my background I would be shot at dawn if I did not know the vast majority of the answers!

I know the signs to look for, and always attended screening.
Mum had a partial mastectomy and lymph nodes removed but didn't have any chemo or radiotherapy but was on regular drugs for two years. I confess I'm ignorant as to why she was treated this way.