Angelina Jolie To Have More Cancer Prevention Surgery

**louiswinthorpe111** · March 13th, 2014, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by ariesallover

Agreed. My mom died of ovarian cancer in July, and I have been advised to get the genetic testing done.

Do you have any fears about the effects of the radiation from yearly mammys on your breasts? I am being told it's "incidental," but somehow that doesn't intuitively ring true.

I am being followed right now by a cancer center for ectopic breast tissue. I don't have mammys that frequently though. I am pushing for an ultrasound in lieu of mammograms, but I think there are things that can be seen only on mammogram? I'm still figuring it out.

ETA:

I will be googling for this, thank you.

There's some hope there. The HIPAA Omnibus Rule incorporates (and gives some teeth to) "GINA," or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, which protects genetic info so that health insurers can't use or disclose genetic info for underwriting purposes.

Look into thermography as another option.

**Bombshell** · March 13th, 2014, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by ariesallover

Do you have any fears about the effects of the radiation from yearly mammys on your breasts? I am being told it's "incidental," but somehow that doesn't intuitively ring true.

Aries, you know what? I'd not even considered that angle! I just had the testing in October, so haven't done more than one yet anyway. I will surely be researching that a bit, and THANKS Louis, I will definitely be asking my primary if the thermography stuff is a viable option. I know my mother figured out during her treatment for BC that it wasn't a good tool for her as her tissue is too dense, I think she said?

At any rate, that is all stuff I hadn't even thought about. Thanks for kicking my damn brain into gear.

**czb** · March 13th, 2014, 11:30 AM

i don't think thermography is as reliable as mammos, that's why they are seldom recommended.

**sluce** · March 13th, 2014, 11:49 AM

All tests, mammos, ultrasounds, and MRIs are helpful. But I fear that people are putting too much emphasis on testing and have stopped doing self exams which is how I discovered my own cancer.

**ariesallover** · March 13th, 2014, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by louiswinthorpe111

Look into thermography as another option.

Thank you!

**MsDark** · March 13th, 2014, 02:05 PM

If she's getting the ovaries removed, I'm betting she has some eggs frozen.

**Karistiona** · March 13th, 2014, 05:38 PM

Originally Posted by Bombshell

Aries, you know what?

Omg It's aries all over, not ariesal lover!! Revelation

**witchcurlgirl** · March 13th, 2014, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by sluce

All tests, mammos, ultrasounds, and MRIs are helpful. But I fear that people are putting too much emphasis on testing and have stopped doing self exams which is how I discovered my own cancer.

That was what the group not getting mammograms was using in the study. Self exam and the manual exam you get at your gyno check ups.

**CornFlakegrl** · March 13th, 2014, 07:37 PM

I vaguely remember a story on NPR a few years back about mammos, and some new recommendation that they not be performed as frequently in younger women (under 50) because they didn't improve success rates. It was a controversial position with a lively debate on NPR. They did say the focus should be on self exams.

Then the story went away. I think everyone ignored it.

**louiswinthorpe111** · March 13th, 2014, 08:09 PM

Thermography is not covered by insurance, typically. The difference in thermography is that it detects heat and blood flow. In the beginning stages, or anytime really, there is abnormal blood flow to feed the tumor. In doing the scan, it could detect the abnormal blood flow to warrant further testing. I'm not saying it's more reliable than mammograms.

Thermography costs generally start at about $300, and can go up, depending on how much of your body you want scanned.

**sluce** · March 13th, 2014, 08:21 PM

But not at breast cancers are tumors.

**louiswinthorpe111** · March 13th, 2014, 08:33 PM

Apologies. I was attempting to describe it in terms everyone would Understand.

*DIVA! · March 13th, 2014, 08:40 PM

I'd do it in a heartbeat!! And I would go BIG because they're big now!!

**Bombshell** · March 13th, 2014, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by Karistiona

Omg It's aries all over, not ariesal lover!! Revelation

I'm only laughing because I had to scroll back to her name 3 times before I felt confident that I had the shortened version right.

**ariesallover** · March 14th, 2014, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by Karistiona

Omg It's aries all over, not ariesal lover!! Revelation

HA lol, but ariesal lover has a nice ring to it lol.

I have also been reading about calcium supplements building up in the body, specifically soft tissue, like breast tissue. In my big 2007 scare, the doc specifically said that they would also look for calcifications.