I'm positive I'm negative

I found out yesterday that I tested negative for the BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations. These are genetic mutations that increase both the probability of contracting and recurrence of breast and ovarian cancer. They are found more in people of Ashkenazi ancestry and given my background, my mother's incidence and the fact that I am relatively young to be diagnosed it seemed worth being tested. My mom was tested last month and was found to be negative as well. This is really good news in terms of my prognosis and in terms of likelihood of recurrence. It also means that sticking with my current treatment plan (aiming for a lumpectomy post-chemo) makes sense. If I had a positive test for a mutation I probably would have had more extensive surgery - including a double mastectomy.

Now I just have to get through the chemo treatments and see what kind of magic the drugs can work.