Author Topic: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy  (Read 5775 times)

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Offline Rapunzel

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Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« on: May 14, 2013, 06:03:35 am »
 http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/05/14/angelina-jolie-reveals-had-preventive-double-mastectomy-after-discovering/

Angelina Jolie reveals she had preventive double mastectomy after discovering cancer gene

Published May 14, 2013

FoxNews.com




Angelina Jolie says she underwent a preventive double mastectomy earlier this year because she carries a gene that increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

In a New York Times article published late Monday, Jolie says she carries the "faulty" BRCA1 gene. She writes that the risk of developing cancer varies, but doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

Jolie, whose mother died at age 56 after a long battle with cancer, says she decided to have the preventive mastectomy to be "proactive" for the sake of her six children with her partner, Brad Pitt.

"Today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action," Jolie writes.

Jolie says she began the process on Feb. 2 and it took three months for her to fully recover. She says she is sharing her story to encourage other women who may not be informed about the procedure and their options.

"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy," she writes. "But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."




« Last Edit: May 14, 2013, 06:33:11 am by Rapunzel »
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2013, 06:37:22 am »
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?_r=2&

 
My Medical Choice
By ANGELINA JOLIE

Published: May 14, 2013

MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.

On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.

Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.

Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.

I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.

It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

Angelina Jolie is an actress and director.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Relic

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2013, 02:05:31 pm »
She's nutty as a fruitcake. But in this instance, it's a personal decision, I don't have an opinion, (not that it matters).

I just wanted to call her a nut.  :seeya:

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2013, 05:55:30 pm »
She's nutty as a fruitcake. But in this instance, it's a personal decision, I don't have an opinion, (not that it matters).

I just wanted to call her a nut.  :seeya:

Not certain why you would call her a nut.  She is one of the few in Hollywood who actually walks the walk, she spends and has spent a LOT of time throughout the Middle East in the middle of war zones working with orphaned and displaced children.  I think we all have our idiosyncrasies;  in her case the death of her mother to breast cancer had a profound affect on her life.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2013, 07:42:31 pm »
Angelina Jolie had her breasts removed?


OH NOES!!!!!!!!!          :thud:



....seriously, she's a very brave woman to do that as a preemptive strike. 

Now I REALLY 'love' her!    :patriot:
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2013, 07:48:11 pm »
Angelina Jolie had her breasts removed?


OH NOES!!!!!!!!!          :thud:



....seriously, she's a very brave woman to do that as a preemptive strike. 

Now I REALLY 'love' her!    :patriot:

There was a formerr beauty queen on with Megyn Kelly last hour who is getting ready to do the same thing, her mother died at 27 from breast cancer and her grandmother died at a young age from breast cancer, she is now 25.  Reminds me of my husbands mothers side of the family... His mother, her sisters, her mother, her grandmother and great grandmother ALL died from stomach cancer.

The reconstructive surgery Jolie had is interesting surgery, they remove the nipples and the breast tissue, put in tissue expanders and then when it is healed from the first surgery go in and put in implants and re-attach the nipples.  The tubes she discussed and the bruising are both horrible and painful (I have had breast surgery and the aforesaid tubes - which have to be changed out at least two to three times a day), but the healing leaves a pretty nice result when it is all over.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2013, 07:48:59 pm by Rapunzel »
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2013, 07:52:42 pm »
There was a formerr beauty queen on with Megyn Kelly last hour who is getting ready to do the same thing, her mother died at 27 from breast cancer and her grandmother died at a young age from breast cancer, she is now 25.  Reminds me of my husbands mothers side of the family... His mother, her sisters, her mother, her grandmother and great grandmother ALL died from stomach cancer.

The reconstructive surgery Jolie had is interesting surgery, they remove the nipples and the breast tissue, put in tissue expanders and then when it is healed from the first surgery go in and put in implants and re-attach the nipples.  The tubes she discussed and the bruising are both horrible and painful (I have had breast surgery and the aforesaid tubes - which have to be changed out at least two to three times a day), but the healing leaves a pretty nice result when it is all over.

A former girlfriend who is from Trinidad/Tobago.....her 27 year old daughter recently had both breasts removed and just completed her reconstructive surgery.

I teased her that at least now she can order a couple of Double D's.

She laughed.   
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2013, 07:54:24 pm »
Actually only a bad plastic surgeon would put in double D's - unless that person was quite large to begin with.   I saw a woman a year or so ago down at the lake who had one such doctor and she looked grotesque, a good doctor goes by a person's bone and breast structure.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2013, 07:57:38 pm »
Actually only a bad plastic surgeon would put in double D's - unless that person was quite large to begin with.   I saw a woman a year or so ago down at the lake who had one such doctor and she looked grotesque, a good doctor goes by a person's bone and breast structure.

It was meant....and taken as a joke, Rap.

I agree that fake breast are ugly...virtually all the time.  You'd think they could come up with something more authentic than what looks like two large grapefruits sewn under the skin.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline massadvj

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2013, 08:00:35 pm »
Kudos to her.  Not only did she have the courage to do it, but she went public so that other people might examine their options as well.  Ironically, having the cancer gene means she is high risk for other types of cancer, so the surgery may have been in vain.  But she took a proactive measure to prolong her life and, by extension, the lives of many others.  Cheers to her for taking such a "selfish" measure.  Ayn Rand would have been proud of her.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2013, 08:00:49 pm »
It was meant....and taken as a joke, Rap.

I agree that fake breast are ugly...virtually all the time.  You'd think they could come up with something more authentic than what looks like two large grapefruits sewn under the skin.

There is a lot of reasons for that, DC.  One is like I mentioned a bad doctor putting in too large of an implant... also scar tissue.  Some women make more scar tissue than others and the scar tissue pushes in on the implants giving that grapefruit look.  The way they over come that is as the healing is taking place the breast and surrounding tissues is "massaged" many times during the day to keep the capsule open and unimpinged by scaring from the healing.. when that is done then the breasts heal with a much more natural look and the breasts have natural movement.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Relic

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2013, 08:31:52 pm »
I wonder if Obamacare will cover this?

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2013, 09:07:44 pm »
Kudos to her.  Not only did she have the courage to do it, but she went public so that other people might examine their options as well.  Ironically, having the cancer gene means she is high risk for other types of cancer, so the surgery may have been in vain.  But she took a proactive measure to prolong her life and, by extension, the lives of many others.  Cheers to her for taking such a "selfish" measure.  Ayn Rand would have been proud of her.

Not only that, she kept up with her humanitarian work WHILE undergoing treatment:

How Angelina Jolie continued campaigning throughout her treatment


Offline Ford289HiPo

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2013, 11:14:51 pm »
WoW! Just WoW! She had her breasts removed because she had risk factors? I'll side with 'Relic" and say she's nutty as a fruitcake. I wonder what she'll think when other lymph nodes start responding to those risk factors?
I wonder when the lies will stop and truth begin, even as grim as the truth may be. And then I remember that for 70 years, the reign of terror in Russia called itself "the people's government." We have so far to fall, yet we are falling fast and Hell yawns to receive us.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2013, 11:38:02 pm »
WoW! Just WoW! She had her breasts removed because she had risk factors? I'll side with 'Relic" and say she's nutty as a fruitcake. I wonder what she'll think when other lymph nodes start responding to those risk factors?

Sometimes  - especially if you are a man - it is best to not say anything rather than say something totally ignorant.  This has - in fact - become a common surgery for women with a family history and predisposition to breast cancer.   and for the cancer to get into the lymph nodes the cancer has to be present in the first place.  This is not done for "cosmetic" reasons, and trust me it is very painful.
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Offline Ford289HiPo

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #15 on: May 15, 2013, 02:42:31 am »
   and for the cancer to get into the lymph nodes the cancer has to be present in the first place.  This is not done for "cosmetic" reasons, and trust me it is very painful.

I am a man. I went through this last September. A large chunk was excised from my right side chest wall and left lung, and it was just hot lymph nodes, not cancer. Please do not tell me I don't know what I am talking about.
I wonder when the lies will stop and truth begin, even as grim as the truth may be. And then I remember that for 70 years, the reign of terror in Russia called itself "the people's government." We have so far to fall, yet we are falling fast and Hell yawns to receive us.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2013, 02:48:22 am »
I am a man. I went through this last September. A large chunk was excised from my right side chest wall and left lung, and it was just hot lymph nodes, not cancer. Please do not tell me I don't know what I am talking about.

Still a fact that this is becoming a common surgery for women with a family history of breast cancer.. and if there is no breast tissue then she is not going to have breast cancer to spread to her lymph nodes and to do so does not make her or any other woman who goes through this "nuttier than a fruitcake." 
« Last Edit: May 15, 2013, 02:49:12 am by Rapunzel »
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Atomic Cow

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #17 on: May 15, 2013, 03:07:43 am »
A former friend of mine was tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  Her material grandmother, both aunts, and three great aunts all died of breast cancer and her mom caught it early enough to beat it after surgery and enough radiation to make Chernobyl glow in the dark.  Thankfully for her, she tested negative for either gene, but her younger sister carries both of them, just like her mother.  Her sister is going to do the same thing when she turns 30 because the odds are basically 100% she'll get it and it would be an aggressive form.  Had her month missed it for another month, it likely would have killed her too.

That said, I really could care less about Angelina Jolie.  Never thought she was a good actress or even remotely attractive.  It annoyed me that Fox News radio had this as their top story all morning.
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #18 on: May 15, 2013, 03:16:30 am »
By revealing she went through this and why she does a public service to women who are not aware of the test or the procedure.  She could have kept it quiet, afterall she did this in February and no one knew until she came forth. 

Also, she does a lot of good humanitarian work around the world and I think to her the acting is secondary to that and her family, acting just pays the bills.  She donates huge chunks of her earnings.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #19 on: May 15, 2013, 03:24:41 am »


That said, I really could care less about Angelina Jolie.  Never thought she was a good actress or even remotely attractive.  It annoyed me that Fox News radio had this as their top story all morning.



Wait.....What??   "...not remotely attractive?"   Are you a space alien?




She's a fantastic actress, especially in the action heroine genre.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #20 on: May 15, 2013, 03:26:14 am »
By revealing she went through this and why she does a public service to women who are not aware of the test or the procedure.  She could have kept it quiet, afterall she did this in February and no one knew until she came forth. 

Also, she does a lot of good humanitarian work around the world and I think to her the acting is secondary to that and her family, acting just pays the bills.  She donates huge chunks of her earnings.

And she has adopted/rescued two African children that had survived a genocide or famine.....or some disaster.  She walks the walk.

I love her.   :thud:
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #21 on: May 15, 2013, 03:49:41 am »
I like her. And I, too, think she is quite beautiful, she has near perfect features.  And she seems to really love her children,
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Atomic Cow

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #22 on: May 15, 2013, 03:54:55 am »
She is one of the few celebs who puts her money and time where her mouth is, and that I respect.

But I still do not care for her acting nor do I find her attractive, especially all of the tats.
"...And these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange, even to the men who used them."  H. G. Wells, The World Set Free, 1914

"The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections." -Lord Acton

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #23 on: May 15, 2013, 04:10:15 am »

...... nor do I find her attractive, especially all of the tats.


My goodness!  Turn off the lights!   Close your eyes and hang on!   :silly:
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Atomic Cow

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Re: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy
« Reply #24 on: May 15, 2013, 04:21:27 am »
You have your ideas of beauty, I have mine.
"...And these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange, even to the men who used them."  H. G. Wells, The World Set Free, 1914

"The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections." -Lord Acton