Hi Tena Louise,

Thank you for your concern!

I was diagnosed in September 2004 and had a lumpectomy. I had invasive tubulo-lobular breast cancer, which is pretty unusual. I had 4 sentinal nodes, so they removed them, and another 3 besides: all were negative. I had 7 weeks radiation (it was 8 mm so no chemo).

I take Arimidex now daily, which wipes out my estrogen (any I have left since I began menopause at about the same time).

My PD symptoms began in earnest in 2003. My breast cancer was not visible on a regular mammogram. I had calcifications and when they did a magnified view, they could see the tumor. It was probably there for about five years but was never seen (and could not be felt) because I have dense breasts.

Now I get yearly breast MRIs and digital mammograms because of my dense breasts. I was NEVER told I had dense breasts, although every mammogram said: dense breasts. Find out if your breasts are dense. It's hard to find cancer in dense breasts. Plus you're more likely to get cancer if your breasts are dense.

Mine is probably genetic. My mother got it at 80 and my aunt just got it too, at 75. I do not have the BRACA gene though; I was tested.

I think my PD is genetic, probably the ashkenazi gene LRRK2
(Glycine2019Serine). My father had PD, and 30% of ashkenazi family members with PD have that mutation. It's late onset, and often begins with foot dystonia, my first disabling symptom which brought me to a neurologist.

I'm going to have the LRRK2 genetic test done. It's available now. The breast cancer genetics counselor gave me all the info about it.