@hkc9890 - It is very scary to hear the diagnosis- even though the surgeon greeted me after the biopsy saying- Congratulations! You have breast cancer- we can treat that!
I was diagnosed 28 years ago- invasive ductal, no lymph nodes, double negative- before they added the other marker.
I was working as a pediatrician then, but felt like a deer in headlights.
I had a mastectomy and chemo. Reconstruction too.
Chemo was tough for me, but I succeeded getting full dose each time. They check your CBC before each infusion.
For the 6 months of treatment, I worked 2 weeks, off 2 weeks.
I didn’t have any BRCA genes and a negative family history. However, recently my daughter went through genetic testing after iffy mammogram. She has a CHEK2 mutation that increases her risk of breast cancer as well as other cancers. I’m getting tested now myself. I have another daughter and a son and I would want them to know as well.
I agree that you should ask a lot of questions along the way.