HI there,

Just wondered if anyone else is an identical twin and can give me some advice.

My twin lives hundreds of miles away but visisted me recently with my nephew, and we talk by phone a bit and online.

I'm being very careful not to nag but do perdiocally ask her to see her GP about starting early screening for breast cancer.  She just won't do it, even though mine was only caught at stage 3 because after 5 years of intermittent asking they finally referred me for early screening (I had such a bad feeling that week I was not leaving the GP's without a referral being confirmed).  My older sister was very quick to contact her GP and ask and she is already undergoing genetic screening too (as am I) and will get an appointment to start mammograms.

Like me my twin is very stubborn.  Also I can understand that she is probably scared.  I am very close to my older sister also, but I realise that losing an identical twin is a whole other kettle of fish.  You can't help the fact that a lot of your identity is rolled up in this other person, especially when you can be found mixing yourselves up in photos, even those taken in your adult years.  I hed 3 horrific weeks of morning sickness before realising she had to be pregnant (cause I thankfully wasn't).  

The only two people I know that have lost an identical twin both had complete mental breakdowns so I get how scary it is.  I'm trying hard not to push it in case she just stops taking to me.  She talks to my older sister on phone pretty regularly but hasn't spoken to her once since I was diagnosed.  When she was here she asked how I was but really didn't venture into any discussion about the cancer or my prognosis etc.

I cannot help but be terrified that she could already have stage 3 breast cancer with no symptoms (like me) and no palpable difference between her breasts.  Or, that she'll leave it and find herself in that position in the future.

Anyone got any ideas of how to get her to request a mammogram?

LJx