CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
i just went through 10 anxiety ridden days I will never get back. I decided that I would undergo genetic testing for the BRCA 1 and 2 gene mutation. I appreciated it being offered to me and had thought over the years I would like to get that particular test done.
If I had the gene I would have a double mastectomy and my overies removed. That wasn't the worst part for me. The worst part was passing this gene to my daughter and 2 granddaughters. I was absolutely sick with worry thinking about it.
I had DCIS breast cancer and my mom had breast cancer at the age of 48, she lived to be 91. So that made me eligible to get the test done. Five years ago the test was really expensive and a lot of insurance companies didn't pay for it. Now the testing has been around for a while and more labs do that particular test.
My mom's dad had died of Hodgekins disease at 58 back in the 1940s. I never knew him. Other than that not much cancer other than my mom and me.
Luckily I found out today that I don't carry the BRCA gene mutation. I took the test mainly for my daughter and 2 granddaughters and didn't realize how hard that it would be waiting for the results. Before I had the test I figured that I probably didn't carry the gene. As soon as I took the test I thought maybe I did carry it.
These tests are really important for our future health. I would imagine we will be seeing more and more tests like this in the future. Do we really want to know everything? Is knowing worse than just living your life blindly, happy go lucky with minimal worries? Some tests if you have the gene there's nothing to be done about it. With the BRCA gene mutation at least there are steps that you can take to minimize bad results beforehand. The BRCA gene would mean a high probability of breast and ovarian cancer so you have those removed.
The nurse practitioner that called with the results asked me if I would like to be in a study for other cancers and take various tests to see if I was a carrier, I said no because this had been so stressful. She said she understood how I felt and others have said the same thing. Folks didn't realize how stressful it is to go through.
I wonder how genetic testing will effect our lives in the future? Would you want genetic testing? Have you had genetic testing yourself? It's a double edged sword.
If I had the gene I would have a double mastectomy and my overies removed. That wasn't the worst part for me. The worst part was passing this gene to my daughter and 2 granddaughters. I was absolutely sick with worry thinking about it.
I had DCIS breast cancer and my mom had breast cancer at the age of 48, she lived to be 91. So that made me eligible to get the test done. Five years ago the test was really expensive and a lot of insurance companies didn't pay for it. Now the testing has been around for a while and more labs do that particular test.
My mom's dad had died of Hodgekins disease at 58 back in the 1940s. I never knew him. Other than that not much cancer other than my mom and me.
Luckily I found out today that I don't carry the BRCA gene mutation. I took the test mainly for my daughter and 2 granddaughters and didn't realize how hard that it would be waiting for the results. Before I had the test I figured that I probably didn't carry the gene. As soon as I took the test I thought maybe I did carry it.
These tests are really important for our future health. I would imagine we will be seeing more and more tests like this in the future. Do we really want to know everything? Is knowing worse than just living your life blindly, happy go lucky with minimal worries? Some tests if you have the gene there's nothing to be done about it. With the BRCA gene mutation at least there are steps that you can take to minimize bad results beforehand. The BRCA gene would mean a high probability of breast and ovarian cancer so you have those removed.
The nurse practitioner that called with the results asked me if I would like to be in a study for other cancers and take various tests to see if I was a carrier, I said no because this had been so stressful. She said she understood how I felt and others have said the same thing. Folks didn't realize how stressful it is to go through.
I wonder how genetic testing will effect our lives in the future? Would you want genetic testing? Have you had genetic testing yourself? It's a double edged sword.
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