This time last year, my sister Victoria underwent surgery to remove a small piece of breast tissue which (thankfully!!!) turned out to be benign fibrous tissue. At that time her surgeon recommended that, since Vicky was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and I too had just had surgery for it (also in my early 40's), we would qualify for genetic testing. Vicky received and submitted the forms several months later and actually had her first consultation just last week. From the conversation I had with her after the appointment, it would appear that neither of us is yet out of the woods from this whole breast cancer scenario nor potential ovarian and/or other cancers.
It could be purely a random and unfortunate coincidence that two sisters, both in their early forties, get diagnosed with breast cancer just 18 months apart, despite having no previous family history that we know of regarding breast cancer. It could still be hereditary. And there's a small percentage risk that it is indeed related to a mutation of the BCRA1/2 genes. (As it turns out, the fact that my cancer was determined to be estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and Vicky's was negative actually has no bearing on whether or not our cancers are hereditary or have the mutated gene.)
Since Vicky was the first of us both to be diagnosed and at a slightly younger age, they will concentrate the DNA/gene testing on her. During her appointment she was encouraged to provide a blood sample to be sent for a full DNA mapping - an intense laboratory process that can take up to 6 months. The outcome of her DNA testing will be pretty conclusive as to whether we both have more to worry about and whether I should also get tested, as well as indicating any potential implications for my niece, Brownyn.
I've only had a fairly brief phone conversation with Vicky thus far about her consultation and, from what I understand, there are many factors related to our family medical history - on both my mum and dad's side - that could have implications for us both. Of course it's always difficult to get anyone of an older generation to share that kind of information (and most of those we'd need to ask have already passed on). These things were always kept hush-hush and us Brits are renowned for being terribly evasive around matters related to health (be it physical, mental or emotional) and family history. So, while the lab does their DNA testing for various genetic markers, there is a certain amount of family history that we need to investigate to help piece together the big picture.
We both still find it awkwardly surreal and disconcerting to be in this position; involved in tests, conversations, medical jargon and related statistics that seem so third-person. It's definitely worrying, I won't deny that, yet we both share an odd feeling of detachment from it too, like an out-of-body experience. A sensation of drifting, somewhat dazed and removed, that we can't quite put our finger on. But what we do know is that we're in good hands, medically. We're talking with the right doctors and experts, who are proactively performing tests and further investigations into our genetic make-up and from there they will advise us on what to expect going forward and whether it might involve considering preventive surgery. A thought I'm not ready to entertain just yet, not until we know all the facts.
Just when you think you can breathe a sigh of relief and thank your lucky stars that your cancer was small, caught very early and removed by simple surgery. That's it n'that's all - right? Yeah - not so fast. We're now beginning to realize that, in our case, it's not always quite as simple as that and a little further investigation is needed before we can say we've kicked this thing to the curb.
Hence I cannot find words to express my gratitude for living where we do, for being fortunate enough to have Vicky here, and for access to such high-level medical expertise available to us. Living under different social and economic circumstances, or in a different part of the world, would almost certainly limit - or even deny us - any such help or insight.
Just when you think you can breathe a sigh of relief and thank your lucky stars that your cancer was small, caught very early and removed by simple surgery. That's it n'that's all - right? Yeah - not so fast. We're now beginning to realize that, in our case, it's not always quite as simple as that and a little further investigation is needed before we can say we've kicked this thing to the curb.
Hence I cannot find words to express my gratitude for living where we do, for being fortunate enough to have Vicky here, and for access to such high-level medical expertise available to us. Living under different social and economic circumstances, or in a different part of the world, would almost certainly limit - or even deny us - any such help or insight.
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