S.S. Cancer
What? No.... not that kind of S.S.
As some of you reading this are aware, this last summer, hubs and I found out we were expecting our first child. We went to the doctor, hearts in hand, and were blessed to see the little one's heartbeat going strong at 8 weeks. A week later, we went back because I was spotting, again, and the doc wanted to take a look. Baby's heart had stopped. And so one of the happiest times in our life together became one of the most painful. A few months later, I went on leave from work for a few weeks to deal with the stress and heartache. (I am doing much better now, thankfully.)
At some point during the early appointments, before we lost the little one, I had mentioned my family's history of cancer to the obgyn and her eyes got big.
"Have you had any genetic testing done?"
"No. Why?"
"After the baby is born, we should have you go see a genetic counselor. I'm concerned about BRCA, given your family history."
BRCA. I knew what that was. My second cousin and her father are carriers of the gene, but they said it wasn't in my part of the family. She has Stage 5 Ovarian Cancer. There is nothing they can do. They caught it too late. My dad's sister had ovarian cancer too. They caught it early, by a fluke and were able to save her. My grandmother had breast cancer in her late 40's. She survived but eventually the disease claimed her life through an agressive form of leukemia that is usually caused by radiation/chemo treatments.
BRCA is why Angelina Jolie had a double masectomy and total historectomy when she found out she had the problematic gene. Her mother died from it.
Basically, BRCA is the gene that is responsible for developing breast tissue. When it gets fucked up, it causes a high incidence of certain types of cancer. Breast cancer rates in women with the gene malformation go up to 8 out of 10. In men with the gene, a full 30% can be expected to end up with breast cancer. Also, ovarian cancer rates come up to 40-60% of women carrying the gene.
S.S. SCARY SHIT.
More like this.
When our baby died, the reason to wait to get tested was now gone. So we took the doctor's referral to see a genetic counselor. You see, the test for malformations in the BRCA gene is a simple blood test. But it's a proprietary test. So it's expensive. As in, $4500 for cash-pay patients. Even with insurance, it can be expensive. Insurance companies want to be sure that you're getting tested for a good reason. You go see a genetic counselor, they decide whether or not they think you're high risk, and then they send you to get the test with insurance pre-approval. And then you wait.
About a month ago, I went to see the genetic counselor. No surprise: I am "High Risk" and the specialist wants to go ahead with genetic testing. Exactly four weeks ago, they did a blood draw for not just BRCA testing but a full panel of hereditary cancer genes. Four weeks for results. I am officially on pins and needles.
In the meantime, the "High Risk" is regardless of what the genetic testing says. I am at about 26% lifetime chance of cancer before accounting for test results. The general population is closer to about 13%. What this means for me right now is a tight early detection regimen and some stricter lifestyle limits than currently. While genetic cancers often require either surgery or preventative chemo/radiation treatment, family trends can be..... impacted, by lifestyle choices.
