The first thing I did was call my doctor. I wasn't sure what to do with this information. Should I worry or not? Do I need other tests? Is it already too late?
My doctor told me about the seriousness of this gene mutation. Apparently it meant that I had an 80 percent chance of getting breast cancer in my lifetime. I also had a 40 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer. And I found out later that this gene mutation is also responsible for pancreatic cancer and melanoma as well as some other cancers. Wow. Great. There had been some instances of pancreatic cancer in my mom's family. Maybe they had the gene mutation.
Then my doctor went on to tell me what they do when they find this mutation. They suggest a total hysterectomy and mastectomy. This seemed insane to me. Take out organs based not on disease, but the chance of getting a disease. I remembered the Angelina Jolie had done this. At the time I thought she was just a Hollywood nutcase. Why would anyone voluntarily do that?
It was way too overwhelming. Too much to take in at one time. Surgery to prevent cancer. Genetic mutations. BRCA1 and BRCA2. So much to think about. My doctor told me to see a genetic counselor as a first step.
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