Is it in the genes?

 I’ll be honest when the breast surgeon first mentioned genes I hadn’t even thought about genetic testing. Not sure why really, maybe too many years of just getting through diagnoses and treatments with family and then a need for normality in between.

But when the doctor first mentioned it, I thought who am I kidding, of course.The list of cancer in my Dad’s side of the family makes like a medical cancer journal to be fair......

My Grandad- Colon Cancer

My Dad - Skin Cancer (Although we never gave much thought to this as Dad also had early onset dementia and my sister and I always concerned ourselves with whether we should get tested for dementta. The skin cancer came later for my Dad and by then he was long past caring.)

My Sister - Non Hodgkins B Lymphoma

My Son - Wilm’s Tumor (Kidney Cancer)

Me - Breast Cancer

I’m thinking it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out there’s  maybe a link? And for those of you wondering what about the rest of the family, aunties and uncles, cousins etc...... well I have the tiniest family and the only people missing off this list on my Dads side are my Uncle and my Daughter. 

My first appointment was this week, an assessment to understand whether I need some mental health support, very important but not really needed in my case. I’m not blowing my own trumpet here but I am one tough cookie, you have to be after all the shit we’ve been through.

A full family history was taken which took about an hour and then at the end of that the consultant told me that I was able to have the genetic testing but not anything to do with my family of cancer but solely for the fact I have triple negative breast cancer and am under 60!

He then asked me how likely it was that I felt it was genetic and when I said 99% he gave me some good news that in fact I only have a 10% chance of it being genetic. Boom! Happy New Year! As all the cancers are different in my family they are very unlikely to be genetically linked, we have literally been that unlucky.

I’ve got to wait 3 months to find out but I’m now contemplating for the first time that I only may end up with a mastectomy and not a double one and what options will be available to me for wonky boobs! I’d assumed I’d be losing two but now possibly there will be all sorts of options to level me up.

In other news this weeks been hard. Covid really does make everything more stressful for a chemo patient. Lockdown for me was welcome relief after I went for bloods on Monday and the staff numbers were frighteningly low on the chemo ward due to so many of them having covid. Fear set in that the rising covid numbers would put my chemo back, but I’ve scraped myself off the ceiling now and am feeling more positive. I’m waiting for the postman eagerly everyday with news of my covid jab too, it really can’t come quickly enough and Bo Jo says I am getting it before the middle of February. Shielding is wearing thin and I have little to no patience for people who say that lockdown shouldn’t be happening and just keep the shielders locked down.  My social media circles are becoming smaller as a result. Perhaps its a good thing I am locked down for everyone else!!

Anyway it’s Friday night, time to get wasted on non alcoholic GnT’s. Happy weekend everyone  x