And then, it’s in writing.

 

December 18th 2019

Got my sum up letter from my genetics counsellor this week following my last appointment. It was long like she said it was going to be as it included everything that we spoke about from the last two appointments. It included the details of two studies she had mentioned and I said I was interested in.

The main study I was interested in is the protectors study. This is in regards to preventing ovarian cancer. It’s a very new study with little results at present but the idea is to remove the fallopian tubes first, delaying the removal of the ovaries to avoid early onset menopause. They believe that ovarian cancer starts in the fallopian tubes hence why removing them first. I was very interested in this study as for me the removal of my ovaries and the risk of ovarian cancer is the most complicated and scariest between the two genetic cancers. Mainly because there is no screening for ovarian cancer, delightfully know as the silent killer of women.

Unfortunately this study is for women over the age of 30.

At the moment I’m finding it very hard to see and feel the positives in finding out I have the BRCA1 mutation at 27. I understand I have time but I don’t know if I want time. Right now that feels like time when something could happen. Time to live with the knowledge of the risk. The longer I wait to have the preventative surgeries the higher my chances of developing a cancer become. I know this isn’t necessarily the case but I am struggling to tell myself otherwise. Anxiety is no reason to rush into any decisions especially ones as life changing and these. And these decisions are complicated.

#BRCA1 #genetics #hereditarycancer #ovariancancer #breastcancerawareness #geneticmutation #anxiety #protectors