Tuesday, October 12, 2010

ready, set, go!

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of teaching, working, going back to school and figuring out life insurance. My fears about having the breast cancer gene were temporarily moved to the back burner as I got caught up in the life insurance application process. After having my application STOLEN, I had to make sure my identity wasn't stolen along with it. After lots of paperwork, an insurance nurse that took over a month to finally perform my physical...I have finally been approved for a life insurance policy! As happy as I am to be done with the almost 5 month process, it's time to have my genetic test done, and all of my fears are starting to come back.

My mom came for a visit back in July and we went to meet with a breast specialist at a hospital in Chesapeake. She was AWESOME. It's so comforting to know that there are people out there who are so passionate about finding a cure and helping women who are dealing with breast and ovarian cancer. She was so knowledgeable about everything we discussed and so easy to talk to. From her I learned that my risk is already pretty high, even with genetics aside. She made me feel so much better about the possibility of testing positive for the gene by letting me know what will happen if I do. If I do test positive, pretty much all that will happen right off the bat is I'll have to go in for testing and exams a couple of times a year to monitor my breast and ovarian health so that if anything bad develops, the doctors will find it as soon as possible. I'm sure I will rest easier knowing that there is someone else looking out for my health--someone who knows what to look for and how to help.
The one thing that she did say that scared me the most was that if I test positive for the gene, it is recommended that I have my ovaries removed by the age of 35. Considering the fact that I'm turning 25 in February, that's a pretty scary thought. I don't like the idea of putting a time limit on when I need to complete my family by. I don't, by any means, want to rush the period of time that I'm having children or feel forced to be finished having children, just because I turn 35. On the other hand, I'd rather have kids and be healthy than not have kids yet and end up not being able to have them.

Whatever happens, happens. If I don't have the gene, I may rest easier, but I'll still have to take precautions. If I do have the gene, I'll deal with it. Not knowing is the worst part, once I find out I can actually do something about it! I hope to have the test done in the next week, so I should find out the results within the next month!

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