Getting My Results

Deciding to get tested is only half the battle. Then you have to wait for your results. Below is a personal account of what it was like for me when the results came back.

My test was on a Friday and I was told it would take two weeks for my results. Two weeks passed and I heard nothing. During that time I spent any free time I had researching the BRCA mutation, statistics, and what my life would look like if I was positive. I'm a very knowledge driven person and I know it would be easier for me to take the news if I had already done my research and knew what I would be facing. The unknown scares me more than the known, so for me this was comforting.

Finally on the 18th day I got a call. The doctor wanted me to come in to get my results and asked to make an appointment for later that day. What's the first thing I do? Look up statistics and search forums to see if coming into the office was a sign the news was bad. The results were mixed. While most doctors would only make a patient come in for bad news, genetic counselors often make patients come in to explain certain results and the possibility that the patient was still at risk. Considering it took me 3 months to get my first appointment and now they want to see me the same day, I assumed I was positive.

I began to accept the diagnosis and researched even more. In the hours leading up to my appointment I read countless blogs from other positive women and looked up cancer statistics. I understood that a positive diagnosis wasn't the end of things and there were options moving forward.

I finally went in for my appointment and it was just as I thought - I was positive for the BRCA 1 genetic mutation, the same as the rest of my family. To my doctor's surprise, I wasn't that upset. She kept saying it was okay if I cried or called someone to be here with me. But I had already accepted that I was positive before walking in so it wasn't a shock for me. The doctor quickly began to explain the next steps: an appointment with another genetic counselor to fully understand the diagnosis; a referral to a gynecologic oncologist; and an appointment with a breast surgeon.

The doctor then explained my cancer risk. Because of the BRCA 1 mutation, I am at higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer.

Overall, I have an 87% chance of developing breast cancer, 63% chance of ovarian cancer, and an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. The average women's chances are 7%, 0.7% and 1%, respectfully.

Additionally she explained that BRCA 1 is responsible for more aggressive cancer. However, because we know I am positive, we could now start early testing and planning, and we would be in a better position to fight if and when it comes to that. Even facing this life altering news, I knew it was better to know now than to find out after a cancer diagnosis.