I got the results today for my genetic testing of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene.  The BC Cancer Agency called me yesterday to make an appointment to give me the results.  They generally do it over the phone.  I had a full day of waiting.  So anyway, I don’t carry those genes.
There’s the good news.
She did say, just like the first geneticist I saw, that there is obviously some factor in my family, be it a gene they haven’t isolated or even some environmental factor that is causing the breast cancer.  She said there was far too many cases of it in my family for it to be just chance.  If I’d had the genes, it would have increased the odds of other female family members getting cancer.  That’s not to say that the odds aren’t high for them as it is, but talking to the geneticist, is sounded like the genes would have almost sealed their fate.  Like I said, it was good news.
Because of the high incidents of it, and because an aunt and I were both diagnosed premenopausal, both of us at the age of 47, that my nieces and probably anyone else, can get a mammogram at the age of 37 with a referral rather than having to wait until their 40’s.
She also suggested I keep in touch with them, and that if they can isolate any other factors, they can test me for them.  I’m all for that.  Anything I can do to help promote diagnoses or help isolate factors or genes or whatever.
This does raise more questions for me.  Part of me was kind of wishing I tested positive, then I could blame getting breast cancer on something.  But now what?  Something caused this.  Something caused all these women in my family to get breast cancer.  I would really like to know what it is.  I also hope that by some small miracle, I am the last one.  I really don’t want to see any more of us go through this.