31. Its in your Jeans....
- Amy Littlejohn
- Jun 6, 2021
- 4 min read
On Tuesday I went to Taunton to see the Clinical Genetics Team.
Anyone under the age of 50 getting Breast cancer, they want to understand why its occurred. At the start of my treatment they took blood from me to test, but this meeting wasn't about the results, it was a general chat about what they look for.
This is what the NHS website says about the genetics team;
The clinical genetics service in Somerset provides people affected by, or at risk of, a genetic condition with accurate information, counselling support and genetic testing.
The objectives of the service are:
to assist with making an accurate diagnosis of a genetic condition within the family
to provide full and accurate information to families about the condition
to give information to families about risks of the condition occurring in themselves or their offspring, and the tests available to them
to provide counselling support, particularly during times of crisis or decision making
to refer families to other professionals if appropriate
The aims of the clinical genetics service is to serve the needs of patients, families and health care professionals by providing genetic information, diagnosis, counselling, management and support.
Taunton Hospital can be a nightmare to park, so my Mum and her partner took me. My Mum also came in with me as I was expecting a lot of jargon and I half expected me not to be able to take it all in.
We needed to find the Old Building, its like a rat maze in there so took us a few mins and about a mile of walking to find the place.
Finally found it and was taken through to a little room. Seen a few of these little rooms now!
A lady called Vo welcomed both of us and sat us down.
She first took our family history, mainly looking for anyone that has had cancer previously.
I have quite a large family, on both my Mum and Dad's side. Considering how large the family is we have very few cases of cancer.
Vo then went into a bit of a science lesson, about Genes and proteins and how the proteins help repair broken cells. If the gene that creates these proteins is broken this could cause cancer.
Genes and Chromosomes make up who we are, eye colour, hair colour, sex, etc.
We all heard about things "skipping a generation", this isn't quite the case. As you have pairs of chromosomes and only one of that pair is faulty then there is a 50/50 chance of that being passed on.
This faulty chromosome/gene that causes cancer is called BRCA 1 or BRCA 2. This is what they are looking for in my blood.
If I have BRCA I would be at higher risk of getting Breast or Ovarian Cancer. It would also mean my sister may also be at risk. Depending if it is Maternal or a Paternal Gene (from either my Mum or Dad), that side of the family could also be at risk.
Its going to be 12 weeks before I get the results. If its found I do have BRCA they will offer me and any family members further checks if they want it. I could also elect for surgery to reduce any risks of more cancer.
All the medical teams ive spoken to so far in regards to genetics have spoken to me like they are treading on egg shells. I understand this could be a difficult conversation for some as I could affect your way of life going forward. But for me, I would like to know. Not just to reduce any risks, but because I'm generally interested. I did always enjoy science at school and I like to understand how everything works, so this information is fascinating to me.
It also helps the NHS further their research in understanding the causes and find better treatment.
So now its just a waiting game for the results.
The following day I had an appointment with the Oncologist about the next steps. They went through the paperwork of the next 4 cycles, the side effects and risks.
As I'm doing the trial the next lot of treatment is a cocktail of 3 drugs;
fluorouracil
epirubicin
cyclophosphamide
Or FEC for short.
Fingers crossed I have no reaction to these drugs like I did with Docetaxal, if all goes well the chemo should only take about 2 hours rather than 7!
Again, it will be 4 cycles 3 weeks apart. Once they have been completed its then Radiotherapy.
I still have the same risk of my hair falling out and all the same annoying side effects, bad taste in my mouth, sore tongue and aches and pains. The hair side of things I'm not worried about, its all the other bits I'm not looking forward to.
It's now the final countdown.....
Yesterday I had my appointment card through, so my next lot of chemo starts on the 14th June! I didn't expect it to be quite so soon, but at least the quicker it starts the quicker it will be finished. I estimate about 13 weeks left of treatment, which takes me up to the end of September.
So come Christmas I hope to be all treatment done and feeling well again! Cant wait! :)
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