I did think about whether to see whether I’d got a gene that, you know, my daughter may have inherited. And I talked to my sister who has had breast cancer, and we talked about it together and apparently her daughter had talked to her and said that she hadn’t wanted to have any tests, you know, to see whether shed got this gene. I haven’t asked my daughter but I’ve actually decided to put it on hold and maybe think about it later. Shes an intelligent girl and I think that shes probably already read that you can have genetic testing and so weve put it on hold, I’ve put it on hold and I’m sure she has mentally.

But because I went to a geneticist and because the ovarian cancer cell gene is on the same one as the breast cancer gene, I got a mammogram, and I was also advised that my sister, because I have one sister, should get a mammogram too. So my sister who’s thirty-eight had a mammogram a year ago and unfortunately breast cancer was diagnosed and she got an operation, radiotherapy, and she now will get mammograms and ovarian screening too.

So both of us are registered for the mammograms and ovarian screening. The one good thing that you must say about my sister is the fact that it was pre-cancerous cells that were found and the excitement of the breast cancer doctor was basically the fact that screening, breast cancer screening saves lives. And at the end of the day my sister was thirty-eight and might not have developed a lump for another ten years, it might not have been found, it might have spread, so I think you have to look at the fact that, you know, she was actioned very quickly, but it does make us think that perhaps, I mean evidently theres only 10% of ovarian cancer is genetic, but it does make us think that perhaps it’s our genes that have given it, you know, both of us, or else were just very unfortunate. But my sister, my cousin, I have one female cousin on the same side of the family and I have one niece, so they will get ovarian screening and mammograms as well.

And of course now the thing that really upsets me is that now my daughters, who are in a screening programme for colorectal cancer because I am a risk and their father died of it and their grandmother died of it, and their maternal grandfather died of it, that’s my father, so all my family are already in a colorectal screening, and now the girls need to have ovarian screening which, which they are doing. And again that’s through, through my surgeon and his unit. They’re having to be screened for the ovarian cancer, which is tough on them. I feel rather guilty about doing that to them.

And I also have regular mammograms, regular check ups as well for breast cancer. The latest thing with the breast surgeon is they are asking me to consider to have a prophylactic double mastectomy, which is something I’m not willing to consider at the moment, but obviously I haven’t sort of closed the door completely on it. And I will continue to be, I think, breast aware and I’m obviously more aware with the ovarian cancer now anyway.

I think, I’ve only just had my last consultation with the breast surgeon, he wanted me to think about it, and I was quite adamant I wasn’t even going to think about it, I was Mrs Angry actually. And when I went two weeks ago to see him he introduced me to a plastic surgeon and two other doctors, and another nurse, and it was really intimidating, and I was really angry and my anger came out in tears.

And that’s probably the first time I’ve cried over the whole thing, but I was angry that they were putting me in this position, you know, explaining to me about reconstruction and I just, you know, I’m just not willing to consider it. I think for myself, but also for my family, I think that, you know, they’re just pleased that I’m now back to normal after everything else and I can’t put myself or my family through that. You know, that doesn’t mean that I won’t consider it in the future. At the moment I’m saying no’ but, you know, if I had a scare or, you know, if I felt stronger mentally and physically, I might consider it.

I haven’t been offered a test. I did mention it to my oncologist that when my sister was diagnosed, because shes eight years younger than I am, so it was quite far into my experience, and he said “Oh perhaps I should mention this.” He did take a note of it but I don’t know, with only the two of us perhaps it’s not sufficiently interesting. As far as I know I’m the first member of the family to have, that we know inside about three generations, to have ovarian cancer, although it might have been misdiagnosed in, you know, perhaps because it shows up in different places.

I know of nobody in my family until my sister who’s had breast cancer, so the two of us have turned up, you know, in one generation.

So, you know, I, I think the idea of the genetic testing is an important one but of course it’s not one which is recommended is it to sort of everybody because it can be, it could be a frightening, it’s better to think ‘well I’ve got a one in however many chances’ than to think ‘it’s very likely’ I think.