At first I spent a lot of time on the phone. I was talking with the folks over at Texas Oncology. Once I learned of my mother's breast cancer, I signed up for a genetic consultation.
But before that I had some work to do … a lot of work to do.
From the countless pamphlets, papers, DVDs and packages I didn't know where to begin with the overwhelming amount of information.
Most of the questions dealt with my medical history and my family's history. It provided information about genetic testing and explained the links between breast and ovarian cancer and how the results could impact my health and well-being.
That same day I went for my genetic consultation. I was taken through my risk assessment.
"Having taken a short look at your family, the fact that your mom, she's under the age of 50, which is strikingly young and is suspicious enough for us to take a closer look," Nurse Practitioner Lisa Sailor said.
A closer look at a genetic mutation categorizes two different kinds of breast cancer: Breast cancer 1 and breast cancer 2, or BCRA 1 and 2 for short.
"When there's a flaw in their makeup and we call that flaw a mutation, then they are not able to do their jobs in protecting us," Sailor said. "And, that's what allows the cancer to develop and to develop early."
If there is a flaw, my chances of getting breast cancer jump from 8 percent to 50-80 percent.
From there I would have a few options, first I wanted increased surveillance, which is basically more screening and testing for breast and ovarian cancer beyond mammograms.
Another option would be chemo prevention and medications to deter the cancer from surfacing.
There is also prophylactic surgery, which would mean removing my healthy breast and ovaries to reduce the chances.
"There's a number of different ways to look at this, but everyone's a little different in the choices we would make," Sailor said.
There's also the possibility that the cancer could never surface.
Dr. John Sandbach, an oncologist of Texas Oncology, said if you have the genetic abnormality, there's still uncertainty whether you get breast cancer or not.
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"This is not an absolute yes or no gene. That you're guaranteed to get breast cancer if you have the genetic abnormality," he said.
Get this: Even if I don't have the gene, there's still a 10-15 percent chance that I could develop breast cancer.
"There may be another breast cancer gene we haven't discovered yet," Sailor said.
It's a lot to digest in one sitting. It all comes down to taking that step to a lab and getting my blood drawn.
"It's not a simple cholesterol test. It had a lot of implications for individuals and their families, and we want to be sure people understand those implications," Sailor said.
That's where I stopped.
I asked if she would be available if my husband had further questions.
He had a ton of questions and concerns. His worries are in line with others, too -- like what emotional effect the results could bring, understanding the guilty feeling associated with passing the gene on to my daughter and even concerns about the lack of legal protection when it comes to getting a job or life insurance.
These were worries that would be allayed if I actually got the test, but in the end we'll make this decision as a family. We have time.
It's something other families don't have the luxury of.
For more information, please visit the Breast Cancer Institute Web site.
