Would you want to know?

[Tommyb]

Hey everyone,

Interested in everyone's opinions on this..

If you had a family history of a disease that wasn't necessarily life threatening but can lead to a serious operation in the future and some pretty gruelling treatment would you get tested for the gene?. Being that if you had the gene it doesn't mean you will get the disease but that you are more likely to get it.

Also.. does having kids/not having kids yet change your answer?

Thanks!

 

[littlepup]

I’d want to know. If you find out you don’t have it your situation improves massively. If you find out you do, you’re still in the same situation as you were In that you don’t know if it will develop but at least you know there’s a chance.
Basically unless you know 100% you don’t have the gene then you’ll always believe there’s a chance it will develop.
Eta: kids irrelevant

 

[Messychaotic - one word]

Yes, I would want to know - just so if I did start feeling ill I'd be able to mention it to my doctor to see if there was any correlation.

I don't have kids by choice for other reasons, but I don't think it would impact my decision on whether or not to have them.

 

[Melian]

WE have a family history of some various health issues. I've got what sounds like an undiagnosed genetic health problem. (every test comes back normal, but the consultant knows there's something wrong)

I'd want to know personally.

Can't have kids (you can't if you take certain medication) so that doesn't affect me.

 

[jackolantern]

Yes.

If you don't have it and find out - huge weight off your shoulders.
If you don't and don't find out - you'll always wonder and have missed the amazing peace of mind.
If you do and find out - able to try and do something about it.
If you do and don't find out - chance of worse prognosis.

Either way, the best outcomes come from finding out. Especially when there's children involved, you owe it to them to both find out incase they could have it, but also because they need you and you enhance your chance of being around for them if you get tested and treatment if needed. No brainer IMO.

 

[Tommyb]

Thank you all. I don't have children yet so it was more around deciding to have them.

 

[littlepup]

Thank you all. I don't have children yet so it was more around deciding to have them.

Not having it would give you more peace of mind knowing it wouldn’t be passed to children, I misunderstood what you meant there.
But if I had something that could be passed, it wouldn’t affect my choice to have them or not unless it was guaranteed and completely debilitating. Nothing is promised to anyone, we could all develop things at any time & we also don’t know what the future holds in terms of cures etc so I would still have children of all other factors told me to.

 

[BettyCrockerr]

Yes of course. I don’t know what anyone would choose not to find out?

 

[EasterEggs]

I asked the same Q in the living with cancer thread last night!

I think it probably depends on the illness and for cancer I’m torn but veering towards no I do not want to find out if I’m genetically predisposed.

If there was something that could be done to eliminate/reduce the risk if you had the gene then yes. But as it stands no - I don’t want to live my life constantly anticipating something that may never happen and if it does happen, I have no control over it.

 

[Tommyb]

I asked the same Q in the living with cancer thread last night!

I think it probably depends on the illness and for cancer I’m torn but veering towards no I do not want to find out if I’m genetically predisposed.

If there was something that could be done to eliminate/reduce the risk if you had the gene then yes. But as it stands no - I don’t want to live my life constantly anticipating something that may never happen and if it does happen, I have no control over it.

This is a great point. I'm told that the gene plus other lifestyles choices seem to be the combination that kick starts the disease. So I suppose there is some "control" even if you had the gene. For example one of the factors is being overweight. Which I am not but it would give me the incentive to ensure I don't become overweight.