Hi all,
Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm new to the forums but I'm having a bit of a breakdown and I don't really know anyone I can talk to about this.
My partner bought him and I the '23 and Me' genetic health/ancestry kits when they were on offer on Amazon. His results came through a week or so ago and came back with absolutely no abnormalities or carrier status. I was somewhat expecting something similar myself.
When mine came, the blue 'increased risk' bubble next to late onset Alzheimer's has really hit me hard. The 23 and Me app cheerfully tells me that I'm carry 2 copies of the ε4 variant in the APOE gene, associated with an increased risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
"Studies estimate that, on average, a woman of European descent with this result has a 28% chance of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease by age 75 and a 60% chance by age 85."
I'm suddenly overwhelmed by this information.... My grandmother developed Alzheimer's when she was 80 or so and my mother (67) shows early signs (it's something I would like to bring up with her at some point but that's another topic...) but I'm 27 and I can't tell you how I regret taking this stupid test. I feel resigned and I feel utterly alone and helpless.
I know that there's no 'guarantee' and that my lifestyle will have a factor too... but I can't help feeling this overwhelming sense of dread and sadness that I'll never be able to un-know this information (well... maybe when I have Alzheimer's I'll be able to forget...). It's got horrible implications - will my partner and any children I have become my carers one day? Will I just be able to get on with life knowing this?
I don't know if anyone else has been through anything remotely similar here? I'm not really looking for advice or assurances as I know there's not much that can be said... but I wondered if anyone else has been able to 'make peace' with their genetics... or has made good of it?
If anything... for anyone reading this... please think twice before taking one of these genetic tests. You might not like what you find.
Thanks in advance to all who read!
Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm new to the forums but I'm having a bit of a breakdown and I don't really know anyone I can talk to about this.
My partner bought him and I the '23 and Me' genetic health/ancestry kits when they were on offer on Amazon. His results came through a week or so ago and came back with absolutely no abnormalities or carrier status. I was somewhat expecting something similar myself.
When mine came, the blue 'increased risk' bubble next to late onset Alzheimer's has really hit me hard. The 23 and Me app cheerfully tells me that I'm carry 2 copies of the ε4 variant in the APOE gene, associated with an increased risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
"Studies estimate that, on average, a woman of European descent with this result has a 28% chance of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease by age 75 and a 60% chance by age 85."
I'm suddenly overwhelmed by this information.... My grandmother developed Alzheimer's when she was 80 or so and my mother (67) shows early signs (it's something I would like to bring up with her at some point but that's another topic...) but I'm 27 and I can't tell you how I regret taking this stupid test. I feel resigned and I feel utterly alone and helpless.
I know that there's no 'guarantee' and that my lifestyle will have a factor too... but I can't help feeling this overwhelming sense of dread and sadness that I'll never be able to un-know this information (well... maybe when I have Alzheimer's I'll be able to forget...). It's got horrible implications - will my partner and any children I have become my carers one day? Will I just be able to get on with life knowing this?
I don't know if anyone else has been through anything remotely similar here? I'm not really looking for advice or assurances as I know there's not much that can be said... but I wondered if anyone else has been able to 'make peace' with their genetics... or has made good of it?
If anything... for anyone reading this... please think twice before taking one of these genetic tests. You might not like what you find.
Thanks in advance to all who read!