Elephants and Tea - Precision Medicine - 7

Genetic Testing
PRECISION MEDICINE AT WORK
Never-Ending A
Cancer Syndrome
BY TRACY BYWATER
never-ending cancer
syndrome. Let me repeat
that so it can really
sink in, a never-ending
cancer syndrome. It's the
nonstop growth of every person's nightmare;
a complete break in your tumor suppressor
gene. Instead of your genes taking care of
your body as they should; your body grows
tumors uncontrollably. This nightmare is
my reality as I have a genetic defect in my
Menin gene. This rare disease is called
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1, what
a mouthful. Let's call it MEN1.
This cancer syndrome occurs primarily
in the neuroendocrine system but creates
tumors throughout the entire body. The
most common places these tumors occur
are in the pituitary gland, the parathyroid
glands, and the pancreas. They are
hormone-secreting, meaning they send
signals out into the body to create more
tumors and wreak havoc continuously.
There's almost always more than one.
I can't recall the number of times I
was in and out of the doctor's office and
hospital as a chi ld. Anxiety-induced
asthma attacks led to coughing up blood,
GI issues, all over joint and body pain,
depression, etc., the list goes on. We had
no idea what was wrong with me, and I
was surrounded by questions with no
answers. Misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis
left me mentally strained and believing I
was crazy, as there was no solve in sight.
As a teen, I had severe cramps every
time I menstruated that caused so much
pain I couldn't walk. I was irregular since
my first time at the age of 11, and there was
no relief even through all the medication
changes. As a married adult, I moved and
lost my original doctors, including my
OB-GYN. It took me a long time to find
one, but my sister kept pressing me, so I
finally called.
After we continuously tried different
methods to help with my symptoms, my
doctor said that I may have a brain tumor.
Needless to say, this was completely
shocking, especially coming from her.
She recommended I see an endocrinolELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
PRECISION
MEDICINE ISSUE 2024
7
http://www.ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
Elephants and Tea - Precision Medicine

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