Recovering from Gastrectomy

I have come a long way over the past year in my health.

I decided to get tested for CDH1 E-Cadherin mutation which is a dominant genetic trait which runs in my maternal family which causes about 70% of the people to get the notoriously hard to detect, diffused gastric cancer after 20+ (average age: mid 30s).

After submitting my blood to be tested, I kept of delaying my results as I was always busy with something. After about 6 months, and starting a new career as well as visiting India (being a Pakistani citizen, it was an interesting experience), I finally decided to get my results. To my amazement, it turns out I had the mutation.

The two options for me, at 26 were to either have total gastrectomy, or to have the inefficient, 6-monthly gastroscopies. God-willingly, in my first gastroscopy, it was found I had signet ring cells (Cancer stage 0 – which might not even develop).

But having signet ring cells, as well as my genetic tendency to have gastric cancer (which is a horrible way to succumb as near the end, the person cannot eat anything at all), I decided to have the operation done. Shortly after I turned 27, I had the operation, and with the support of Yahoo Group called HDGC, I am finally recovering. I haven’t belched in a week, and plan to return to work in another week hopefully.

~ by zkashan on July 22, 2008.