Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Blog Post 2--Genetic Testing
If you had the opportunity to be tested for a genetic disorder that would develop later in life, would you do it? What would make you want to know? What would make you not want to know? What if the test was for cancer? What if the test was for Huntington's disease? (think about the symptoms, etc of each). Please give THOUGHTFUL answers :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think I would want to be tested, because personally I hate being apprehensive of something that might never happen, and in this case without testing i might never know what exactly I have that is manifesting itself later. A small part of me doesn't want to know; ignorance is bliss style thinking, don't worry about it and just live your life. I would definitely want to know if it was for cancer or Huntington's; if I tested negative, that would be a great relief because I can live sure that I may never develop these illnesses. If positive, I at least know that there is a natural reason for why certain things are happening; for example if I'm having seizures and tested positive for Huntington's, I would know that was why.
ReplyDeleteI have never had to think about such a thing but, I would NOT get tested unless showing symptoms for a disorder. Just because if I got tested and it turns out i did have one I personally don't think i could cope. So unless i was showing symptoms i don't think i would go get tested. Because i would rather just live my life with out having to worry about that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to be tested for anything. I just want to live and do what I'm going to do without having to do it because I'm scared I might die. When people think they're going to die, sometimes they do some pretty crazy things. They do drugs and other dangerous things.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd want to be tested unless the genetic disorder was something that ran in my family. If it did run in my family, I'd want to know so if I did have it I could sort of plan life accordingly, especially if it was a fatal disorder. At the same time, though, there's a chance that I could let the worrying about this event in my future consume me and I could stop enjoying life in the moment, so in that way, it might be better not to know. If I ever think that I could have cancer or if it ran in my family, I'd want to get tested as soon as possible, because certain types of cancer metastasize quickly. If Huntington's ran in my family, I'd definitely get tested, because it's a fatal disorder once the symptoms begin to appear. Since it doesn't, though, there's really not a point, since it's a dominant allele and my parents can't be carriers without having it.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought for everyone--remember that early detection of cancer means a better chance for curing it! Dopes that change your feelings at all?
ReplyDeleteIf I had the opportunity to be tested for a genetic disorder that would develop later in life, I would want to do it. I would rather find out about any diseases I may have and possibly get treatments for them so I can go on with my life. I would want to get tested was if the test was for cancer. I would want to be tested for cancer because there have been many people that find out they have cancer and at that point it is too late to overcome it. I would want to find out at an early stage of the diseases (Cancer and Huntington's)because that way I could mentally prepare myself for whatever my happen in the future.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to be tested using such methods as Chorionic Villus because it could possibly effect me, nor Amniocentesis, because it is an unpleasent process for my mother and it could be dangerous. I agree with Elise in that I would only be tested if i knew that my family had previous history of the disorder. I would only use methods such as Karyotyoing, and gene testing, because they wouldn't have a deleterious effect on my body. I would hate to know my whole life i had to live with the disorder, but i think it is important to know early especially if it's something like cancer so i can do what i can to do to survive. If it were some thing on the lines of huntigntions disorder, I would also want to know early on, because it is a serious disorder, and i would want to know what to do to treat it.
ReplyDeletePatrick i agree that i would want to live my life normally, I would not be able to handle the shock of finding out about that i have a disease, and just knowing that I could've done something about it. I wouldn't be able to handle those feelings.
ReplyDeleteyes because you can know what to expect so you can prepare your self and your family for that. I wouldn't want to know because then I would have to face it and I would freak out. If the test was for cancer I would do it because then I might be able to treat it before it it could get to an advanced stage. Yes because I wouldn't want to start randomly twitching when not knowing why.
ReplyDeleteI think I would want to be tested, but it would get me really paranoid about something being wrong with me. But, it would definitely be nice to know and be able to prepare yourself and be able to do things that you might not be able to do once you are diagnosed with the disorder. For example, if you found out you were going to get muscular dystrophy you might want to play sports and be active while you can because it can lead to inability of walking. If the test was for cancer I would want to know, same goes for huntington's. I feel like for anything, the sooner you know. The sooner you can deal with it and make it better.
ReplyDeleteRaffi Elise Steele and aubree... I agree that not being tested sounds good because it would be shocking and scary to discover you do have a disorder, but like ms Sosnoski said, the sooner you know about your cancer or disorder the sooner you can cure it!
ReplyDeleteNarrissa,
I agree with you that we all have our ideas of what we would do but we don't really know unless it actually happens. I say right now that I'd live it to the fullest, but maybe if it were to happen, I'd be ashamed and too upset to go out and have fun.
I agree with Raffi because I wouldn't want to be tested for those birth disorders unless I knew I had a very likely chance of having it because it sounds very painful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elise because it could effect your future because you would be to precocious and not live life to the fullest unless you knew there was a strong likely hood you had it.
If I had the chance to be tested for huntington's disease I would not do it because if I was tested for it and the results were positive I wouldn't want to risk living the rest of my life in fear. Knowing that I had huntington's could be very scary and would most likely change the way I see everything and how I make decisions, not nesesarily in a good way. I would deffinatly want to know it I had cancer though, so I could treat it as early as possible and have a better chance at surviving.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the great answers so far!
ReplyDeleteRaffi- remember that CVS and amniocentesis are done during pregnancy, which means that is not an option for you at this point in life.
ReplyDeleteTigran- I would like that know if I had a disease that would affect me in my 40s because then I would live my life differently based on how much time I would have left before my cancer kills me or I can't really live life like how I would when I get Huntingtonjs disease.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know if I had huntingtons disease because it would not be fun to go crazy when I was 40. I would only do it if there was a trait in my family. If the test was for cancer then I would do it because cancer does not sound like fun.
ReplyDeleteI would Never Want to get tested. I wouldn't want to know if I'm going to die and when, that would suck...
ReplyDeleteAaron Malcolm
I would want to be tested right now. Then, if i didn't have the disease, i wouldn't have to worry about it. If i did have a disease like cancer or Huntington's, i would be able to prepare for it, like living my life to the fullest and trying to stay healthy. Then, i could also reserch the disease and learn about it so i would know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteMrs Sosnoski, If i showed symptoms then i would get tested for cancer but i wouldn't just out of blue go get tested even if it did mean earlier treatment. Just because i wouldn't ever think of it. i agree with Narissa
ReplyDeleteMassi I agree with you - I would want to know if I was going to end up crazy and what not, so I could plan my life accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI would want to get tested now for a disease. Then if I had a certain disease I could research what I can do personally about living with it. I would want to get tested for cancer because then I could go through treatment to try to cure it. I would also want to get tested for Huntington's because I could prepare to live with the symptoms... but I wouldn't like the fact of having this disease because I probably would live in fear.
ReplyDeleteI would want to be testes for genetic disorders as soon as possible. I don't want to find out that I have cancer or Huntington's or something else like that when it is too late. I would want to know what is going to happen to me, and around when, so I can live my life as much as I want before I die or develop mental retardation. Then again, I would be very scared, yet it is still better to know ahead of time in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely get the testing for both Huntington's disease and cancer. I could prepare for cancer and increase my chances of survival. For Huntington's disease I could ask my family and friends after I'm 35 to look after me and to care for me as my mental skills deteriorate.
ReplyDeleteI would want to be tested for cancer, because the earlier it is caught, the better the chance is that I would survive. I don't think I would want to be tested for Huntington's however, because It might scare me if I did have it, and since there's no known cure (I think!), detecting it sooner wouldn't change anything.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to be tested for Huntington disease because I don't want to know when I'll die. However ,with cancer, i wouldn't mind getting tested, because I would survive if it was treated early. But for the diseases that develop later, getting tested would just make me nervous, not prepared.
ReplyDeleteI would want to get tested, because then i would be aware of what might happen in the future. I would know if I had to live my life a different way depending on if I was going to get a disease or not. I would also much rather have the doctors catch the disease early and hopefully find a way to make it less harmful, rather then finding out later in life after the disease has already affected me and could possibly be more dangerous.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the chance to be tested for huntingon's disease I would be pretty afraid to know the results. In fact, I don't know if I would want to be tested in the first place because I wouldn't want anything to hold be back from living a good life. I feel if I got tested and I had it, that would change my whole outlook on life and I would become afraid of life itself. If it was a test for cancer I would definitely get tested, I guess jut because some cancers can go away and one can survive from it. (:
ReplyDeleteI would want to be tested for cancer. The reason I would want to get tested is because I know that I am at risk since my aunt and grandma both had breast cancer. Knowing if I was positive or negative would enable me to have more treatment opportunities and know if I could possibly pass it on to my kids in the future. Regarding Huntington's, I don't think I would want to get tested unless I showed symptoms because I wouldn't want to depress myself knowing if there was nothing I could do to stop it. You can slow down the symptoms with certain treatments, but it would never go away.
ReplyDeleteRebel Todhunter
If I were to be tested for a genetic disorder that would occur in my later years, yes I would like to know what the diagnosis would be. What I don't want to hear rather than know would be that if it was something that would end my life to at an early age. I also would like to know if the disease or sympton would be a dominant or a recessive gene in order to know the outcome of my child.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steele about people doing crazy things in there life when they know its coming to an end. It's hard on people mentally to know that they're going to die in time and i think thats what stimulates people to do dangerous things.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to be tested for a genetic disorder because then i would just spend the rest of my life worrying about when it was going to show. I agree with elise partly though because if my family had had disorders i might want to check just to get the load of not knowing off my back but if there was no reason to suspect i wouldn't do it. If it was something like cancer and had reason to be tested, i would want to know because that's mostly treatable if you catch it early. Other disorders would be good to know too because then i would know the risk of passing it on to my children. I wouldn't want to get tested for Hungtingtons because my parents don't have it. I agree with Luna, if i got tested for it and did have it, it would just make sad and maybe not live the happiest life.
ReplyDeleteI would want to be tested. I agree with Zsofi when she says that she wouldn't want to spend her life worrying about the diseases, but I think that if I got tested, I would actually spend less time worrying about it. It's important to know about any possible genetic disorders you have, because you could treat them. If it turns out that you can't be treated, you would learn to appreciate what you have in your life, and you would make good use of the time you have left. I would get tested for cancer, because that's something that you have to treat as early as possible. I would also get tested for Huntington's disease.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Patrick when he says being tested for Huntington's would be good, because you would know about what's happening to you. If you notice any symptoms, (like uncontrollable movements or mental deterioration) you would understand that they were coming from Huntington's disease.
I would want to be tested for a disorder, because I feel that its better to know early on so you can prepare for it. Especially if its huntingtons, because either you can be really relieved if you don't have it, or if you do,you will prepared for the symptoms and not think your going crazy. I also would want to get tested for cancer, because you have a better chance of survival if its caught early.
ReplyDeleteI agree with luna about testing for cancer early, and I also agree with cassidy about testing for a disorder early so you can see how to prepare and possibly make it less harmful.
I would want to be tested for a disorder. I think it would be safer to know early, if you have a disorder so that you know how to treat it. Also if disorders are left untreated that can get worse. I would definitely want to get tested for cancer because it is very important to get it treated early. I know that from a real example because my grandma is a cancer survivor and she survived because her cancer was noticed early and treated.
ReplyDeleteI would also want to get tested for Huntington's disease because I know that Huntington's disease is very dangerous and can really harm your brain if its left untreated.
I would like to know because then I can live my life to the fullest, instead of working out your life doing something you hate. And yes, even though it would be sad knowing that your entire life, it can also be helpful in the long run, because if there is some new treatment that comes out in the future to help cure Huntington's or cancer, and you don't know that you have it until it's to late then there's no point.
ReplyDeleteI would want to be tested for a disorder because then i could possibly get treatment for it or do certain things to help it so that the symptoms wouldn't be so severe when I'm older. I would definitely want to get tested for cancer because then i could possibly cure it when it's in the early stage and be tested for Huntington's for the same reason. I do see why people wouldn't want to get tested though because you would be living your life in anxiety and fear and we already have enough stress in our lives...but i wouldn't want to miss the chance to cure a disease if I had one.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to change the traits of my child. Like Aleea said the child would be the balance of you and your partner. Also it wouldn't feel right designing your child. It would feel more like buying an object at a store than actually having the baby naturally. The only genetic modifications i would make is to try to prevent diseases/disorders. (not late, I was absent on Friday)
ReplyDeleteI would want to know, because I would like to know ahead of time if I would develop a disease and what it was. Even if it is a small not very serious disease I would still like to know so I could prepare for it. Even if it was something that can't be cured doctors could still come up with a cure for it and then it would be gone. It is always good to know about something ahead of time so that you can prepare and there won't be any shock.
ReplyDeleteI would want to know definetely. I would want to know because then I can try to slow it down or stop it at an early stage, as you can with many cancers that develop over time. Also, I could live life to the fullest, make sure to get done the things I want to get done, and prepare my family to be fine-off when I die, have good insurance, the house payed off, etc.
ReplyDeleteI definetely agree with Cassidy, there's always a chance that you can stop the illness.
ReplyDeleteif i had the opportunity to be tested for a genetic disorder that would develop later in my life, i would do it. i would want to make sure that if i had a disease that it would get cured as soon as posible.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the opportunity to be tested for a generic disorder I would do it because I would like to know ahead of time if I were going to get this disorder instead of out being a surprise
ReplyDelete