Where this was said
The 85% Number, The Biopsy That Bled, and Getting to Surgery
At 23:03 · chapter starts 22:30
The genetic counselor's assessment crystallizes Jackie's situation: 85% lifetime breast cancer risk, 65% ovarian cancer risk. Jackie reflects that a 50/50 chance would be enough to act, and that 85% actually comes as a relief — the number is too high to argue with, which eliminates the paralysis of ambivalence. Three MRIs follow, including one where she took a Xanax for claustrophobia and lay face-down in a 'tit trough.' After a biopsy, the stitch comes undone in the waiting room and Jackie realizes she is bleeding through her shirt. She flags down a woman carrying a trash can, who turns out to be a nurse — not a janitor — and the re-stitching happens in a random doctor's office. The whole experience cements her resolve to stop doing more of these procedures and commit to surgery. [1] — Jackie Tohn "Breast cancer surveillance has MRIs, biopsies, and the ability to detect stage 0 disease. Ovarian cancer has a pelvic ultrasound and not mu…" 22:30
Breast cancer surveillance has MRIs, biopsies, and the ability to detect stage 0 disease. Ovarian cancer has a pelvic ultrasound and not much else. Jackie's ovaries — grape-sized organs — remain difficult to screen effectively, which is exactly why BRCA-positive women are advised to remove them before 40.
Jackie's pre-surgery workup involved three MRIs and a biopsy. After the biopsy, she was sitting in the waiting room when she realized she was soaking through her shirt with blood. She ran into the hallway screaming for a nurse — and the first woman she found turned out to be a nurse carrying soiled linens. The stitch had to be redone in a random office.
Insurance covers BRCA genetic testing under three official criteria: a family member with rare cancer, young-onset cancer, or multiple cancers. The unofficial fourth criterion that Jackie advocates for loudly: being Ashkenazi Jewish. The test is a saliva kit at learnmyrisk.com. There is no excuse not to spit in a tube.
