How you might feel about going for a genetic consultation

You might find it upsetting to talk to your genetic consultant or counsellor. You will be talking about the possibility of getting cancer. You might also be reminded of other close relatives who had cancer and perhaps have died. Being upset is a normal reaction to talking about a difficult subject.

You may find that you are anxious about talking to other members of your family, because you are worried about them or their reactions. You can talk to your genetic counsellor or consultant about your feelings. They are trained to deal with all aspects of familial cancer including the emotional reactions people have.

Some people feel much better after they have had genetic counselling, perhaps because they had overestimated their personal risk of cancer. Counselling can also make you feel that you are taking control of a problem that has worried you for a long time. Either way, you might find it useful to get support from other people afterwards, including the Cancerbackup nurses.

You can take a member of your family or a friend with you to your counselling session. They might remind you of questions you wanted to ask, and can help you remember what the counsellor actually said. It can be useful to have another person who knows as much as you do about your cancer risk, so that you can share your thoughts with them. You can also ask your genetic counsellor or consultant to write down what you have talked about, so you can read it again afterwards. It is common for people to forget what doctors tell them in this type of situation. If you don't understand what you have been told, let the consultant or counsellor know, so they can explain again.

Remember that no one expects you to make any decisions on the spot. You don't need to make immediate decisions about who to tell, or about screening or testing, if you aren't sure. You can also speak to the genetic counsellor or specialist again if you have more questions later on.