We've had a few threads on this board about medical testing and insurance information.
Some of us would prefer to know whether or not we have a PSA that could indicate prostate cancer, even if it's a false positive and the biopsy's dangerous and the radiation's hazardous and the excision is worse and the cancer's moving too slow to kill us. Since my Dad's already been through a prostatectomy, I'm a big fan of early warning. But others are just as adamant about preferring not to know.
Some of us would prefer to know our full medical/genetic profiles, but we'd be very unhappy if that information ended up in the hands of our insurers (health, long-term care, and life) or our employers. By remaining blissfully ignorant we keep others from being malevolently informed. In my case I don't have to worry about Tricare or the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program messing with my premiums-- or at least, not messing with me more than they'd mess with everyone else. I certainly don't have to worry about workplaces. Again I'm a fan of early warning.
My spouse and I (especially me) have ancestry indicators that should make our daughter concerned about having kids of her own. (No matter how brilliant, talented, and attractive they will turn out to be.) That's probably true for everyone, but now we can do something about it.
23andMe, the personal genetic testing startup, has just scored a major venture capital round. As part of their customer growth (so that they can sell "anonymous" data to researchers) they've dropped their fee from $299 to just $99. We three Nordmans spit into our test tubes over Christmas break, and now the results are rolling in. The reports are too lengthy and detailed to be absorbed at one sitting.
I'm going to blog about the process, and I have some decisions to make on how much of the results I care to share. 23andMe has confirmed that all three of us are going to die someday, but now we can worry about it more constructively. Or not. Let's just say that I'm past "fear/anger/denial" and deeply into "bargaining". I'll probably never achieve "acceptance".
Has anyone else here done 23andMe? Care to share your thoughts on the process and the fees?
Would you care to share your story (either in this thread or via PM/e-mail) for The-Military-Guide.com, either by name or anonymously?
I have a choice of sharing some, all, or none of my personal results on my blog. Once I make that choice, it's tough to change it. If you've shared the results of your testing already, is there anything you'd do differently-- or not do at all?
Some of us would prefer to know whether or not we have a PSA that could indicate prostate cancer, even if it's a false positive and the biopsy's dangerous and the radiation's hazardous and the excision is worse and the cancer's moving too slow to kill us. Since my Dad's already been through a prostatectomy, I'm a big fan of early warning. But others are just as adamant about preferring not to know.
Some of us would prefer to know our full medical/genetic profiles, but we'd be very unhappy if that information ended up in the hands of our insurers (health, long-term care, and life) or our employers. By remaining blissfully ignorant we keep others from being malevolently informed. In my case I don't have to worry about Tricare or the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program messing with my premiums-- or at least, not messing with me more than they'd mess with everyone else. I certainly don't have to worry about workplaces. Again I'm a fan of early warning.
My spouse and I (especially me) have ancestry indicators that should make our daughter concerned about having kids of her own. (No matter how brilliant, talented, and attractive they will turn out to be.) That's probably true for everyone, but now we can do something about it.
23andMe, the personal genetic testing startup, has just scored a major venture capital round. As part of their customer growth (so that they can sell "anonymous" data to researchers) they've dropped their fee from $299 to just $99. We three Nordmans spit into our test tubes over Christmas break, and now the results are rolling in. The reports are too lengthy and detailed to be absorbed at one sitting.
I'm going to blog about the process, and I have some decisions to make on how much of the results I care to share. 23andMe has confirmed that all three of us are going to die someday, but now we can worry about it more constructively. Or not. Let's just say that I'm past "fear/anger/denial" and deeply into "bargaining". I'll probably never achieve "acceptance".
Has anyone else here done 23andMe? Care to share your thoughts on the process and the fees?
Would you care to share your story (either in this thread or via PM/e-mail) for The-Military-Guide.com, either by name or anonymously?
I have a choice of sharing some, all, or none of my personal results on my blog. Once I make that choice, it's tough to change it. If you've shared the results of your testing already, is there anything you'd do differently-- or not do at all?