Genetics testing

So on 8/31/09, I went into a clinic in Rockville and filled in a registration form for my genetics test. This is where they find out if you are likely to pass on any genetic disorders. The examples the doctor gave me were Tay-Sachs disease and sickle-cell disease...neither of which I'm prone to seeing as I have no Jewish or African American ancestry.

First thing we did after introducing ourselves was to make a family tree of illnesses and causes of death. That was fun. Then he asked me how my veins were. I said they were fine, why? Well, because he needed to take about a million vials of blood (I exaggerate, there was only about a dozen). I kicked myself because I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since the night before, and my appointment was at 2:15pm. Idiot. I usually didn't have trouble donating blood so I figured I should be able to take on a dozen vials, and thankfully, my vein was a sturdy blood pipe. It was fascinating to watch my blood spurt into those vials and I was so impressed with my heart for all the pumping. The last 2 vials took a bit longer to fill up than the others, but the doctor thought it was all good. Even though I felt fine afterward, if you're going to get a genetics test, do nourish and hydrate yourself beforehand, I imagine it'll make the process much more pleasant for everyone.

All I have to do now is wait about 3 weeks for the results to come back. If my genes are good, I will begin injecting myself with hormones. Fun times ahead.