157: genetic testing helped stacy martin survive gastric cancer

1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 157: genetic testing helped stacy martin survive gastric cancer | prophylactic total gastrectomy Stacy Martin says genetic testing saved her life.&nbsp;&nbsp; The testing indicated she had the CDH1 mutation.&nbsp; The mutation gave her an 80 percent chance of getting gastric cancer and a 60 percent chance of breast cancer.&nbsp; She opted for a prophylactic total gastrectomy to remove her stomach and addressed the possibility of breast cancer with a bilateral mastectomy.&nbsp; Without a stomach, Stacy has had to change the way she eats, requiring food every two hours, and having to completely chew everything she eats.&nbsp; Despite this live-changing surgery, Stacy is leading a healthy and happy life. &nbsp; Unlike most people with cancer, Stacy’s diagnosis was not preceded by symptoms.&nbsp; Her mother had already been diagnosed with Stage IV uterin cancer.&nbsp; That prompted Stacy and her siblings to undergo a genetic panel test.&nbsp; It revealed Stacy had the CDH1 mutation, which meant she an 80 percent chance of getting gastric cancer and a 60 percent chance of breast cancer.&nbsp; &nbsp; She had three options but chose to be proactive with a prophylactic total gastrectomy in 2019, a procedure that removed her stomach.&nbsp; It was after the surgery that pathology revealed Stacy had gastric cancer in her removed stomach.&nbsp; &nbsp; After successfully addressing the possibility of stomach cancer, she did the same with breast cancer with a bilateral mastectomy in 2020. &nbsp; Stacy Martin said the toughest part of her cancer experience wasn’t the treatment, but what she dealt with upon its completion.&nbsp; She said she had to learn how to eat, and that without a stomach, she had to eat every two hours.&nbsp; While she took snacks with her wherever she went, she had to alternate between snacks and something more substantial, making sure she got enough protein and carbohydrates.&nbsp; Anything she ate had to be completely chewed because she no longer had the gastric juices in her stomach that break down food.&nbsp; The only thing she can’t eat are raw oysters because she says they are impossible to chew. &nbsp; Stacy says genetic testing saved her life but admits it is not for everybody because the decision to go forth with such testing is a deeply personal decision because some people don’t want to know what the tests could reveal. Despite her cancer journey, Stacy lives a happy life.&nbsp; She resumed her passion of hiking near her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and consumption of nuts resulted in her establishing Seahorse Snacks, which she operates out of her home. &nbsp; Additional Resources: &nbsp; Seahorse Snacks: https://www.seahorsesnacks.com &nbsp; No Stomach For Cancer: https://www.nostomachforcancer.org &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cancer Interviews http://cancerinterviews.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/38964685/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/38964685