what a can of worms you have opened up!! My elder sister rang me tonight to ask what blood group I am. Even after 37 yrs of Crohn’s and 4 yrs of bc, I really have no idea. She is rhesus A-, but knows our late father was O, as was my late brother. We do not know what my late mother’s blood group was. She has always been convinced she is not our father’s child, because of her blood group. Big problems there with her upbringing. Well, she was conceived in 1940, when my father was in Libya in WW11. I am going for normal monthly blood tests for chemo this Friday (for Crohn’s not bc) and she has asked if I can find out my blood group. I will do. I would guess we all have skeletons in our cupboards.
Coincidentally, she mentioned, rather later than I think she should have, that both our grandmothers had bc when they died - both in their 80’s, so was not apparently the cause of death.
I am now thinking if I should get tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes - there is a lot of history of cancer in our immediate family - father died of colon cancer at 59 yrs, my twin brother of brain cancer at 50 yrs. My father was one of 8 siblings and they all died of some sort of cancer - bowel, breast, and lung.
As far as I know, my mother did not have breast cancer, but did have an inverted nipple some 25 years ago which she had surgery. I lived some 600 miles from her, and only went into the hospital as she was recuperating, and never spoke to any of her doctors. She died of stroke some 10 years later.
I think I should be tested for the BRCA1/2 genes to prevent my sister having invasive bc. Could anyone enlighten me please?
Liz.
weird this blood business, my mother was A neg, my father was B neg, my eldest sister was O neg, and me and the other four were A B neg, but you have two genes for blood, so both parents must have had an A O and a BO, trust my dad to be the smelly one lol. i really find it hard to believe that it has a lot to do with type A blood groups, mainly because a lot of people who are A are either AO, AB, AA, positive or negative. just what i think anyway
Alison xxxxxx
Just looked up Wikipedia… 35% of the UK’s population are in the A+ blood group, so you’d expect a high % of forum users to be of that group. For interest’s sake, they say that…
O+ 37% of UK’s population O- 7%
A+ 35% A- 7%
B+ 8% B- 2%
AB+ 3% AB- 1%
If anyone’s good at statistics maybe they can work it out… I can’t!
Incidently, I’m blood group A negative…
AliS
glad to see i am the rarest group AB- lol got to have something unique about meself lol
Lots and lots of comments so thank you to everyone.
I posted the original note because I am always interested in alternative therapies. My 8 year old daughter had very bad excema several years ago and the docs could only give her cream - steroid included. I looked into homeopathy and was then referred to a kinesiologist who used a “strength test” to determine what foods she was intolerant of. Coincidentally or not, after a short period of time her excema improved and she doesnt have it anymore.
The reason I am looking at diet/blood group is that although I will definately be going down the normal medical treatments, chemo etc but like all of you, worried about the future and so if there is something that I can do to stop this horrible thing from coming back, then I am prepared to give it a go.
Morning laydeez (crikey, does that sound like a pimp talking or what?). I am blood group A rh positive, but I dont think that really has any bearing on this hateful disease after reading some of the notes on other pages. Great, eh… Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows about any other suggestions as I was diagnosed with crohns disease 9yrs ago, and after removal of the diseased bowel, I havent had too much bother with it, except having a colonoscopy last Feb which really upset it! My friend who I was chatting with last weekend wondered if it might be connected with the fact that I lost my mum in March and the stress related to that, but if thats the case, why didnt it come out when my dad died 14 yrs ago?
Anyway, would be grateful if anyone has suggestionsf or superfoods which may help boost my stystem, along with the chocolate I am starting to enjoy more when I have a down day.
Thanks.
My blood group is AB Rh-. I have always had low resistance to infections. I had shingles as a child and mumps as an adult. My cancer cells were hormore receptor negative.
Thanks, AliS. I knew that AB Rh- was a rear blood group but did not realise that I’m only in 1% of the population. I used to be a blood donour for years, until I was told that AB Rh- is not that much in demand (unlike O Rh- which they cannot get enough of).
Elena
I am B negative - from stats quoted I would think only 2% of people diagnosed with breast cancer will be the same. I also have a very rare form of breast cancer but such is life.
NB breast cancer unlike some other cancers is associated with affluence, rather than deprivation and more middle class women are diagnosed with it than working class women. Probably because middle class women have careers and have children later so are exposed to more oestrogen cycles for longer pre pregnancy, and have fewer children thus after having children having more oestrogen exposure.
Not that I can change my blood group or my affluent lifestyle…
Mole
Read a book last year called “Blood of the Isles”- nothing to do with cancer but written by a geneticist who has researched the genetic origins of this country and most of Europe. He also wrote “The Seven Daughters of Eve”, based on his research that shows Europeans are essentially descended from 7 genetic groups. The UK- Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall- are all essentially Celtic(according to “Blood of the Isles”) and share the A blood group in common. This guy did his research by collecting blood samples at blood donor sessions up and down the country. The Celtic gene is the commonest one in the British Isles. Variations in blood groups- according to his work- are due to incomers over the centuries i.e Vikings, Romans, Normans, etc. I’m more inclined to believe any link with BC is more to do with ethnic origin, if anything. However I think anything like this has to be kept in perspective. There are a number of factors that may/may not influence a person’s chances of getting BC. Medical professionals can’t agree on them all so what chance does anyone else have? Last year I blamed everything from my mother’s smoking during pregnancy to the fall out from Chernobyl on the Lake District where I’ve done a lot of walking. The bottom line is I don’t know why I got it, neither does my consultant. Maybe it’s bad luck, maybe it’s a faulty gene. I don’t think any of us should start scaring ourselves about something we can’t change (like our blood group). Anyway, I’m very suspicious of people who produe books in whcih they essentially state they have the “cure”. This plays on peoples fear and ends up making a lot of moeny for the authors.
Geraldine
I totally agree, the same argument was produced many years ago that people with AB RH neg were more at risk of becoming anemic, what a load of old tosh, i’m that group and i have had three kids, and bc and have never ever been anemic!
Strangely (cause I like to think I’m pretty informed) I haven’t got a clue what blood group I am.
I too dislike runmour mongering and scare mongering about the causes of cancer and I loathe people who make dramatic and unsubtantiated claims about curing cancer.
Jane