I just got my results- 39 CAG. My mind is reeling. Glad my number is low, wish it were in the teens, though. I feel terrible.

I'm sorry to hear that. Testing is one of the most stressful events I have experienced. I can't imagine what you are feeling right now. Thinking of you!

I want to tell you that 39 is low and that there is a good chance you will never develop the disease. However, I imagine that would be of no comfort to you now. I'm sorry you cannot rule out HD with certainty. I wish you peace with the knowledge you have just gained, if not today or tomorrow, then in a few weeks or months. All the best to you.

I still feel this is good news. Try to have peace of mind and live your life

Thanks everyone for the support. The thing that is most worrying to me is that my Mom's CAG count is 40, which is only 1 more than mine. She started showing what Phil Hardt calls "soft symptoms" -Taking longer to get ready,Memory loss, Poor judgment, etc, when she was about my age. And I have watched her slide into almost complete cognitive impairment. She is now 71, and it is heartbreaking. I see some of those soft symptoms in myself, and I feel like I'm the guy in Flowers for Algernon. Like I'm watching my Mom's decline, and it just shows what I'm headed for.

I'm sorry your results came back positive, but keeping my fingers crossed that you'll live a long, happy, healthy life before HD starts to interfere. Use the knowledge to make some good decisions and choices. Best of luck to you.

My mom has 39 and she is 72 years old with mild symptoms. It could be that Huntington's won't play a major part in your life. Sending you good thoughts!

My late mother in law had a CAG count of 40. She had more than 30 years of psychiatric symptoms before classic onset of the disease in her 60s. She died at 76. That sounds terrible BUT once she was finally on medication, her psychiatric symptoms disappeared. She was a completely different and delightful person; we were stunned. We were also saddened by the lost years when she was not diagnosed and not on medication that could have given her a good life.

You may be seeing some memory and other cognitive problems in yourself right now, but remember that you are hypersensitive to that sort of thing. It happens to all of us as a part of normal aging. You can work around it like we all do.

I don't want to minimize the disappointment you are feeling that you didn't test negative. I am disappointed for you! But at the same time, you are very likely to have many more years of quality life ahead, years in which I am expecting to see treatments coming along.

Think about Will, who has the gene but is not symptomatic in his sixties (and I've met him, he really isn't). What if the test had been available when he was much younger and he had tested positive and let it interfere with living his life, thinking there was no point in setting educational and career and life goals for himself? He's had two careers, he has a happy marriage, and he has hobbies and activities he enjoys! It takes some time to come to terms with a positive result but after you grieve this, come out fighting - for a great life and for a cure!

Camry, you came to the right place. Over time, it will dawn on you, that everything is going to be just fine. Many have shared stories of people living productive and active lives. I have a feeling you will be following suit.

I pray that you will feel God's blessing day to day. Glad you visited the forum.

I'm sorry about your test results but it's great it's not greater. I've gotten so much support and information here on the forum. Researchers I've spoken to even know of this site and it's benefit.

Keep in mind you may feel like you have some symptoms but from what I've been told you may have to live a long time to see those symptoms.

You can help by checking into clinical trials and observational studies if you are so inclined. I am in the process of doing so. Find a good supportive health care proviknowledgeableable with HD. Stick around you may teach some of us something......

Best of luck,
Mike

I too, am sorry that you're not negative. And I'm personally familiar with how hard a fresh non-negative result can be (CAG 43, 2yrs ago). Let yourself grieve the loss of your dreams of a life without the worry of HD. But then, as Marsha said, I hope you come out fighting, and find a way to live your life with hope.

Even without an all-out "cure", you have a contraction on your side, and there's every reason to believe that you will not have things the same as any previous generation - not just b/c of the contraction, but by going in with eyes wide open + great advancements & knowledge available today & more coming soon.

Hang in there, as you get used to your "new normal".

All-

Thanks so much for the encouragement, kindness, and above all, empathy! It helps so much to not be alone in this.

Marsha- I have questions for you about what meds helped with psych symptoms. I take Lexapro because I've been struggling with the depression. Is there anything available that helps with executive function? I feel like I can't make a decision or a plan to save my life.

Camryin, I know how you feel. I got my results two years ago. I too am at 39 CAG. I try not to dwell on it. However, receintly I have noticed that my cognative abilities are no where near what they use to be. Everyone, just says don't worry about it we are just getting older. ( I am an active 56) But, I know me and I know that there is a big difference. I have been working on coping skills to deal with and handle this. I too take Lexapro and it has helped but not with the cognative deficiet. Fortunately I do not have any chorea, yet. You asked about dealing with executive functions. I am with you on that too. What I have done and it is helping is to write to do lists for everything and break every task into smaller simpler tasks. At work I have told my secretary that she is now my boss. She gives me my work assignments and sees that I get them done. It is a work in progress but it is helping. I receintly read a quote that said something like, it is frustrating to the HD possitive person because they think, "if only I try harder I can get through this," when in fact trying harder is just not possible. Best of luck and good health to you.