Today is the 9th anniversary of when I was told I had breast cancer! That was NOT a good day in my life. I was alone, holding on to a phone, saying OK, OK, OK, OK to all the things the phone was saying to me. I hung up and tried to call Steve (dh). He wasn't at his desk. I tried to call my sister, she wasn't home and doesn't have a cell, I tried to call my dad, but he was having coffee with his "cronies". I tried to call my best friend but she wasn't home either. I WAS ALONE. I FINALLY called Steve and pushed "0" for his secretary. I got him out of a meeting and told him. There were 2 people who loved each other holding on to phones, unable to speak.
LIFE HAD CHANGED. Life was strange for a long time after that phone call. It was a series of Drs. appts, all of them asking the same questions and poking at the same spot on my breast. The oncologist, the surgeon, the radiologist, the plastic surgeon...they all did the same thing. By the time I got to the radiologist I was paralyzed for words. DH had to do the talking for me as I sat in a chair with silent tears streaming down my face. Telling 4 little kids was probably the MOST DIFFICULT thing...I remember little Dan, just 9yo saying "are you going to die, mom?" OH, that ripped my heart out. My oldest, Joe was 15 and said nothing. Sarah, 13 screamed and sobbed. Kevin, 11 said...hmmm...OK.
The FIGHT began. I had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on 12/13 after much FIGHTING to get an appointment. They wanted to wait until after the first of the year because lots of people were having elective plastic surgery since they had reached their deductible! But I KNEW I could NOT wait that long and told my regular surgeon that if some chick who wanted new boobs for New Year's Day was keeping me from saving my life she could "go to hell". He said, "I'll brb". He came back and said, "Would this Saturday be ok?" The day of surgery was that Saturday. The plastic surgeon was on call and my surgeon came in on his day off! YES...ON HIS DAY OFF! NOW that's a caring Dr.!
The recovery was brutal. I couldn't stand up straight for a month and exhaustion was overwhelming. A month later I began a rigorous chemotherapy treatment for which I qualified for in a study. I went every other Friday for 8 treatments. In between those 2 weeks I was given a shot by my neighbor every day for 10 days. The shots kept my white blood cell count up so I could stay on track with my treatments. I did so well that my oncologist cancelled my last 10 shots after my last treatment! HALLELUJAH!!!! I remember wanting to have my hair for the 2nd treatment. I did...BARELY...it was falling out but I plastered it on with hairspray. LOL The nurses were AMAZED I had hair for that treatment! I didn't tell them my secret! LOL
Well, that Sunday, my head hurt so badly that I had the kids shave my head....what an EMOTIONAL day that was. I SOBBED and SOBBED and SOBBED. NO ONE TOLD ME HOW HARD IT WOULD BE TO BE BALD!!!! As far as I am concerned that was the most difficult part of the whole adventure. There were a lot of check ups after that. A few scarey times where I had a brain scan and another time when I had a bone scan...both negative.
I am still here...9 years later and CELEBRATING LIFE!!!!! You see, I'm a FIGHTER...I told ALL of my doctors that I wasn't going to let a little breast cancer take my life...I was too young, 38yo at the time, and my kids needed their mom for a LONG TIME!!!
My DH was WONDERFUL through all of this. He went to every Drs. appt with me and every treatment. He held me the day I sobbed like a small child into my pillow trying to make the gazzillionth decision in a nano-second. He always told me how beautiful I looked and was sad when my hair started coming in. "I kinda liked your bald head" he said as he rubbed the newly forming peach fuzz!!! We also found out how many people in our community in MN loved us. Meals were brought EVERY DAY for 8 SOLID WEEKS! It was a good thing it was a cold winter because our porch become a freezer! These were 4 course meals WITH dessert!!! AMAZING!!! A gal came and cleaned my house every week for us. People carpooled the kids to their various practices. People came to take me to lunch just to get me out of the house. It was INCREDIBLE to feel the LOVE!!! SO...the story started out bleak and has a happy ending! I AM A SURVIVOR!!!!!!!
OH, also, this brought me to quilting! My sisters quilted when their kids were very little and were getting back into it. One sister dragged me to a quilt store several times to help her with a project. Eventually, both sisters and I were at a LQS and I said, "I CAN DO THIS!" And I did! So I guess I have cancer to thank for bringing quilting into my life!!!
Hugs
Laurie
I can't get pics to post anymore...it just stops on me...grrrrrrrrrrrr
Showing posts with label breast cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breast cancer. Show all posts
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Lymph Node Dissection
Lymph Node Dissection: What to Expect
How long surgery takes
Surgery takes about an hour. The process of being admitted and prepared for surgery will vary from place to place. The amount of time you spend in the recovery room, waking up and getting to the point that you're ready to go home, will vary from woman to woman.
The incision
Most surgeons make a two–to–three–inch incision in the skin crease under your arm.
What happens
General anesthesia is used. Most commonly, the lower two levels of the three levels of axillary nodes will be removed. Occasionally, a surgeon will take one or two nodes from the top level, as an extra precaution. If you have a modified radical mastectomy, the lymph node dissection usually occurs in the same operation. If you have a lumpectomy, the lymph node dissection may occur at the same time or in a later operation. Once the surgeon removes the nodes, a pathologist will examine them carefully for signs of cancer. It may take days before the pathology report is available.
The risks
Lost or decreased sensation in the back of the arm or armpit. Sometimes the nerve supplying sensation to the back of the arm and armpit is cut, stretched, or damaged during surgery. This loss of sensation may be temporary, but for some women it may persist.
Tingling, numbness, stiffness, weakness, or lymphedema (swelling of the arm). It's important not to let your arm become weak and stiff as a result of discomfort and limited range of motion (mobility) after surgery. Physical therapy and exercise can help restore your arm movement and strength.
Inflammation of the arm veins as they pass through the armpit region. This inflammation can show up several days after surgery, and usually responds to treatment with ice and aspirin within several days. Occasionally a clot can form in the affected vein.
Winged scapula. This is an extremely rare complication that happens when the motor nerves that hold your shoulder blade flat are damaged, causing your shoulder blade to stick out when you hold your arm out straight. Again, this is extremely rare, and is usually not a problem in daily activities.
Increased risk of infection in the surgical area. This is usually discovered early and responds well to treatment.
How long surgery takes
Surgery takes about an hour. The process of being admitted and prepared for surgery will vary from place to place. The amount of time you spend in the recovery room, waking up and getting to the point that you're ready to go home, will vary from woman to woman.
The incision
Most surgeons make a two–to–three–inch incision in the skin crease under your arm.
What happens
General anesthesia is used. Most commonly, the lower two levels of the three levels of axillary nodes will be removed. Occasionally, a surgeon will take one or two nodes from the top level, as an extra precaution. If you have a modified radical mastectomy, the lymph node dissection usually occurs in the same operation. If you have a lumpectomy, the lymph node dissection may occur at the same time or in a later operation. Once the surgeon removes the nodes, a pathologist will examine them carefully for signs of cancer. It may take days before the pathology report is available.
The risks
Lost or decreased sensation in the back of the arm or armpit. Sometimes the nerve supplying sensation to the back of the arm and armpit is cut, stretched, or damaged during surgery. This loss of sensation may be temporary, but for some women it may persist.
Tingling, numbness, stiffness, weakness, or lymphedema (swelling of the arm). It's important not to let your arm become weak and stiff as a result of discomfort and limited range of motion (mobility) after surgery. Physical therapy and exercise can help restore your arm movement and strength.
Inflammation of the arm veins as they pass through the armpit region. This inflammation can show up several days after surgery, and usually responds to treatment with ice and aspirin within several days. Occasionally a clot can form in the affected vein.
Winged scapula. This is an extremely rare complication that happens when the motor nerves that hold your shoulder blade flat are damaged, causing your shoulder blade to stick out when you hold your arm out straight. Again, this is extremely rare, and is usually not a problem in daily activities.
Increased risk of infection in the surgical area. This is usually discovered early and responds well to treatment.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
UNDERSTANDING RISK
Understanding Risk
Day in and day out, we all take steps to manage the risks in our lives. We wear our seatbelts to avoid getting hurt in a car crash. We brush our teeth to protect them from cavities, and we carry umbrellas to cut down on the risk of getting soaked in a storm. Yet, even while we take these types of steps every day, most of us don’t spend much time thinking about risk. But it’s actually an important concept that’s worth exploring, especially when it comes to matters of health and science. “Risk” in these fields can have a number of different meanings, and knowing some of the basic types of risk can help you better understand your chances of developing a disease like breast cancer and the steps you can take to protect yourself from it.
Absolute Risk
The most basic type of risk is absolute risk, which is simply a person's chance of developing a specific disease over a certain time period. Absolute risk is estimated by looking at a large group of people who are similar in some respect (in terms of age, for example) and counting the number of people in the group who develop the disease in question over the specified time period.
For example, if we followed 100,000 women between the ages of 20 and 29 for one year, approximately 4 would develop breast cancer during this period. This means that the one-year absolute risk of breast cancer for a 20- to 29-year-old woman is 4 per 100,000 women, or 1 per 25,000 women. Another way to say this is that the chances of developing breast cancer in the next year are 4 in 100,000 (or 1 in 25,000) for the average 20- to 29-year-old woman.
In another example, if we followed 100,000 women aged 70 to 74 for a one-year period, approximately 400 of them would develop breast cancer. This means the one-year absolute risk of breast cancer for a 70- to 74-year-old woman is 400 per 100,000 women, or 1 per 250 women.
Knowing the absolute risk of disease can help women prioritize the health risks in their lives. In the examples above, for instance, we see that the absolute risk of breast cancer is low in young women and much higher in older women.
Lifetime risk
One absolute risk that many women are familiar with is the lifetime risk of breast cancer. Currently, women in the US have a “1 in 8”, or approximately 12 percent, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer [2]. This statistic means that for every 8 American women who live to be age 85, one of them will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Not surprisingly, the lifetime risk of breast cancer is much higher than the one-year risk of breast cancer. This is because the lifetime risk is a type of summing, or adding up, of all the one-year absolute risks over a woman's life span, up to age 85.
Risk Factors
Anything that influences a person’s absolute risk of developing a disease is called a risk factor. A risk factor can be anything from a lifestyle choice (such as diet) to a genetic component (such as family history) to an environmental exposure (such as radiation). For instance, lack of exercise is a risk factor for breast cancer. Women who are not regularly active have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who are regularly active.
Relative Risk
Though the term “relative risk” may not sound familiar, you likely see or hear about relative risks all the time in news stories about health. A relative risk is a generalized way to present the increase or decrease in risk that’s due to a particular risk factor.
A relative risk is calculated by taking the ratio of two absolute risks: the numerator (the top number in the ratio) is the absolute risk among those with the risk factor, while the denominator (the bottom number) is the absolute risk among those without the risk factor. When the absolute risk of those with the factor is divided by the absolute risk of those without the factor, the number you get is the relative risk.
Say there is a new study published that finds that women who don’t exercise regularly have a 25 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer compared to women who do exercise regularly: this statistic is a relative risk. It means that women who don’t exercise are 25 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than women who do exercise.
Understanding relative risks
What’s important to realize about relative risks is that they depend on the underlying absolute risks. Overall, when a disease is rare, as breast cancer is among very young women, a relative risk that sounds high will still mean that only a few extra cases of disease will arise. By contrast, when a disease is more common, as breast cancer is among older women, even small relative risks can mean a lot more cases of disease.
One way to think about this is in terms of money. If a person has a single dollar, this makes dollars "rare". If this person doubles her money, she only gains one extra dollar. In contrast, if a person has a million dollars, this makes dollars "common", and a doubling of her money means she gains a million extra dollars. In both cases, there is a doubling of money, but the real increase in dollars is very different. The same is true with disease risk: the higher the absolute risk of getting a disease, the greater the number of extra cases that will develop for a given relative risk.
Our previous example of the exercise study can show this as well. In this scenario, the study found that physically inactive women have a 25 percent greater risk of breast cancer than active women do. Since older women are more likely to develop breast cancer than younger women, the potential impact that lack of physical activity has on breast cancer is greater in older women than in younger women. And the numbers below show this.
Among women aged 70-74, 500 women per 100,000 who are physically inactive could develop breast cancer in the next year, while 400 women per 100,000 who are active could develop the disease.
So, among older women aged 70-74, being inactive could potentially lead to 100 more cases of breast cancer for every 100,000 women.
Among women aged 20-29, however, being inactive would cause only 1 extra case of breast cancer in 100,000 women. Among these younger women, 4 women per 100,000 who are active could get breast cancer in the next year, while 5 women per 100,000 who are inactive could get breast cancer.
Of course, a healthy lifestyle should be maintained throughout life, not just when one’s underlying risk of disease crosses a certain threshold. But, understanding how absolute risk and relative risk interrelate can help women become better informed consumers of health information and use this knowledge to make informed decisions about the health choices in their lives.
Reading Relative Risks
Relative risks are presented in many ways. Here’s a brief guide to help you recognize a relative risk when you see it in the newspaper, hear it on the TV news or read it in on the Internet.
When a relative risk is between 1.0 and 1.99, as physical inactivity is, it might be presented in any of the following ways:
• “Inactivity has a relative risk of 1.25.”
• “Inactivity increases the risk of breast cancer by 25 percent.”
• “Inactivity increases risk by 1.25-fold.”
When a relative risk is 2.0 or above, it is often presented in relation to how many times the risk is increased. If, for example, a factor has a relative risk of 3.0, it can also be stated as follows:
• "Risk is increased 3 times."
• "There is a 3-fold increase in risk."
When a relative risk is below 1.0, it means that the risk factor actually lowers the risk of disease. If, for example, a factor lowered the risk of breast cancer by 25 percent, it could also be stated as follows:
• “The factor has a relative risk of 0.75.”
• “This factor lowers risk by 25 percent.”
Day in and day out, we all take steps to manage the risks in our lives. We wear our seatbelts to avoid getting hurt in a car crash. We brush our teeth to protect them from cavities, and we carry umbrellas to cut down on the risk of getting soaked in a storm. Yet, even while we take these types of steps every day, most of us don’t spend much time thinking about risk. But it’s actually an important concept that’s worth exploring, especially when it comes to matters of health and science. “Risk” in these fields can have a number of different meanings, and knowing some of the basic types of risk can help you better understand your chances of developing a disease like breast cancer and the steps you can take to protect yourself from it.
Absolute Risk
The most basic type of risk is absolute risk, which is simply a person's chance of developing a specific disease over a certain time period. Absolute risk is estimated by looking at a large group of people who are similar in some respect (in terms of age, for example) and counting the number of people in the group who develop the disease in question over the specified time period.
For example, if we followed 100,000 women between the ages of 20 and 29 for one year, approximately 4 would develop breast cancer during this period. This means that the one-year absolute risk of breast cancer for a 20- to 29-year-old woman is 4 per 100,000 women, or 1 per 25,000 women. Another way to say this is that the chances of developing breast cancer in the next year are 4 in 100,000 (or 1 in 25,000) for the average 20- to 29-year-old woman.
In another example, if we followed 100,000 women aged 70 to 74 for a one-year period, approximately 400 of them would develop breast cancer. This means the one-year absolute risk of breast cancer for a 70- to 74-year-old woman is 400 per 100,000 women, or 1 per 250 women.
Knowing the absolute risk of disease can help women prioritize the health risks in their lives. In the examples above, for instance, we see that the absolute risk of breast cancer is low in young women and much higher in older women.
Lifetime risk
One absolute risk that many women are familiar with is the lifetime risk of breast cancer. Currently, women in the US have a “1 in 8”, or approximately 12 percent, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer [2]. This statistic means that for every 8 American women who live to be age 85, one of them will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Not surprisingly, the lifetime risk of breast cancer is much higher than the one-year risk of breast cancer. This is because the lifetime risk is a type of summing, or adding up, of all the one-year absolute risks over a woman's life span, up to age 85.
Risk Factors
Anything that influences a person’s absolute risk of developing a disease is called a risk factor. A risk factor can be anything from a lifestyle choice (such as diet) to a genetic component (such as family history) to an environmental exposure (such as radiation). For instance, lack of exercise is a risk factor for breast cancer. Women who are not regularly active have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who are regularly active.
Relative Risk
Though the term “relative risk” may not sound familiar, you likely see or hear about relative risks all the time in news stories about health. A relative risk is a generalized way to present the increase or decrease in risk that’s due to a particular risk factor.
A relative risk is calculated by taking the ratio of two absolute risks: the numerator (the top number in the ratio) is the absolute risk among those with the risk factor, while the denominator (the bottom number) is the absolute risk among those without the risk factor. When the absolute risk of those with the factor is divided by the absolute risk of those without the factor, the number you get is the relative risk.
Say there is a new study published that finds that women who don’t exercise regularly have a 25 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer compared to women who do exercise regularly: this statistic is a relative risk. It means that women who don’t exercise are 25 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than women who do exercise.
Understanding relative risks
What’s important to realize about relative risks is that they depend on the underlying absolute risks. Overall, when a disease is rare, as breast cancer is among very young women, a relative risk that sounds high will still mean that only a few extra cases of disease will arise. By contrast, when a disease is more common, as breast cancer is among older women, even small relative risks can mean a lot more cases of disease.
One way to think about this is in terms of money. If a person has a single dollar, this makes dollars "rare". If this person doubles her money, she only gains one extra dollar. In contrast, if a person has a million dollars, this makes dollars "common", and a doubling of her money means she gains a million extra dollars. In both cases, there is a doubling of money, but the real increase in dollars is very different. The same is true with disease risk: the higher the absolute risk of getting a disease, the greater the number of extra cases that will develop for a given relative risk.
Our previous example of the exercise study can show this as well. In this scenario, the study found that physically inactive women have a 25 percent greater risk of breast cancer than active women do. Since older women are more likely to develop breast cancer than younger women, the potential impact that lack of physical activity has on breast cancer is greater in older women than in younger women. And the numbers below show this.
Among women aged 70-74, 500 women per 100,000 who are physically inactive could develop breast cancer in the next year, while 400 women per 100,000 who are active could develop the disease.
So, among older women aged 70-74, being inactive could potentially lead to 100 more cases of breast cancer for every 100,000 women.
Among women aged 20-29, however, being inactive would cause only 1 extra case of breast cancer in 100,000 women. Among these younger women, 4 women per 100,000 who are active could get breast cancer in the next year, while 5 women per 100,000 who are inactive could get breast cancer.
Of course, a healthy lifestyle should be maintained throughout life, not just when one’s underlying risk of disease crosses a certain threshold. But, understanding how absolute risk and relative risk interrelate can help women become better informed consumers of health information and use this knowledge to make informed decisions about the health choices in their lives.
Reading Relative Risks
Relative risks are presented in many ways. Here’s a brief guide to help you recognize a relative risk when you see it in the newspaper, hear it on the TV news or read it in on the Internet.
When a relative risk is between 1.0 and 1.99, as physical inactivity is, it might be presented in any of the following ways:
• “Inactivity has a relative risk of 1.25.”
• “Inactivity increases the risk of breast cancer by 25 percent.”
• “Inactivity increases risk by 1.25-fold.”
When a relative risk is 2.0 or above, it is often presented in relation to how many times the risk is increased. If, for example, a factor has a relative risk of 3.0, it can also be stated as follows:
• "Risk is increased 3 times."
• "There is a 3-fold increase in risk."
When a relative risk is below 1.0, it means that the risk factor actually lowers the risk of disease. If, for example, a factor lowered the risk of breast cancer by 25 percent, it could also be stated as follows:
• “The factor has a relative risk of 0.75.”
• “This factor lowers risk by 25 percent.”
Saturday, October 06, 2007
SUPPORT GROUPS
Support groups have become an important and widely available resource for people living with breast cancer. In general, support groups are designed to increase the support network of people living with cancer. However, support groups vary in terms of their focus. Some are "information-based" educational groups, while others are "emotion-focused" and allow people to share their feelings. Both types play crucial roles in the recovery process following diagnosis and treatment. Some of these groups are led by professionals, while others are more informal, taking place in churches or people's homes. Some groups may have only weekly or monthly meetings, while others are much more involved, adding complementary therapies, such as meditation and visualization, into their sessions.
Clearly, there is no one model for a successful support group. What is most important is that people who are interested in a support group find the one that best matches their needs and personal circumstances. Most support groups, either by design or convenience, are geared toward people who are in a specific stage of dealing with their cancer. For example, the American Cancer Society and many other health-related organizations offer support groups specifically for those who have been recently diagnosed. Other groups are designed for those undergoing chemotherapy, or those in a specific age group or those dealing with a fear of recurrent breast cancer.
To help ensure a positive group experience, it is important to find a support group that fits a person’s individual needs. For more information on how to find a local support group, visit the American Cancer Society’s In My Community page. Our Breast Care Helpline at 1-800 I’M AWARE (1-800-462-9273) can also help people find local support groups and other resources.
Online support groups are also growing in membership and activity [20]. Similar to face-to-face groups, these online resources provide a chance for people to exchange information, offer and receive social support and gain a sense of personal empowerment. For men with breast cancer, the disease is so rare that online support groups are likely the best way to share experiences with men in similar situations. The Association of Cancer Online Resources and CancerCare are good sources for finding an online support group.
It is also important to remember that although support groups can be a powerful force for healing, they don’t suit everyone. For instance, support groups that are "emotion-focused" are useful for people who are comfortable expressing their emotions and fears about breast cancer in a group setting. Persons may reach this stage at different times in their recovery, or not at all. Some prefer to keep these emotions to themselves, or to share them only with close family and friends. In addition to requiring emotional energy, most support groups require a commitment of time.
Clearly, there is no one model for a successful support group. What is most important is that people who are interested in a support group find the one that best matches their needs and personal circumstances. Most support groups, either by design or convenience, are geared toward people who are in a specific stage of dealing with their cancer. For example, the American Cancer Society and many other health-related organizations offer support groups specifically for those who have been recently diagnosed. Other groups are designed for those undergoing chemotherapy, or those in a specific age group or those dealing with a fear of recurrent breast cancer.
To help ensure a positive group experience, it is important to find a support group that fits a person’s individual needs. For more information on how to find a local support group, visit the American Cancer Society’s In My Community page. Our Breast Care Helpline at 1-800 I’M AWARE (1-800-462-9273) can also help people find local support groups and other resources.
Online support groups are also growing in membership and activity [20]. Similar to face-to-face groups, these online resources provide a chance for people to exchange information, offer and receive social support and gain a sense of personal empowerment. For men with breast cancer, the disease is so rare that online support groups are likely the best way to share experiences with men in similar situations. The Association of Cancer Online Resources and CancerCare are good sources for finding an online support group.
It is also important to remember that although support groups can be a powerful force for healing, they don’t suit everyone. For instance, support groups that are "emotion-focused" are useful for people who are comfortable expressing their emotions and fears about breast cancer in a group setting. Persons may reach this stage at different times in their recovery, or not at all. Some prefer to keep these emotions to themselves, or to share them only with close family and friends. In addition to requiring emotional energy, most support groups require a commitment of time.
Monday, October 01, 2007
WARNING SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER
Warning Signs of Breast Cancer
Due to the increased use of mammography, most women are diagnosed at very early stages of breast cancer before symptoms appear. However, not every breast cancer is detected through mammography. The most common symptoms of breast cancer are a change in the look or feel of the breast, a change in the look or feel of the nipple and nipple discharge. These are described below:
Warning Signs of Breast Cancer
A change in the look or feel of the breast.
A change in the size or shape of the breast.
A lump or thickening in the breast, the area surrounding the breast or the underarm.
A warm sensation in the breast.
A change in the look or feel of the nipple.
A nipple turned inward or sunken into the breast.
The shape of the nipple becomes irregular.
A rash on the nipple or areola.
Nipple tenderness, increased sensitivity or pain.
Nipple discharge.
Blood or fluid other than breast milk secreted from the nipple.
A change in the look or feel of the skin on the breast, nipple or areola.
Dimpling of the skin on the breast (appears like the skin on an orange).
The appearance of irritated, red, scaly, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola.
Breast pain.
Although breast pain is usually associated with benign breast disease rather than breast cancer, it can be a symptom of either condition.
IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN ASAP
Due to the increased use of mammography, most women are diagnosed at very early stages of breast cancer before symptoms appear. However, not every breast cancer is detected through mammography. The most common symptoms of breast cancer are a change in the look or feel of the breast, a change in the look or feel of the nipple and nipple discharge. These are described below:
Warning Signs of Breast Cancer
A change in the look or feel of the breast.
A change in the size or shape of the breast.
A lump or thickening in the breast, the area surrounding the breast or the underarm.
A warm sensation in the breast.
A change in the look or feel of the nipple.
A nipple turned inward or sunken into the breast.
The shape of the nipple becomes irregular.
A rash on the nipple or areola.
Nipple tenderness, increased sensitivity or pain.
Nipple discharge.
Blood or fluid other than breast milk secreted from the nipple.
A change in the look or feel of the skin on the breast, nipple or areola.
Dimpling of the skin on the breast (appears like the skin on an orange).
The appearance of irritated, red, scaly, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola.
Breast pain.
Although breast pain is usually associated with benign breast disease rather than breast cancer, it can be a symptom of either condition.
IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN ASAP
Sunday, September 30, 2007
OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
October is an important month for anyone who has been touched by breast cancer. Whether it's you, or your mother, sister, grandmother, aunt or a friend...we have all known someone who has been touched by this disease. Fortunately, it is becoming more curable with every year of research.
MAMMOGRAMS: make sure you get one according to your drs. recommendation, tell anyone who has put it off to DO IT NOW, and tell anyone who is afraid of the pain that the pain of a mastecomy, chemo, and radiation is MUCH worse. What is that saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
REMEMBER: this disease hits males as well...if you have a family history, be sure the men in the family are informed.
I hope to post most every day this month with facts about breast cancer.
Hugs,
Laurie
MAMMOGRAMS: make sure you get one according to your drs. recommendation, tell anyone who has put it off to DO IT NOW, and tell anyone who is afraid of the pain that the pain of a mastecomy, chemo, and radiation is MUCH worse. What is that saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
REMEMBER: this disease hits males as well...if you have a family history, be sure the men in the family are informed.
I hope to post most every day this month with facts about breast cancer.
Hugs,
Laurie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
