Breast Cancer Awareness
Arizona Coffea Editorial Team
You're browsing the racks at your local department store and suddenly you spot a pattern: every other item is pink, from the scarves and socks to the shirts and coffee mugs. Next came pink kitchen appliances like blenders, vacuum cleaners, just all pink everything.
The month of October has arrived, and with it comes preparations for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; the world has gone pink. It's a grim reminder that there's a deadly disease out there trying to steal home. These soft pastels in pink serve as gentle reminders to check our breasts, see a doctor about them, and get a mammogram. Since invasive breast cancer affects approximately 1 in 8 American women and 1 in 1000 American men, prevention is key in the fight against this disease.
However, there are some guidelines. The best time to perform a monthly breast self-exam is around 10 days after the start of your menstrual cycle. Keep to the same time of the month because breasts their texture can change throughout the cycle. If you no longer have a menstrual cycle, pick a day of the month and stick to it. The best course of action if you have lumpy breasts and are unsure of what is normal and what isn't is to become familiar with your breasts. Learn every bump and turn by heart so you can spot any deviations with ease. Consider taking a gander at one's own reflection. Stand with your hands on your hips, then with your hands in the air, then with your back straight, and lean forward to check for dimpling, swelling, or redness. If you feel like dancing, go for it; just make sure the door is locked so no one walks in and makes things awkward.
The second piece of advice is to get regular breast exams. Choose a physician with whom you feel at ease; he or she will be handling your breasts and examining them closely on an annual basis. Many people would rather do it themselves, but if something seems off, you'll want to enlist your doctor's assistance in ordering the right tests to find out what's wrong. A diagnostic mammogram or breast sonogram is not something you can get without a prescription from your doctor.
Get your mammogram is the final piece of advice. Women over the age of 40 (or in their mid to late 30s if breast cancer runs in the family, as a woman's risk of developing breast cancer roughly doubles if a first-degree relative has had breast cancer) and patients with a breast abnormality are the only groups for whom this is relevant. Getting a mammogram if you're under 35 isn't necessarily frowned upon. Since sonography does not involve the use of radiation, it is typically the first test prescribed when a patient under the age of 35 discovers a lump. Furthermore, you know what? Getting a mammogram isn't horrible. The procedure consists of applying light pressure to each breast for a few seconds. The trouble is well worth it if it can help catch cancer at an early, treatable stage.
That's it: monthly self-examinations, an annual medical checkup, and a mammogram. If you want to detect breast cancer early on, these three measures are your best bet. When it comes to your physical self, have faith in your own discretion. If you "think" you feel something in your chest, you are not imagining things. Don't ignore your instincts; get checked out if something doesn't seem right. Get checked out, and the worst (or best) that can happen is that it turns out to be nothing.
Be sure to go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to join the conversation.