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breast cancer

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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Many of you are aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an important time for all of us to be reminded of the importance of early detection. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women (after skin cancer). About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point.
The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

  • If you are a woman age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often to get them.
  • If you are a woman age 50 to 74, be sure to get a mammogram every 2 years. You may also choose to get them more often.

Talk to your doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member of yours had breast or ovarian cancer. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get mammograms.
Screening tests can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread.
Certain screening tests may be suggested only for people who have a high risk for certain cancers. Anything that increases the chance of cancer is called a cancer risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer.
Some screening tests are used only for people who have known risk factors for certain types of cancer. People known to have a higher risk of cancer than others include those who:

  • Have had cancer in the past; or
  • Have a family history of cancer; or
  • Have certain gene mutations (changes) that have been linked to cancer.

People who have a high risk of cancer may need to be screened more often or at an earlier age than other people. Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms. This is why regular breast cancer screening is so important.
What is a mammogram and what can I expect when I get one?
A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast and allows your doctor see changes that can’t be felt during a breast exam. Mammograms use a very low level of x-rays, which are a type of radiation, but they are very safe.
If you have had any changes or problems with your breasts, talk to the technologist doing the mammogram. Also describe any medical history that could affect your breast cancer risk—such as surgery, hormone use, breast cancer in your family, or if you’ve had breast cancer before. Also,be sure to let the tech know if you’re breastfeeding or if you think you might be pregnant.
When you get mammograms, the nurse will place your breasts, one at a time, between two plastic plates and take pictures of them. Mammograms can be uncomfortable for some women, but they don’t hurt. The technologist will usually take at least two views of your breast and in some cases, may take three or four images to get a better view. Though the X-ray itself only takes a few seconds, the whole process takes about 20 minutes.
How to prepare for your mammogram:

  • Try to use a facility that specializes in mammograms and does many mammograms a day.
  • If possible, go to the same facility every time so that your mammograms can easily be compared from year to year.
  • If you’re going to a new or different facility, bring a list of the places and dates of mammograms, biopsies, or other breast treatments you’ve had before.
  • If you’ve had mammograms at another facility, bring your old records with you (or have them sent there) so the old pictures can be compared to the new ones.
  • Schedule your mammogram when your breasts are not tender or swollen to help reduce discomfort and get good pictures. Try to avoid the week just before your period.
  • On the day of the exam, don’t wear deodorant or antiperspirant. Some of these contain substances that can show up on the x-ray as white spots. If you’re not going home afterwards, you may want to take your deodorant with you to put on after your exam.
  • You might find it easier to wear a skirt or pants, so that you’ll only need to remove your top and bra for the mammogram.
  • Discuss any new findings or problems in your breasts with your healthcare provider before getting the mammogram.

Don’t be afraid of mammograms! Remember that only 2 to 4 screening mammograms in 1,000 lead to a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Different tests can be used to look for and diagnose breast cancer. If your doctor finds an area of concern on a mammogram, or if you have symptoms that could mean breast cancer, you will need more tests to know for sure if it’s cancer or not.
Call your doctor and schedule your mammogram appointment today.
Sources: National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society

Survival Mode: How to help women fighting breast cancer

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month we see a lot of pink. We see men in pink gloves, and football and baseball jerseys. Companies lighting up their buildings at night with a pink glow and many fundraising events are planned. These are great ways for the community comes together to support these strong women, and help find a cure. While these are all great ways to raise awareness let’s also remember that to those women (and some men too) this is a battle they fight every day, and not simply one month out of the year.
We all have friends and relatives who have battled or who are battling breast cancer. For them, the pink ribbons are merely a reminder about the disease they face every single day. Their perspective is quite different. Once you have this terrible, life-changing, and body-changing disease, you see the effects on a daily basis. When they lose their hair. When they lose a breast. When they lose both breasts. When they are no longer able to have children due to the effects of chemo.
If you do have a friend or family member who is fighting breast cancer, there is not a one-size-fits-all way to support her. However, there are some things you can do that may provide some comfort:

  • Be a good listener. Don’t give advice, but just listen to your friend and acknowledge what she’s going through.
  • Go with her to as many doctor’s appointment as you can.  Your friend may not be able to process what the doctor is saying, so offer to take notes on her behalf.
  • Share phone numbers and emails of fellow survivors. Perhaps your friend has just been diagnosed, but you have another friend who is a survivor. Connecting those women may help so they can pick up the phone and have a relatable conversation about what they are going through.
  • Distract her. Make her a funny cake before chemo about kicking cancer, give a book to read or a movie to watch during treatment.
  • Offer help over and over. Even if they want to be private, at some point, they are going to need help. So don’t stop offering.
  • Bring her groceries instead of a meal. Taste buds may change when someone is on chemo, so bringing groceries may be a better option. It would be best if you knew their preferences, so if you have access to their fridge and pantry, take a look and see what they like before shopping.
  • Leave her messages. She may not want to talk, but leave a message anyway. She will appreciate the words of encouragement and just knowing that you care.
  • Be a taxi for her kids. Moms who are fighting cancer are still selfless when it comes to their children. They want their kids to have a normal life, but that may require help from friends. Offer to take their children to school, piano lessons, sports practice so your friend can rest.
  • Have a hair-cutting party. Of course, this depends on the person, but this could be a light-hearted way to cheer your friend on as she begins her journey.
  • Pamper her. Buy her a fabulous scarf or blanket, her favorite perfume, or high-end chocolate.
  • Send her cards. Emails are good, but who doesn’t love getting good news in the mailbox.
  • Don’t expect a thank you note. When taking food, etc, take it over in disposable containers that you don’t need back and tell her that you don’t expect a note of thanks and that you just want to help.
  • Don’t tell her how to feel or assume how she feels. Simply ask her how she’s feeling.
  • Don’t forget about her. As treatments go along, or ever at the end of treatment, she’ll still need to know that people care and that you’re thinking of her.
  • Provide financial support. Cancer is expensive. Medical bills can pile up quickly and leave people with crippling debt. If your friend has set up a GoFundMe page, consider giving her a financial contribution and sharing the link with friends to help pay for those expenses.

For those who are not fighting breast cancer, this is the month when we are supposed to remember to make an appointment for our annual mammogram. But that’s not enough. We should be aware EVERYDAY about our breasts. We should give ourselves breast exams every month. It’s not enough to just get a mammogram every year.
So, let’s all make a promise to mark a date on the calendar every month to perform a breast self-exam. You hormone levels fluctuate each month during your menstrual cycle and this causes changes in breast tissue. The best time to perform a self-exam is usually a few days after your period ends. If you notice any new lumps or texture change, contact your doctor right away.
So wear those pink socks and the hats with the pink ribbons, and be aware of your own breasts and any changes that occur. But let’s also be a friend, cheerleader, listener, and gift-giver to our friends and neighbors who fight to get well everyday.

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