pink ribbon month

October is breast cancer awareness month.

April 2004. My yearly well-woman check-up was going just fine, until she found a lump in my left breast. I was young and new to the oncology nursing world--- and I don't really remember the next couple of days. I went to The Hater at work, in tears, and told him that I had an appointment for some diagnostics the next day and that HE WOULD take off to go with me.

I was convinced it was just a ridge. I was convinced it was cancer. I was convinced it was nothing. I convinced myself of everything and cried a lot.

The next day I went for diagnostics. I was expecting an ultrasound, maybe a mammogram. A nice doctor told me that we'd just do a little biopsy in the clinic. The Hater's eyes were scared, which put me into work mode to compensate. One fine needle biopsy later -- and I had to wait a few days for the path reports to come back.

I was really bruised. I hurt. The doc called me that weekend. The Hater was out of town.

It was not cancerous.

.

But I'm not special. Thousands of women, young and old, happen upon breast lumps that are cancerous. This is why a month for breast cancer awareness is so important. The quicker that lumps and bumps and ridges are found and identified and typed by pathology -- the quicker that treatment can take place and the liklihood of survival skyrockets.

.

I wish I could say that I started performing breast self exams monthly. I wish I could say that my lump put me on the straight-and-narrow for the BSE shower dance. But it didn't. I was scared for a while and didn't even look in the mirror at them.

.

It's been more than a year and I'm much better about it. Knowing your own anatomy-- where your natural bumps are-- will help you to notice if any new or different bumps develop. That's the point behind BSEs, to know your norm.

.

Here are some off-the-cuff pointers about self breast exams:

• Look: Stand in front of the mirror and look at your breasts. Are there any different dimplings or colorations? When you raise your arms do you notice any lumps or bumps? Are there any reddended or rashy areas?
• Feel: Use your right hand to inspect your left breast and vise-versa. Starting at your nipple and working outward, use the pads of your fingers and gently press into the tissue and cover the entire breast. Go from side-to-side and up-to-down. Go from one armpit to the cleavage and from your collar bone to the bottom of your rib cage. Do this lying down and sitting or standing.
• Tell: Should you find something out of the ordinary, call your physician.
• Remember to do them. Find a day each month that's easy to remember. If you still get a monthly visit from Ma Nature, do your BSE after her visit each month. If you're post-menopausal, pick the same day as your birthday every month. If you're prone to forget your birthday, go the easy route and pick the first of the month. If you can't remember that, e-mail me and I will e-mail you every month to remind you. It's that important.

For more official information from the American Cancer Society about self-breast exams, look here. Or you can always google "Self Breast Exam" if you're feeling industrious.

.

Which leads us to the next natural converstaion for women's health- another important and overlooked exam -- the pap smear. Every woman's favorite test.

.

(and you thought Algebra was bad)

.

Those of us who have had a pap smear have our own horror stories to tell. And although it's humiliating to spread eagle, we can usually laugh about it later. For a fumbling med student's point of view of performing a pap smear, be amused at what The Fake Doctor has to say here.

.

Back to thinking pink... Men can get breast cancer, too. You should also be performing self breast exams and self testicular exams. For more info about performing a self testicular exam, click here. And although you don't have to worry about pap smears, you do get to look forward to prostate exams! (Isn't aging great?)

.

There are tons of cancer resources and support groups. For more information about breast cancer, visit www.cancer.org, or talk to your doctor.

.

It's real people. The best thing you can do to protect your health is to take charge of it.

.

.

If you're tired of hearing from me, the nurse, leave a comment. If you want to hear more from the nurse in me, leave a comment. If you are afraid of the elephant in the corner of the room looking at you, make some tea and ask the elephant to leave a comment.