October is breast cancer awareness month. True confession time. I’m so guilty of not doing a monthly self-exam and I know better.
I’m trying to figure out WHY this is. Maybe it’s related to an event that happened to me as a young woman.
When I was 18, I visited my gynecologist for the first time. During this visit, my doctor found a lump in one of my breasts! I went to the doctor solo. I don’t remember specifically why I went alone but I am sure I felt I was an ‘adult’ and could handle taking myself to the doctor. After hearing the news, I cried the whole way home in the car. After having a biopsy, I received the good news that my tumor was benign. The original plan was to just keep this fibroadenoma that was the size of an orange in my body and keep an eye on it….for the rest of my life. As a person who hadn’t even hit the two-decade mark, I had a lot of life left to live.
When I was also 18, I was dating my first and last serious boyfriend. In the spring of my senior year in high school, I met my now husband of 23 years, Jason. As our relationship progressed, we became more intimate. Nothing kills a mood like wondering if your boyfriend can feel a lump in your breast. I actually remember thinking maybe while he is checking my breasts out he could keep his eye out for any new changes and save me the trouble. Needless to say, I was distracted and worried about this tumor.
Long story short, the lump had to go! I had the benign tumor removed when I was home on a break from college. The scar is minimal as they cut right on the line of my areola. Since then, I have been consistent with my annual exams and I had my first mammogram when I was 40 years old to establish my baseline. I went over 20 years without having any issues at a routine exam. Then, a few years ago, I had another scare. My mammogram came back suspicious or inconclusive. I had to have more tests. If I remember correctly, I had another mammogram and also an ultrasound or maybe two ultrasounds. The process took a few weeks and I prayed a lot. Thankfully the tests resulted in a ‘false positive’. Needless to say, as I age, my anxiety increases when I go to the doctor. But, I still go because the information is power and early detection is key to winning in life.
So while I’m consistent about going to the gynecologist, what I don’t do consistently (or even haphazardly) is self-exams. And, frankly, that’s just stupid behavior on my part.
When You Know Better…You Do Better
As a self-proclaimed self-care bully, I know better so I need to do better! I know women who have been impacted by breast cancer. I share stories about caregivers who care for women who have had breast cancer. I even trained and raised money for almost a year when a group of my friends formed our Susan G. Komen team ‘Neighbors for Nockers’. We completed the 3-Day Walk in Atlanta. The event itself was amazing. We met so many women and men who have survived and been impacted by breast cancer.
Early Detection Breast Self-Exams
I’ve always heard to do a breast self-exam in the shower once a month (probably not during your period). Although I know others sometimes do their self-exam in front of a mirror or lying down.
I’m going to leave the how-to instructions to the professionals. Thank you National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. for sharing resources such as this video.
Of course, going for your annual exam and mammogram starting at age 40 is also the standard best practice. If you are at a higher risk for breast cancer (e.g. it runs in your family), talk to your doctor about what test cadence makes the most sense for you.
What to Look For During a Self-Exam
Basically, you are looking and feeling for any changes when you do your self-exam. Specifically, changes like:
- a lump
- a change in size or shape of the breast
- discharge from the nipple
- changes in the skin like dimpling, puckering, redness, or swelling
When in doubt, contact your doctor…immediately!
A New Monthly Habit – Take Action
So how am I planning to make a monthly self-exam a new habit?
I just set a monthly reminder on my phone. If you don’t use the phone reminders app, maybe just schedule a recurring monthly calendar appointment on your phone or desk calendar.
I can remember to give my dog’s stinky flea medicine and heart-worm chew once a month…I can certainly remember to pay for my health first!
