Breast Cancer Awareness

A

autumn

Cathlete
I attended my 20 year h.s. reunion over the weekend and had the opportunity to spend time with my friend who is battling cancer. She detected an abnormality in her breast a few years ago, saw her OB/Gyn who told her "she probably wacked it", and though she sensed something was wrong didn't have a biopsy until months later when she consulted with her PCP. She beat the breast cancer and was cancer free for a year or so, but the cancer came back and was in the lining around her lungs. It then spread to her liver and now in the lining around her stomach. You would never know by talking with her the battle she is facing. She is living with cancer, not dying from it. She is one of the most gracious, courageous, beautiful women I've known. I am blessed and honored to count her as a friend.

The message I want to share is KNOW YOUR BODY. Know what is normal for you. If you find change, find a medical professional who will take your concerns seriously and not dismiss it. Don't stop until you are satisfied with the medical care provided.

I know we have some breast cancer survivors. Please know I have read your stories and am inspired by you!

From the ACS, early detection guidelines:

  • Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.
  • Clinical breast exam (CBE) should be part of a periodic health exam, about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over.
  • Women should know how their breasts normally feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care providers. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.
  • Women at high risk (greater than 20% lifetime risk) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (15% to 20% lifetime risk) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.
Source: ACS
 
Great reminders, thanks for posting. I have several friends who are also living with and beating cancer, they are amazing.
 
The same thing happened to my friend. She went to a doctor and whereas they did a mammogram, she was told they would watch it for the next 6 months. 6 months later she had 2 tumors and it had gone to her lymph nodes. But it also goes both ways, another friend had a mastectomy when it was discovered, oopsies, our bad, no cancer. :mad:

As someone who was affected by breast cancer, I have to say, nothing aggrevates me more than the commercialization of breast cancer and "breast cancer awareness month" which is nothing but companies playing on the compassion and fears of customers to booste their revenue. Instead of donating a few cents of every purchase to breast cancer research I would much more appreciate it if they manufactured safer products and not products that aid in the development of (breast) cancer.

I think the monthly breast exam is more important than mamograms. A lot of times woman have detected changes in their breast before the mamogram even showed anything. I heard they are now having good results in detecting cancer with thermal imaging. The advantage is that unlike with mamograms with thermal imaging people are not exposed to radiation.
 
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I understand your point about the commercialization and don't disagree, but I do know Breast Cancer Awareness Month brought women into the clinic for CBE and mammograms - many long overdue for a well woman exam.

hiitdogs said:
I think the monthly breast exam is more important than mamograms. A lot of times woman have detected changes in their breast before the mamogram even showed anything. I heard they are now having good results in detecting cancer with thermal imaging. The advantage is that unlike with mamograms with thermal imaging people are not exposed to radiation.
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I agree. This is really the message I want women to get. Even if you have "lumpy breasts" due to FBC (Fibrocystic Breast changes or disease), you can get to know what is normal for you. It is the time you check and something is different, you need to see your HCP. My friend's mom found her lump (breast cancer) 9 months after a normal CBE and mammogram. If she hadn't performed BSE, the cancer would have had at least 3 undetected months to grow. So much could have happened during those 3 monts. Early detection and treatment are so important.

I am so very sorry about your friends.

My friend has been given 6 months by docs here (STL), but she is seeking treatment with Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Her Ob/Gyn didn't watch it or advise futher f/u, he just said "she wacked it" :rolleyes: and sent her on her way. Thankfully, she sensed it was more than "wacking" it. So know your body ladies!!
 
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Thanks for your post, Autumn. I'm very sorry about your friend. Cancer is such a horrible disease.

My SIL had a lump on her breast when she was 28 years old. Showed her doctor and he said it was nothing. She waited a year and then showed a different doctor who diagnosed her with breast cancer. After treatment, she was ok for several years but the cancer returned. She has been living with Stage IV cancer now for 8 1/2 years - it has spread to her lungs, stomach, ovaries, spine and brain (3 times). Like your friend, you would never know what she is going through and what she has gone through by talking to her.

She is 47 years old now with an 11 year old daughter. I just wonder what would have happened if the first doctor had taken that lump seriously instead of sending her off. :(

Erica
 
autumn said:
My friend has been given 6 months by docs here (STL), but she is seeking treatment with Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Her Ob/Gyn didn't watch it or advise futher f/u, he just said "she wacked it" :rolleyes: and sent her on her way. Thankfully, she sensed it was more than "wacking" it. So know your body ladies!!
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I just hate when doctors tell people they have x amount of time. One of the guys at my oncologist's office was a stage IV esophagal cancer and his oncologist told him to "get his affairs in order". He told the oncologist to shove it. Long story short, now 3 years later there is no sign of disease, the metastasis are all gone. Go figure!

I just have a different view on mamograms. They don't prevent cancer, they detect it. Early detection is not a guarantee for survival, nor is late detection a death sentence. I wish more emphasis would be put on actual prevention and educating women about how to minimize their risks but that's just not as profitable.

For example, diet (obesity plays a major role in breast cancer), the casein in milk has shown to promote cancer growth, alcohol consumption increases your risk of developing cancer 5 to 20-fold, vitamin D (sunlight) is crucial in preventing and treating all cancers. However, my conventional oncologist dismissed all of this and his only answer was chemo and radiation.

I heard good things about Cancer Treatment Centers of America. A new one just opened 1 year ago close to where I live in Arizona. All the best to your friend!
 
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Thank you Erica! :) I am so sorry about your SIL, but her story gives me hope for my friend.
Carolla ~ I always taught women it is early detection, but I do know people use the term prevention when describing screenings, etc. but actually it is early detection. It is a pet peeve, but I have many. :) There are exceptions to everything we "know" about health, disease, the body, etc. Not everyone and everything is text book though that is how care is provided at times. That is probably why the doctor dismissed my friend- she was low-risk and not text book.
I certainly agree about prevention through education. We have a sick care system rather than a health care system. Dr. Furhman says and as a med professional I agree, "d[FONT=+mn-ea]octors are trained as experts in prescribing and monitoring the risks and effectiveness of medications. They typically have little or no expertise in using nutrition as their primary modality of treatment. They are biased in favor of their own method of treatment (drugs) and do not have broad experience or training in motivating patients and utilizing nutritional and lifestyle interventions”. I like Thomas Edison's doctor of the future, “the doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in the car of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." [/FONT]
I know the Cancer Tx Center has my friend on a plant-based diet and didn't find an "expiration date" on her. She has hope and a positive attitude. Best to you Carolla!
 
hiitdogs said:
I just hate when doctors tell people they have x amount of time. One of the guys at my oncologist's office was a stage IV esophagal cancer and his oncologist told him to "get his affairs in order". He told the oncologist to shove it. Long story short, now 3 years later there is no sign of disease, the metastasis are all gone. Go figure!
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I hate this, too. My SIL was told last year that there was very little hope for her when they found cancer in her stomach and that they should start with end of life issues because she was going to die very soon. My MIL wouldn't have any of that and wouldn't talk to the social workers and my SIL just concentrated on getting better with her treatments. Well, it's 17 months later and she's still here. She's not in the best shape, but her quality of life isn't terrible and she was able to take two vacations with her family and be here for her daughter.

My neighbor just died from Stage IV colon cancer this past February but he lived much longer than the doctors gave him.

Erica
 
I wish women had as much awareness of heart disease as they do of breast cancer. While they may not get tested, or do a self exam, most women know the symptoms of breast cancer that they should be looking out for. Heart disease kills more women than any other cause, and yet most women do not know the symptoms of heart disease or a heart attack and are more likely to die of a first heart attack than a man is. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease accounts for more deaths in women per year in the United States than the next six causes of death combined. American women are 4 to 6 times more likely to die of heart disease than of breast cancer.

Symptoms of a potential heart attack in women:

  • The symptoms of heart attack in women are often different than in men. Women are more likely to experience nausea, dizziness, and anxiety as symptoms that indicate a heart attack.
  • Chest pain-may also include back pain and/or deep aching and throbbing in one or both arms.
  • Breathlessness and/or inability to catch your breath when waking up.
  • Clammy sweating.
  • Dizziness--unexplained lightheadedness, possible blackouts.
  • Anxiety--unusual nervousness, feelings of impending doom.
  • Edema--fluid retention and swelling usually of the ankles or lower legs.
  • Fluttering--rapid heartbeats, palpitations.
  • Nausea--gastric upset.
  • Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.
 
Morningstar you are right on, I think this deserves its very own thread. :)

I feel the same about strokes. Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S., the number 1 cause of disability, and twice as many women die of stroke than cancer every year. 80% of strokes are preventable; more than 30% occur in women before age 65. Women have unique symptoms, but you can find those here... I've rambled enough. See how I can get going? I would be banned from the forums if I came on here with reminders about skin exams, stroke symptoms, etc. :eek:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month AND Sudden Cardiac Arrest Month. But when I wrote this I wasn't thinking of either of those points, I was sharing from my heart and was thinking of my friend. The thread originated b/c of my friend not b/c it is BCAM. And perhaps, it is a professional hazard for me to focus on BSE, VSE, etc. :) When I say know your body, I am not just referring to your breasts. Thanks for the reminder!
 
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I'm so sorry, Autumn, I didn't mean to hijack your thread and discount your feelings about your friend. I should have started another thread. I truly apologize.
 
morningstar said:
I'm so sorry, Autumn, I didn't mean to hijack your thread and discount your feelings about your friend. I should have started another thread. I truly apologize.
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Morningstar, no apology necessary, but your thoughtfulness is appreciated. I was just explaining how the thread got here. :) I wasn't overlooking other important women's health issues. I kinda wish I could delete it now... b/c it is personal. BUT, I just don't want another woman in my friend's position.

Anyway, I do think the message about heart disease should have its own thread (as well as other health topics) b/c the information can get lost. KWIM? I don't mind the hijack b/c it is women's health too (sorry to leave the Cathe dudes out but you're out of my specialty:).

Take care and thanks for taking the time to play in my thread! ;)
 
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