October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Founded in 1985, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, NBCAM shines light on a disease where, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 202,964 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and a whopping 40,598 women died from the disease that same year.
While breast cancer awareness supporters agree that early diagnosis will prevent people from dying of breast cancer, not many people understand the importance of those admonitions.
In September, 2009, I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS) or Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Stage II (stages are 0-1-2-3-4) breast cancer, Her-2/Neu Positive type.
Four months prior, in May, 2009, I received a mammogram that detected no cancer. But only four short months later, a lump the size of a marble appeared (I describe in Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part I below how I found the lump). Within two weeks that marble grew to more than 4 centimeters wide.
For people like me, whose cancers are located so close to the breast bone that mammograms don’t find them, breast self exams are imperative, even if nobody in your family has ever had a breast cancer diagnosis.
At the time of my diagnosis, I didn’t know that any of my family members had ever had any experience with breast cancer. Relying upon known history of other family members isn’t always an accurate assessment about whether or not you will get breast cancer. Not until my diagnosis did family members step forward to tell me about a cousin and an aunt who had had breast cancer. Apparently breast cancer wasn’t discussed much in earlier decades.
Today, thanks to the Internet, many resources provide exceptional information about breast cancer. Breastcancer.org is an educational web site that provides advice and guidance on symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, side effects, and yes, they even have an app for that – a Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide for your iPhone.
As a breast cancer survivor who is still taking chemotherapy medication and will continue to take medication until July, 2015, I can’t stress enough the importance of becoming familiar with your body. Monthly breast exams will help you notice changes in your body. Look at your breasts in a mirror. Notice markings on your skin. If you detect a change in any mole, for instance, make an appointment to see your doctor.
Lumps that suddenly appear, even if they are only the size of a sand granule are worthy of your attention. Any body change at all is worth examining. Chances are that small lump you discovered is only a cyst, but find out for sure. Don’t take chances.
Finances might prevent you from seeking help from a doctor. Call your local hospital. Find out if they offer financial aid for people with low to no income. Many hospitals will work with you. Seek a hospital that specializes in breast cancer. I was fortunate in that I lived less than 5 miles from the Mills Breast Cancer Institute, and even more fortunate that the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer program allowed me to receive a mammogram for free. Your state’s department of public health will be aware of programs that can help you and they may offer similar screenings. Try typing (yourstate).gov into your url and look for departments or services. For instance, when I type http://illinois.gov into my url, my State of Illinois Home Page appears with a new address of http://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/default.aspx.
Once you discover you have breast cancer, you may become deluged with questions. Should you tell your family and friends before you find out? Should you wait until you’re diagnosed? If you decide to tell your family and friends, do you tell all of them or only some of them?
Will your life change? How dramatically? I address my questions and the answers to those questions in the articles posted below.
October will soon be over, but breast cancer awareness should be year-round – an ongoing process. Be vigilant of your body and know that a breast cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence. I recorded my breast cancer journey in the following articles. Reading them may help you deal with your own breast cancer diagnosis or it may help you understand a loved one who is currently coping with breast cancer or with a breast cancer diagnosis.
Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part I
Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part II
Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part III
Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part IV
Diagnosis: Breast Cancer – Part V
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/
http://www.breastcancer.org/
http://www.millshope.com/