Breast Self Exams Don't Reduce Deaths

Pam,

This is true. The day I went to my MD to get my "lump" checked she told me this statistic. However, once she sent me to the Breast Center in Seattle to get it checked more, I realized something. I have had breast cancer for lord, know how long. My regular ND missed it for years, or at least in my last check up-which was 5 months prior to me getting diagnosed. IF I HAD BEEN DOING my own exams each month, I would have noticed a difference. I have an idea of making "Boobie Journals" for young women, or for any aged women. If we notice a lump, we should clock it (as my lump was at 11 o'clock) and notice how big it seems. I would have been the only one that wold have noticed a change. It sucks being a young women, that has this disease. As, mammo's didn't show a darn thing. The only thing that worked was .1. me doing my own exam .2. The ultrasound.

I am ALL FOR BREAST EXAMS! I am living proof!

Lots of Love,

Heather

Hi Heather,

One thing that I do in my breast self exams now is to keep track of my lumpectomy scar. The scar has a below-the-surface lump. At first, I just kept on feeling it and fretting and asking myself, "Is it the same size or has it changed? Is a new tumor starting from something left over from the 1st one?"

Then I started to keep track of it with a nickel and a quarter. If I place the nickel on top, I can just feel my scar still extending beyond it a bit. But a quarter covers it completely. Now, in the future, if I ever feel something extending beyond the quarter, I'll be off to the docs.

Since I'm confident it is not changing now, I have stopped fretting.

Of course, for any non-scar lump, of a similar size, you should go right away to the docs! But for smaller structures, you use small washers or nuts. Draw a diagram to show which clock points and how far from the nipple is a structure you want to keep track of.

I had a 3-4cm tumor found by self exam less than 4 months after a clean mammogram, so I'm a believer in self exams too!

-Carol

So what the hell are all these doctors saying this for? It is ridiculous!

Too Funny, too true! I cannot wait to start being a public speaker and educating women, at least educating them about my experience! Beth, lets get together soon. Did you see I think her name, (my memory is foggy right now) Marie from Redmond? Let's all get together sometime. Do you do Yoga? In W. Seattle on MOnday's form 2-3:30 8 Limbs yoga has free class for Survivors.

Paris...ahh.

Before I got cancer we were planning on a trip over there. Now, everything is on hold. This is the week from hell for you. Tons of driving, yikes! I could meet you at the Alki Bakery in the morning, if you want. Anytime. I can also meet you somewhere else if you want. Whatever is easier!

Heather

Just to chip in here, I had a routine mammogram in Jun 07 (I was getting screening as my Mom had ER neg BC at 54, 20 years ago) - it was fine.

In Dec 07 I found through self examination, a lump. It was a 2.6cm tumour. Quick work in growing!

I tell all my girlfriends that screening AND self examination are so important. If my tumour grew that quickly it could have spread before I had my next mammogram which would have been in June 08 at the earliest or later, I wasn't that paranoid about having them and could have let time slip by...
It makes no sense to me to say that self examination doesn't save lives. Surely it was better for me to find it before it had spread?