Breast Cancer PSA
Happy October (oof-November) and happy Breast Cancer awareness! I realize I’m late, but, that’s what I get for leaving it to the last minute and then getting a stomach bug!
This is your friendly reminder to do a breast exam- check your lady bits!!
Check them even if/or because:
- You feel perfectly fine
- You don’t have a family history of Breast Cancer
- You are under 40
- To get familiar with your own anatomy
I know having a friend check for you is likely more fun, but this is something we really need to do on a regular basis ya’ll. Anything that is out of the ordinary for YOU is something that deserves a second look.
When I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer I was:
- a young (relatively) 35, too young for an annual mammogram
- had no family history of breast cancer
- had recently stopped breastfeeding.
- Had no pain or unusual discharge
So, on paper, pretty low risk for breast cancer diagnosis.
Honestly, even after I found my lump, breast cancer wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities as far as I was concerned. Since I had recently stopped breast feeding, I thought it was likely a plugged milk duct or some unknown complication from nursing.
I wasn’t a super health freak back in the day (Not that I am now either if I’m being honest). I exercised for the aesthetic reasons. We ate a lot of processed food out of convenience. Vegetables were often an afterthought. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t do self-breast exams (I left that to the hubby).
If I hadn’t been trying to get ready for the embryo transfer for baby number two, I probably wouldn’t even have gone to the doctor right away when I found the lump. I would have brushed it off and waited for the lump to resolve on its own.
I used to joke that everything on planet Earth gave us cancer, so we were all eventually going to get it, and eventually die from it.
Now 10 years later, with a breast cancer diagnosis under my belt… That’s less funny and maybe a little bit too close to the truth for comfort.
That being said, I try not to live from a place of fear.
Do I eat clean every day? No. Am I more aware, absolutely yes.
I do my best to eat organic when I can and to buy clean beauty and household products. I do still enjoy the occasional grown-up beverage; I just try to be more mindful about my consumption. I enjoy a little bit of bacon every now and then, but it’s not a weekly brunch item. I’m also that person who must move their body every day. Sometimes weight training, sometimes cardio, but ALWAYS walking in circles at the end of the day to obsessively reach that 10 thousand steps mark! (Ok, maybe that’s more of a mental quirk than anything else!?)
I guess the point is, ladies, it doesn’t take much to do that breast exam. I do frequent self-breast exams and even check the lymph nodes in my throat and armpits because my lymphatic system seems to talk to me sooner than anything else does. I still go for my annual MRI since mammograms aren’t applicable after my double mastectomy. Be proactive with your body… I know if I hadn’t made that appointment to have my OB look at my lump, I wouldn’t be here today. OR, if I had waited even a few weeks, my diagnosis would have been much worse.
Check your parts friends!
Talk soon,
H
