October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The news media, TV aides and news paper articles are all encouraging women to get their annual mammogram and the importance of getting a mammogram. Mammograms can often detect breast cancer when it is small and before a lump can be felt. There is a new mammogram that alot of women may not know about it is a 3D mammogram for women with dense breast but it is not covered by most insurance companies.The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. There are to many stories of women losing their lives from breast cancer from not being educated or for no health insurance, which they can't afford to go to the doctor or pay for a mammogram. There are programs for women who don't have insurance to get a mammogram at no cost. This is a very touching to me considering my mom was a breast cancer survivor . She passed from heart disease not breast cancer, I am sad to say that my aunt passed from breast cancer due to no early detection. I get my mammogram every year because I have a family history of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. Breast cancer has no certain age that it affect women, I know women that were in their late 20's early 30's that have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have lost their lives. The recommended age to start getting mammograms is between 40-50, which is not acceptable to me. According to Dr. David Samadi around 12%, or one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, men are also at risk of getting breast cancer. The good news is the death rate has decreased with fewer women under the age of 50. Ladies and Gentelmen please look for changes in your breast do breast self exams every month. These are some changes to look for in your breast.Nipple discharge
Painful breast pain
Nipple turned inward into the breast
Dimpling or Puckering in the skin of the breast
If you see any of these changes contact your doctor immediately! Remember early detection is very important.
I am very close to this because my mom is a survivor of breast cancer. Thank you for the post, october is always a month we look forward too, celebrating her life!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about this. My grandma is a breast cancer survivor, and I had my first mammogram last year after my doctor felt a lump. It was a scary experience, but luckily I turned out fine. I believe women my age (early 20s to mid 20s) should really do a lot of research on what breast cancer is and how they can detect it.
ReplyDeleteHey Pam, great information! It's always important to know the signs and do self-checks monthly!
ReplyDeleteI actually got tested awhile ago and it was super expensive because I have dense breast tissue. My insurance did not cover it but thankfully my mom and dad paid for it. I am 21 but it runs in my family so they want to be proactive about testing me. It is a worry of mine everyday and I always look for signs of possible cancer.
ReplyDelete