Did You Do Your Breast Self Exam Today?

In 1983 my mom Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 37. Yes! 37!.  So so scary. I was only 7 and my parents kept it pretty quiet. Not like today when everyone is aware of breast cancer and taking precautions, not only learning more about it, but educating others on it.  Since my mom was so young I have been serious about getting mammograms since the age of 27.  Does it scare me?, you bet.  Does it scare me more now that I have two little girls that I want to share my life with forever.. YES.  My mom died a year and a half ago from brain cancer.  It had developed from her breast cancer.  Yes, a little cancer crept up and returned, all from that first time in 1983.   So so sad. But I am determined to do everything I can to prevent it or at least catch it early.  One new thing I have done  (other than self-exams and yearly mammograms) is getting a breast MRI.  Since my mom had breast cancer at such a young age, it is recommended by my doctor to get the MRI.   Well, last summer I went for my first breast MRI.   I had never been in for an MRI before, let alone a breast one, so I had no idea what to expect.  I brought my friend Andrea with me (you know, andrea my partner in crime at Secret Suburb Society). Anyway, they let Andrea come in the MRI room with me while I had the procedure.  IV, check, lying flat on my stomach, check, inserted into closed tube…oh god, check.  Looking down into a window and seeing andrea’s face (it was a mirror so I could see whatever was infront of me) was so comforting.  This was a 25 minute MRI.  No idea how loud it was going to be. It reminded me of a scene in The Exorcist. BANG, BANG, BANG,BANG.  Anyway, I did it.  I had to.  For my mom, and my daughters and every other woman who has to battle this awful disease.  I went again yesterday for another one.  Andrea in tow.  This time I was more frightened (maybe because I knew what was coming), but the nurse held my hand too.   I did it.  Again I just thought about all my loved ones and all those who are fighting to survive.  You are never too young to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty.  My mom was beautiful, smart, kind and she loved her family so much.  She is missed every single day.  Missed by me, my dad, her sisters, her best friends.  No one should be taken away from their loved ones by this terrible disease.  I will do my best to educate others on the importance of self-exams and hopefully by working together we will find a cure.  Please educate yourself more on this disease. Go to www.komen.org for all the info you need on breast cancer facts, education and how to donate to the Breast Cancer Fund. Secret Suburb Society also has a box on our homepage where you can check out the latest goodies to purchase from the Koman for the Cure site.

How to examine your breasts

• Lie down and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

• Use the finger pads of the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.

• Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary. If you’re not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.

• Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle)

• There is some evidence to suggest that the up-and-down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast, without missing any breast tissue.

• Repeat the exam on your left breast, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam.

• While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, or dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)

• Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.

This procedure for doing breast self exam is different from previous recommendations. These changes represent an extensive review of the medical literature and input from an expert advisory group. There is evidence that this position (lying down), the area felt, pattern of coverage of the breast, and use of different amounts of pressure increase a woman’s ability to find abnormal areas.