Not only is breast cancer a nasty word to hear it is a painful condition and frightening, it gets even nastier sounding if your doctor has diagnosed you with the disease. Sadly, although scary, women still choose to avoid initiating a self breast examination on them self. Why do women ignore cancer awareness alerts which point out the vital concerns of catching cancer in its early stage when they know breast cancer can be a fatal condition?
There can only be one reason why decisions of denial that they are cancer free are made and that is because they are too scared that they may actually detect a lump in the process. Is it not best to find a lump the size of pea than that of one which has developed greater in size? Not all breast lumps are cancerous, breast abnormalities should be checked out sooner than later. "Later is a death sentence". Some women in their seventies said they don't have much road ahead so why the need for a self breast examination. Hey blue rinse gals it is very important for your grand kids have you stick around longer and what of your happy birthday 100th telegram off the Queen. Breast screening regardless of age saves lives (70 years plus). Dutch research of over 860,000 women voiced breast screening decreased the number of deaths by 30% after the upper age limit was extended. Cancer risks increase with age so they say; medical experts have been at odds over whether the over-70s should be checked. UK plans involve raising the upper age limit for routine screening from 70 to 73 by 2012. The Netherlands extended its programme to cover women up to 75 in 1998.
Researchers are continuously and tirelessly looking for answers, e.g. Is breast cancer a hereditary issue or an actual cancer having a specific associated link? (Like Lung cancer in relation to smoking) Overcome your panic thoughts of resistance in finding a lump and it may well save your life.
If you are afraid of the unknown as to what is involved with breast screening then there is nothing to worry over. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breasts. The NHS in the United Kingdom breast screen women aged between 50 and 70. A mammogram will be requested if you have breast cancer symptoms, such as a lump. What you can expect when a mammogram is performed is having a radiographer present. He/she will help you to position one breast at a time on a small flat plate, with an X-ray plate under it. Another flat plate will be placed over the breast. Once the machine is activated, the breast is slightly compressed between the two. Compression of the breast makes it easier for the doctor to see things more clearly. A Mammogram in the UK consists of two snapshots: one from above and one from the side. This is a precaution method to ascertain that nothing is missed. Research opinion says taking a 2 view mammogram can increase breast screening cancer detection rate by 25% or more. Simple explained means every 100 cancers picked up with single view mammograms doubles that to 125 with the double view.
Do mammograms cause pain, well uncomfortable is more the word to depict, however this will depend on breast size and pain threshold of the patient. A mammogram will only take a couple of minutes, so any discomfort will not have to endured for long, unlike the pain caused by breast cancer (physical and mental).
Once a mammogram test is complete the doctor will check for any signs of cancer. Results of the mammogram are normally delivered a week or two later, sometimes longer. Developed breast cancers will more times show up clearly on mammograms. However it is not rare for one to go unnoticed because the x-ray showed no sign. Infancy breast cancer may not involve having a lump, patterns yes, which on a mammogram may suggest breast cancer. The medical term calcification means tiny regions of calcium within the breast tissue. Cancer can be detected through the calcium which creates spots and patterns which suggest disease presence. Breast changes are normal but only your doctor is in the position to say these changes are of the non-cancerous pattern type.
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Abdominol pain and back pain the same time,starts at the same time every night
By: john | 14-07-2008
HI
I have abdominol pain right around belly button or a little below and middle back pain over a week now starts around the same time seems back pain may start first after 12 and one every night need to sit up the rest of the night to relieve abdominol pain and back pain, during day hardly have abdominol pain but sometimes a little back pain, was hard to go to the bathroom a few days thought the reason of my problem was a blockage but took the magnessium ?? forgot what its called and that worked but that night the pain came on again around the same time,was wondering why this happens at about the same time every night
Thanks
Another lump after 4 chemo treatments?
By: Barbara | 13-07-2008
My friend just finished her 4th chemo treatment (one very 3 weeks) and now they have found another lump in her breast and are going to do surgery this Friday to remove it. Why would another lump appear after just finishing all this chemo? She asked the doctor if it was the cancer that had come back and he would not answer yes or no but that it needed to come out immediately. She was in stage two of invasive ductal carcinoma when this was found. Could this lump be something else other than the cancer coming back? Any input you give me would be very much appreciated.
How many cycles of herception does a patient ...
By: punita | 12-07-2008
my mother had breast cancer in 2003. she had surgery and 8 cycles of chemotheraphy and 25 cycles of radiation. that time her ER NEGATIVE AND PR POSITIVE. so she was on tamoxifen. again in feb 08, we have undertaken pet scan that shows lytic lesions in multiple pelvic bones and multiple mediastenal lymph nodes also shows increased . she has undertaken 6 cycles of chemotheraphy of TCH and now herception will going to start in month of august. we are in confusion right now about the cycles of herception. please let us knows your experiences of herception and how many cycles you have to undergo with erception does a patient generally had ?
Men - If there was a need for an homemaker at home..?
By: qzmaster591 | 09-07-2008
... and your wife, working in the same field of expertise in which you're currently working, was clearly more competent, able, and able to earn more you, and willing to take over the role of breadwinner, would you step down and be the homemaker?
Ladies - You'd feel more cursed or blessed?
By: qzmaster591 | 09-07-2008
Imagine to wake up, and find you've gotten more beautiful than you ever were. In fact, you're now the most glamorous woman ever, that kind of absolute beauty that no one would ever resist to. To gauge it, just imagine being like a younger sister of Megan Fox, just a lot curvier, bustier, lovelier, cuter and far more graceful and glamorous, almost a million time better, with lovely eyes and a smile able to melt hearts of concrete. But you discover your voice is now damaged: you can't speak at all, just grunt, moan and croak to let you heard, with choked, messed up gibberish. By grunting and looks you manage to call someone, and you discover that your hearing is impaired too. You can still hear loud sounds, and be aware of your surroundings. You can tell if someone is speaking to you: only, no matter how close he/she is, you can no more understand him/her, every conversation for you is a whispery gibberish. Still, you're dazzling What would you do? How would you feel? Cursed? Blessed?
Breaking Into Pieces.
By: jmdillon | 09-07-2008
Hi all. All I can't say is, help. About a year and a half ago my father was diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer. Since then it has spread to his lungs, liver and abdomen. Nurses say he has several months. My family is in Ohio and I am working in Washington, DC. I am 23 and my dad is only 55, unfair if you ask me. My dad and I have always been close. He is ordained in the Methodist Church and has worked in the church for years so our family has always been involved together in the church. The last report we got from the doctor is that the masses in his lungs have doubled and tripled in size in the past 2 months since he chose to stop treatment (it was doing more harm than good). So, at 23, i'm dealing with something way beyond what I am prepared for. But, on top of this, my boyfriend of 2.5 years, with whom I live, has decided to go to Cornell (500 miles away) for a graduate program. Sean, my boyfriend, has been my stronghold, my shoulder, my rock since my father was diagnosed. As poorly as I may be handling my father's condition, it has definitley been better than had Sean not been with me to support me. My support system of friends and family are all in Ohio, so Sean is all I have here. My question is, how do I do this? I personally don't think I am emotionally capable of maintaining a healthy long-distance relationship with half of my heart being in Ohio with my family. I need someone to BE there for me. What do I do? How do I end a relationship I never thought would end, and live to see the next day? How does pain like this not kill a person?
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