I feel the need to pass this link on. Please be aware of the signs & symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. There does NOT have to be a lump.
Please take the time to look at this list of symptoms.
The sooner the detection, the better the prognosis.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/Pinkribbonlogo5.jpg) (http://www.ibcresearch.org/symptoms/)
I lost my grandmother in November 1999 to breast cancer. The thing that bothered me the most was she had caught the signs, but kept putting off going to the doctor. My grandfather's health was failing and she was so focused on him and didn't want to cause him any worry.
Sorry to hear about this, Daisy.
Cancer sucks. It's claimed 3 of my family members.
I can't really tell what I am looking for so I don't bother. I always think I feel a "lump."
Well that's crazy, AW! But, I know what you mean...however, this type of breast cancer is much different & much more aggressive. There doesn't have to be a lump, just the other symptoms mentioned at that link.
Thanks for passing that on, Sunny.
You're very welcome...
I don't mean to exclude all of the other illnesses that claim lives...this cause just so happens to be very close to my heart right now.
It's the most lethal of the breast cancers.
Quote from: American_Woman on January 18, 2007, 04:43:00 PM
I can't really tell what I am looking for so I don't bother. I always think I feel a "lump."
No, no, please, A/W! You MUST do this. It could save your life!
Sorry to intrude, Ladies, but this is a very important subject to me.
Quote from: Bo D on January 19, 2007, 09:43:53 AM
No, no, please, A/W! You MUST do this. It could save your life!
Sorry to intrude, Ladies, but this is a very important subject to me.
No intrusion, what so ever, BoD!!! It's not really an "exclusively female" issue...it can affect men's lives, as well...
Thanks, Sunny. Yes it does. And although I doubt any of you are old enough to start this yet, let's don't forget the importance of a colonoscopy. I've had two now. They aren't so bad. And they give you goooood drugs.
A very good point, BoD. I'm not sure what age you can start having those...colon cancer runs in my family, you're very on-target!!!
Quote from: American_Woman on January 18, 2007, 04:43:00 PM
I can't really tell what I am looking for so I don't bother. I always think I feel a "lump."
well I hope that you get regular mammograms...
the mother of a friend skipped three years of mammograms...and by the time they found her cancer, it had spread all through her. Please take care of yourself!
Quote from: Gryphon on January 19, 2007, 10:28:44 AM
well I hope that you get regular mammograms...
the mother of a friend skipped three years of mammograms...and by the time they found her cancer, it had spread all through her. Please take care of yourself!
Wow, Gryphon...may I ask her age?
Not that it discriminates, but these stories make me shudder.
Quote from: SunnyInFL on January 19, 2007, 10:24:40 AM
A very good point, BoD. I'm not sure what age you can start having those...colon cancer runs in my family, you're very on-target!!!
You should start NO LATER than 50. Talk to your doctor. Now! Especially about your family history.
Sunny, I dont know exactly, I would guess late 40s to early 50s. She apparently didnt do the self exams ether, she had a lemon sized tumor in one breast...deep in the tissue, that she never felt.
Quote from: Bo D on January 19, 2007, 10:31:05 AM
You should start NO LATER than 50. Talk to your doctor. Now! Especially about your family history.
I will. Thanks. The odds are stacked against me: colon, breast & ovarian...
Quote from: Gryphon on January 19, 2007, 10:36:54 AM
Sunny, I dont know exactly, I would guess late 40s to early 50s. She apparently didnt do the self exams ether, she had a lemon sized tumor in one breast...deep in the tissue, that she never felt.
That's awful. Although, sometimes mammograms do NOT detect cancer...gotta go to the next level -- and some cancer spreads so rapidly (that was the case for my sister-in-law), that yearly or semi-annual tests aren't enough!
Quote from: SunnyInFL on January 19, 2007, 10:42:59 AM
I will. Thanks. The odds are stacked against me: colon, breast & ovarian...
No. Thank you!!!!!
And be sure to tell your doctor EVERYTHING!!!!! Don't hide anything.
I heard a story on the radio that doctors complain that one of the biggest impediments to good health care is when a patient doesn't fully confide in their doctor.
Oh....and might I add...question everything. Make sure you understand fully what the doctor is telling you. Take notes if you must. Ask why.
My doctor used to think I was nothing but a pest, but now we are best friends. He has told me that he admires patients who really take charge of their health care and that he learns something from the process, too.
I'm glad to hear you have a good relationship with your doctor...how very true -- your life depends on him!!! I think a lot of people are intimidated by doctors, are embarrassed to tell them things, and/or feel "rushed" at appointments. Meanwhile, they have seen it all!!!
Folks should be very selective when picking a doctor.
Bo, thats excellent advice. I used to feel like I was being a hypochondriac having my doctor check every little thing...but you hear just too many stories about how something small turns out to be something much bigger. My advice would be---if your doctor makes you feel like youre fussing over nothing, you need a new doctor.
By the way, I don't know if many of you know this but it IS possible for men to get breast cancer. Though unlikely, it is a possibility. I did a speech on it in college, and it was very interesting to know, because like everyone else I didn't know it was a possibility.
Detailed Guide: Male Breast Cancer
What Is Breast Cancer in Men?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast. The disease occurs primarily in women but occasionally occurs in men. Many people do not realize that men have breast tissue and that they can develop breast cancer....
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_male_breast_cancer_28.asp (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_male_breast_cancer_28.asp) For more information
Yep, I did know that, Daisy...thanks for bringing it up for everyone!
My cousin's husband actually just had a mass removed -- but it was benign.
Yeah, I know how much I hate to get heaving bosum sandwiched and smashed for the mammogram. Why do I always get the bitch with icy fingers who positions my breast in the box from hell?
Anyway--been getting them since I turned 35 and will continue to do so cuz you gotta!
Bottom line--YOU GOTTA!
*shiver* Thanks for the graphic warning. LOL! I'll need to schedule one soon. :(
That's good advice Tallulah. Some doctor's wont perform mamograms before 40. Mine wouldn't. He said that it had something to do w/the density of the tissue/muscle that makes it useless.
I do my self exam each month and have since I can remember being told how to do it. Probably 20's. A good time to do it is right after an exam by a professional. Once they declare that you're "okay" then you know what "okay" feels like. That way if anything changes you're aware.
I typically do mine on the 13th of each month. That's Lil' Mojo's birth date. I read somewhere that it's easier to remember to do it if you pick a significant date and do it the same time every month, but I do a quick check fairly often.
Oh yeah, self exams are a must!! But you still need to see the icy-finger woman for the boobie sammich every year-- :rolleyes:
(http://www.lifestorywriting.com/manogram.jpg)
Quote from: Gryphon on January 22, 2007, 09:18:19 AM
(http://www.lifestorywriting.com/manogram.jpg)
Just spit out my coffee.
Thanks, Gryphon! :food24:
Dated a girl like that.
Once.
my husband would say that, too.
Obviously, your husband is a man of wit, charm, intelligence, and good taste.
:biggrin: :biggrin:
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 23, 2007, 09:11:38 AM
Obviously, your husband is a man of wit, charm, intelligence, and good taste.
:biggrin: :biggrin:
:yes: You could say that. Afterall, he DID pick moi. :wink:
Absolutely.
And if he is like me, he must possess the aforementioned attributes.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 23, 2007, 09:30:32 PM
Absolutely.
And if he is like me, he must possess the aforementioned attributes.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I notice you forgot modesty. :razz: :biggrin:
Absolutely.
To a fault.
:yes: :yes: :smile: :smile:
Life is too short for modesty. :wink:
LOL I agree,
I tell lil' Mojo to look in the mirror each morning and tell herself, "I'm all that and a bag of chips" and mean it. She giggles, but she gets my point. Gotta be proud of ourselves. :yes:
Quote from: MsMojo on January 24, 2007, 08:03:50 AM
LOL I agree,
I tell lil' Mojo to look in the mirror each morning and tell herself, "I'm all that and a bag of chips" and mean it. She giggles, but she gets my point. Gotta be proud of ourselves. :yes:
Good perspective, Mojo! I tell my little girls every day that they're beautiful...but, that doesn't mean they
believe it. I may just have to start something like that instead. :smile:
Well, if they're anything like my daughter, they'll take it w/a grain of salt...eventually. Mom-always-says-nice-things-because-she's-a-mom, kinda thing. I'm trying to teach her to find ways to give herself a pat on the back. Something that I have a problem with. LOL Another thing that I've been doing with her ... is if I do compliment her, I explain why I think it's so wonderful. That way she won't think I'm just being nice and it'll help her to recognize her own accomplishments and not diminish them with thinking that her effort wasn't all that special or I ask questions about it to show that I'm genuinely interested in what she did or her thoughts about it, but in a way that shows admiration. I guess that's just positive reinforcement, but I watch her out of the corner of my eye and I can see her stand up a little taller and her little chest puff out. It works. LOL (sorry I seem to have gotten us way off topic)
Kinda like normal conversations, eh?
:smile:
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 24, 2007, 11:38:23 AM
Kinda like normal conversations, eh?
:smile:
:biggrin: Yep, but I'm a "talker", ya gotta watch me or I'll take us all the way around the barn and back. LOL
Ya mean................Ya mean................out behind the barn?
*gigglesnort*
:biggrin: :biggrin:
Quote from: tallulahdahling on January 20, 2007, 11:24:40 AM
Yeah, I know how much I hate to get heaving bosum sandwiched and smashed for the mammogram. Why do I always get the bitch with icy fingers who positions my breast in the box from hell?
Anyway--been getting them since I turned 35 and will continue to do so cuz you gotta!
Bottom line--YOU GOTTA!
I think they must sit with their fingers in the ice cream before they come in the room. I've had two mammograms, my first at age 24 and second at 27. After having lost my grandmother and a great aunt to breast cancer, and with my mom having a benign lump removed when I was a child, no one was taking any chances either of the two times I felt lumps, both of which were nothing more than clogged ducts.
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 24, 2007, 12:15:15 PM
Ya mean................Ya mean................out behind the barn?
*gigglesnort*
:biggrin: :biggrin:
:spooked:
Ah, so now I know what
you were doin' out behind the barn. LMAO
Yep.
An old farm boy here.
Drank a little, smoked a little, diddled a little.
Out behind the barn.
:biggrin: :biggrin:
Now they're recommending breast MRI's in addition to mammograms! It's almost like they're inventing new techniques to make us spend more money--oops--I'm sounding jaded :spooked:
I hope there is a cure so our grandkids won't have to go through this!
Quote from: ~Daisy~ on January 24, 2007, 12:30:52 PM
I think they must sit with their fingers in the ice cream before they come in the room. I've had two mammograms, my first at age 24 and second at 27. After having lost my grandmother and a great aunt to breast cancer, and with my mom having a benign lump removed when I was a child, no one was taking any chances either of the two times I felt lumps, both of which were nothing more than clogged ducts.