WHY THIS POST IS SO IMPORTANT...

Well, I usually keep medical issues kind of private, but I've learned something really important through this experience that I don't think many of us are aware of. So, I felt it was important to share what I know and promote awareness.

I found a lump in my breast this past December while doing a self examination. I haven't always been diligent with my breast self-exams until this past year. I always assumed we were supposed to do breast exams to look for lumps. However, most women have lumpy-feeling breast tissue, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell if it's a lump or just a normal part of your breast tissue.

MY POINT: The REASON we are asked to do MONTHLY self breast exams is to become FAMILIAR with our breasts - how they look and feel. When we are familiar then it is very easy to detect any abnormalities.

That is how I found my lump. I have very lumpy-feeling breasts, and if I had not been conducting regular self breast exams I would not have known if the lump I found was a normal part of my breast or an actual mass. The lump was fairly large, so the next month I had my doctor do an exam and she felt it was necessary to ultrasound my breast to determine if the lump was a cyst or a tumor. After having the ultrasound they concluded it was a tumor, 1 inch in diameter, called a fibroadenoma, which in most cases is benign. However, to be sure they need to do a biopsy to rule out any cancer. My biopsy is tomorrow, and I will be given the results next week.

My doctor and I are pretty sure it's benign. I have no family history. The lump can be moved around, which is good, because it means it hasn't planted or rooted itself into the tissue like cancer does. Not to mention 80% of breast lumps are benign...so the odds are in my favor.

I share all of this, because I never realized how important self breast exams were and WHY we should be doing them every month. So, get familiar with your breasts. Know what they look like and how they normally feel - DO THOSE MONTHLY BREAST SELF-EXAMS.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure website has a GREAT page and interactive tool/video that will help you understand what you should be LOOKING and FEELING for during your Breast Self-Exam. I urge you all to take the time to at least watch the Breast Self Awareness Tool and become familiar with your breasts!











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Post-Script

2/15/11: Biopsy went well. Was a little more involved than I was expecting. They placed a tiny, metal tag where they took the sample to mark the tumor. My boob is so black and blue it looks like it was used as a punching bag.

2/23/11: Met with the doctor and my biopsy sample came back (as expected) NEGATIVE for malignancy (NOT CANCER)! Will follow-up in 6 months with an ultrasound to check on growth. If it gets much bigger they will remove it.