Years ago if i had never had done a self examination as i did then i would never have found the lump in which was at the starts of breast cancer !!
... (My surgeon was the same person that Kylie Minogue had) ... and my surgeon said i was very lucky that it had been detected early as it would have spread and my situation would have been very different.
MD, thinking of you and YOU are an absolute inspiration to us ALL xox
I find that disgusting. What on earth benefit is there is saying that? Some of the time you might not find the lump sooner, but when you do, that can save your life! And what harm is there in checking your breasts - it's not like it's dangerous to do it! The only reason I can see for saying that is if self-checks make people complacent - so instead of going for a mammogram every 2 years (over age 50) they JUST do self checks. But really people should be encouraged to both.
As someone who got away with a lumpectomy - I have to totally, totally agree with MD - do your self-checks!
Whilst I am a big advocate of self examination, when it comes to the crunch, it is useless for me personally.
I have fibrocystitis and therefore very lumpy/clumpy and stringy boobs. Which makes breast checks almost pointless - if I freaked out and went to the doctor everytime I felt a lump or a new lump, I would be there everyday.
I do have 2 lumps they are aware of which are quite large, but given my family history now, I was advised by my mums oncologist that I now have to have ultrasounds on my ovaries and breasts every 6 months, and a breastcheck is almost pointless.
I certainly think women should be encouraged to self-check often and from a young age, to get to knw their own breasts and find out how it changes over the course of your cycle, and hopefully you will find the lumps when they appear...but in terms of early detection, I'm inclined to listen to an oncologist when he tells me the best way (given my young age) to find problems is through ultra sound
That might be true for you LS - and I also have to have mammogram and u/s every 12 months. But for most people it can save their lives and is well worth doing. I don't see why they would tell everyone not to do it because some people won't find a lump earlier
I've read that self-checks are pointless because finding them 'early' does not increase the overall chance of survival form cancer, but it does increase the chance of them having a biopsy on a benign lump.
I didn't see the show, but perhaps the Doctor should have explained what she meant by it. I've also heard that because most women don't know what they're looking for that encouraging them to self-check is pointless until you teach them what to look for.
The book where I read it is called Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom by Dr Christiane Northrup, in case anyone is interested.
I've found a lump in my breast before and now there are two - I'm a bit like LimeSlice though, and the lumps are benign. The process for having them checked out was incredibly traumatic, and the core biopsy was extremely painful. I was left feeling like a butchered pin cushion, and the process was incredibly clinical. The bruising afterwards made my breast look like I'd been involved in a brutal sex attack - I'm not exaggerating. I certainly would think twice about having any other lumps checked in the future, but I've made that decision after informing myself of the risks and facts, and wouldn't tell anyone else to do that just because I do.
I think women should inform themselves about their bodies and their own health, regardless of what any doctor or marketing campaign tells us. Has anyone seen the most recent Rexona adverts? Apparently we're all sweating too much now as well and should all start wearing 'clinical grade' deodorant. Pfft.
Its for those of us who sweat alot. In summertime i have to apply 24hr deoderant 3 times a day because otherwise i stink! i only have to walk fast for 10 mins and ill be dripping with sweat! its gross! So i think its a great idea. I have always been to embarrassed to see a doctor about it but i am glad they have released something i can use. You use it before bed time and it soaks into the skin and its actually 48hr protection so may work for 24hrs on me
I actually found a lump in my breast and just had an ultrasound on it this week (was just a lymph node apparently, yay ) and I told the u/s woman what the Dr on Sunrise said and she thought it was stupid too. She said that most of the time the lumps are benign anyway but they don't care bc it's worth investigating them all for the lives you do save!
xox
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) and I told the u/s woman what the Dr on Sunrise said and she thought it was stupid too. She said that most of the time the lumps are benign anyway but they don't care bc it's worth investigating them all for the lives you do save!
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