can we talk about boobs for a minute? breasts? ta tas? i am fond of mine, though admittedly they are no longer located as high on my chest as i'd like nor are they as firm as i envision they should be. however, they are a sensitive duo and often serve as my on switch for certain recreational activities.
recently a bloggy friend had a bit of a scare w/ her's. thankfully she is ok, there is no cancer, but she will have to continue w/ checkups and this does run in her family.
i have personally known three people who've had breast cancer and i think i probably have a lot of misconceptions about it, mostly because of what i've heard in the media.
although i do self-exams randomly, i am not really worried that i'll get it because no women in my family have had it. i think that's a stupid assumption on my part. i wonder when i should talk to the girl about doing self-exams?
i also am under the assumption that if caught early it's ok. if they find a lump (any cancerous lump for that matter) that that is good, early detection leads to early treatment and that's good. i think that also is probably not always the case.
one of my friends found a lump and did nothing for a long time. by the time she did go to the doctor it has started spreading. and then it got into her lymph nodes and spread faster and about two years after she found that lump she died of brain cancer.
my other two friends who've had it are actually a couple. one woman ended up getting a double mastectomy and has been in remission for years. the other one had a partial mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and also has been in remission for years.
obviously if push came to shove i'd rather lose a boob than my life. but i think it would be incredibly difficult to deal with losing a boob or both boobs.
for those of you w/ daughters (older daughters) when did you start talking to them about self-exams?
7 comments:
I know you are supposed to wait until maybe your 20s..I think your breasts can be lumpy when you are younger because they are still growing or something...man I am helpful!
I found my lump between mammograms, so it wsa detected early and I am 3 and 1/2 years in remission now.
My daughter, 20, has beeen talked to about breast self exams, but this post reminds me to ask her if she actually does them.
All of this has me wondering about the recent recommendations for mammos at 50 instead of 40? Really? It doesn't make sense. Ack.
I read your post, then immediately got up, and searched through the magnets on the fridge to find my GYN and called to set up my appointment. I am about 8 months late and need to get my baseline mammogram...I am 40.
duh, the office was closed for lunch so I have to call back in an hour...I hope my gumption carries over!
oh, but to answer the question...for my girl, I instructed her that without fail she had to see a GYN if she was having ANY kind of sex or when she turned 18 whichever was soonest and I would go, or not go as she pleased, but that insurance would cover it.
She went, then emailed me that it would show up on insurance...so they talked to her about self-exams.
Okay, now I am done.
oh, this is such a hard subject. when i had a scare, the predominant concern was the fear of losing my life. but, i'll just be honest here and say i really didn't want to lose a boob, or part of a boob. they are a big part of my "look", and they have brought me a lot of pleasure in life. also, i am single, and the thought of trying to date and or find a new man with a mangled tit was really upsetting. i am not exactly the ideal package as is (with both tits), but without would just make it harder. :(
Like you, becasue it doesn't run in my family, I always hopefully assumed breast cancer would not happen to me. I had to go back for a second round of mammograms last year which really panicked me.
I used to be in denial and would not even read about women's accounts of their battle with this cancer. Now...I am willing to read, learn and lsten. I, too, would not want to lose my cute(meaning little) boobs, but when it comes to fighting for life, I could do it and a part of me accepts that most likely I will get some kind of cancer, the longer I live..
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