Breast Cancer Awareness Guide - If You Find Breast Lumps and Nipple Discharge Do This
Posted: Tuesday, March 10, 2009
by Kacycarr
http://www.spotthepimple.com
It comes as no surprise that nearly fifty percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer undergo a considerable amount of emotional distress which is quite understandable. You wouldn`t be human if you didn`t feel at an all time low after being delivered such a blow. We women were built to cope with pain (childbirth) and programmed at birth to accept many things in life that we have thrown at us, but being told you have breast cancer, then the pain deriving from this (both mentally and physically) is one thing our creator failed to prepare us for. Breast cancer (the big C) will forever be a scary word regardless of all the latest technology. Can there ever be any good come out of being told you have breast cancer. There was a time when no was the answer; however with modern medicines and expertise knowledge breast cancer can be beaten.
Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that starts from cells of the breast. A malignant tumour is a collection of cancer cells that can attack nearby tissues or spread to further regions of the body. Breast cancer we relate more to women but men can suffer it too
A woman`s breast is made up chiefly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (small tubes that deliver the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue neighbouring the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels.) If you are in doubt over medical terms used ask your GP to explain. Typically breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers) but they can also start in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers,) while a few start in other tissues.
Aside from skin cancer being the number 1 killer disease breast can runs strongly behind in second place in US women. Odds given for developing invasive breast cancer at some time is about 1 in 8. Study showed last year that approximately 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women across America
It`s quite frightening being alerted to the fact that breast cancer will be held accountable for about 3% of women dying. Death figures have dramatically dropped seeing a great reduction in women under the age of 50 years old. It is said the huge drop in numbers is the result of catching cancers in its infancy stage and through screening and increased positive awareness.
Most women do survive this type of cancer. One primary lifeline is detecting the disease early. In America there are about 2.5 million women who have lived to tell the tale. It is of the utmost importance if a service is offered to help treat you or other then you have to take advantage to keep safe and healthy. The amount of women that receive letters to go for a breast screening examination, but don`t go, is quite high. Breast cancer is a life and death issue, so them reminders that keep popping through your letter box requesting you to have a mammogram are not be ignored.
Unfortunately as of yet there is not a thing you can do to prevent breast cancer developing, however there are things that can be done that may help reduce the risk. Too much alcohol is not good for the body regardless, so by cutting down on alcohol consumption you lessen the risk. Also the rewards of regular exercise are most beneficial for keeping the body in check. Not many women know this but are you aware although breast-feeding is good for the newborn baby it can also help reduce your risk of getting breast cancer.
Doing a self breast awareness examination is an action that should be done regular by "every" woman. More women have been alerted to an abnormal lump in their breast from doing this which in return has saved their life. You need to become familiar with your breasts so that if any abnormalities do show, then you will know that they shouldn`t be there. You need to know how your breasts look and feel normally, so if changes do occur then you will detect them right away, and "right away" is what saves lives. When we refer to changes it means you should be looking for difference in the nipples, rash, nipple discharge, breast puckering or dimpling. Other experiences are breast pain, reddening and breast lumps. There is no time like the present to set a date in your diary to do a breast cancer self awareness examination.
There is no true set age limit to start doing this, however as early as twenty years old is advised. It is suggested by the medics that women should do a breast self-exam about 7 days after the first day of menstruation, when breast swelling has gone down and no tenderness. It's quite shocking the amount of women who say they don`t know how to do a self breast exam on themselves. Because of no knowledge it results in breast checks never being practiced. This is not good, it should be every woman`s a number 1 priority to know about these things and to endorse them regularly.
Self Breast Examination.
Using a mirror stand with your arms down at your side and look for breast puckering, dimpling, breast size change and inverted nipples. There are two other exam stances to take on. Looking for the same changes rest your hands on your hips and your hands raised up with your palms pushed together.
When we talk physical we mean touching the breasts to feel for lumps. A common method used to detect breast changes is done with the clock method.
You need to use your imagination for this. Imagine the dial of a clock on each of your breasts. Lie down flat on your back with your left hand behind your head, leaving the right hand free to check your left breast. Gently place your hand at top of the breast using your middle three fingers in the 12 o'clock position. Use your fingers in a massaging, clockwise movement to check for lumps. Keep this up like that of the hand of a clock going round. After you have repeated one cycle, move your fingers inwards to your nipple and repeat the process until you actually reach it. The way to check for nipple discharge is to pinch them (not hard) with your fingers going round in a circular motion. Repeat this procedure with the right breast. Be sure to feel under your armpits for or other.
If you find a lump in your breast you need to seek medical attention. You mustn't worry at this stage as 80% of breast lumps women find are non-cancerous. Tumors can go undetected with a self breast exam so it is vital to have more than one method for screening for breast cancer. Breast cancer is not a disease to be taken lightly or passed off as one that will go away because it won`t, no matter how much you pray to God. What God does is, give power to them that can help save your life should you need their powers. Don`t let it get this far if you can help it.
Breast awareness can save your life…breast cancer
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