by Anne
I'll be the first to admit: I never did these. Ever. I ignorantly thought that because there is no cancer history in my family and I'm under 40 {heck, still under 30!} that I was immune to this.
How did I discover my lump? I accidentally found it myself in the shower. By the grace of God. I brought it up to my OB and had him check it. Because I was actively trying to get pregnant, he decided to follow up on it and have it ultrasounded. He also sympathetically said "Anne, I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just a cyst". The radiologist's report came back "Solid mass, suspicious, follow up with biopsy".
So away to the breast specialist I went.
He also told me "This doesn't look like cancer to me, if I thought it
was, I'd tell you. But it has an odd shape, let's biopsy it just to be
sure". Well I'm here to tell you that after 2 different doctors told me
I'd be fine, and it was nothing -- it WAS something: a 7x9mm cancerous
tumor.
Women need to be their own best advocate when it comes to their health. If you think something is weird and aren't sure about it, follow up! Have it checked out. Don't let anyone tell you that you're too young. It's better to be safe than sorry. If I would've let those doctors brush me off, I would've been in a much worse place than I am now. You women CAN and DO get breast cancer. But because my cancer was caught early - stage 1 - I have a 98% chance of survival and a long life.
Here are a few excellent resources about self breast exams:
This is such a "taboo" topic to discuss but the more we know, the more empowered we are!
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