Have you done your self-exam this month?
Well them. Let’s get to it.
We’re going to go over how to do a breast self-exam and I’m going to give you several resources that I found to be helpful and user friendly. There are, of course, many others. If you have a favorite, please share that in the comments!
I have this great friend on Social Media, Mink, who lost his wife, Carolyn, to the very rare and aggressive inflammatory breast cancer. With inflammatory breast cancer, cells block lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, causing it to become red and swollen. Because there are often no lumps or bulges present, inflammatory breast cancer can be very hard to diagnose with a physical exam or mammogram. This, darlin, is one very important reason I want you to be familiar with your body, and your breasts. When I posted a friendly reminder about Self-Exams on TikTok last week, Mink commented to watch for an ‘orange peel’ texture. I had never heard that before, and so I did some research. I only found that description in one place: the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., web page. There, you will find a wealth of information, and several brief YouTube videos that explain the different types of Breast Cancer, and treatment options. you can watch the one on Inflammatory Breast Cancer HERE.
Now, Let’s get to the self-exam.
I found several great sites with illustrations and brief clips (I’ll link some of those below). I didn’t find much in the way of an actual demonstration of a woman doing an exam on herself…I was going to do one for you…and try to figure out how to blur things, but then I found THIS video, and feel it’s MUCH better than anything I could create for you. And, we’re all a little relieved that it’s unnecessary to subject you that. Here’s the bottom line: DO the exam. And do it well.
Pay attention to your body. You should know your body better than ANYONE else.
Ok, now, if you watched that video, I hope that you learned something. I love that illustrations and the exam show abnormalities and bring those to light. MANY, MANY women are diagnosed as a result of self exam. Y’all…do I have to say it? JUST DO IT! I know. Cancer is a scary word. And you add the word BREAST to it, and it gets even scarier, right? That’s our girls! Wouldn’t you rather catch it NOW, than later?
Here’s some good news to keep you going: There are over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. That’s a number worth celebrating.
The only way to keep those numbers up, are to continue to participate in our our health care, advocate for ourselves, and DO THE THINGS! Make and KEEP the appointments. Do the self exams. Ask questions when you have them. Have the awkward conversations. And, most importantly, love and support each other well.
Here a few things I found helpful and that might be helpful to you:
Self-Exam How to’s:
Breast Self-Exams
Adult women of all ages are encouraged to perform a breast self-exam at least once a month. If you’re new to breast self-exams, here are some guidelines:
Pick the same time of the month – Because of the normal hormonal fluctuations in a woman’s body that affect breast tissue, it is important to select the same time every month so you will be able to distinguish between a normal change and something that feels different.
Premenopausal women: Do your exam toward the end of your menstrual period. The end of the menstrual cycle is the time when hormonal changes have the least influence on breast tissue, and the breasts are the least tender.
Postmenopausal women: Choose a day of the month (e.g., the 1st or 15th of the month) and consistently perform your breast self-exam on that same day every month.
Examine your breasts in the shower – Use circular motions to identify the geography of your breasts. The first few times you do this may feel strange. But you will get to know the feeling of each breast so well, that if a change does occur you’ll notice it immediately.
Perform the exam again that same day but lying down – This way you will develop a feeling for your breasts in a different position, allowing for greater knowledge of the way your breasts feel. Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.
From John Hopkins Medicine
Aside from the YouTube Video above, I found the first source listed to be the most useful. Links below will take you directly to the self-exam guides.
- Along with a self-exam guide, The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., has several informative videos on a wide variety of topics. You can also request free eBook guides if you’d like a printer friendly format.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center
- BreastCancer.org
- The Mauer Foundation has a downloadable guide that you can view or print off in English, Spanish, French Creole, Hebrew, or Mandarin.
- Beaumont Health has an image free guide to self-exam.
Terminology:
I found these Quizlets interesting, and information. If you are looking down the nose of cancer treatment, or know some with breast cancer, these might be useful for you to have an informed conversation, support your loved ones, or just to know more about the entire process.
Support Resources:
- Preserva Physical Therapy has a great article on ways to support Breast Cancer Awareness and Research beyond just ‘wearing pink.’
- University of California in San Francisco has a brief article on things to think about in regards to Lifestyle Changes should you receive a Breast Cancer Diagnosis.
- The Breast Cancer Care Book: A Survival Guide for Patients and Loved Ones (Christian Medical Association) is available on Amazon. It’s a bit dated, but has a few excellent reviews.
- The Mayo Clinic, of course, has a book about Breast Cancer as well. Several other options for books, of course, will come up on your Amazon page should you visit this one, or the other listed above.
- Avera Health has a brief article to help you understand the timelines of Breast Cancer and Treatment.
- All of the sources listed about under Self-Exam How-to’s, of course, have many other resources available to you.
The main goal of this post is to encourage you to complete your self-exam. I hope that it does it’s job, and, if you landed here for other reasons, that you are able to find the information and support that you are looking for.
Please let me know if you are struggling with Breast Health. I, of course, am not a medical or mental health professional but will be happy to support, encourage and pray for you in any way that I can.
To read more posts from me about Breast Cancer Awareness, including an article about my suggestions for supporting loved ones going through Breast Cancer Treatment, CLICK HERE.
Much Love to you and yours!
Cindi
Self proclaimed Godmother of the Messy Bun Mafia.
Thank you Cindi for this important post! 💖
Thank you, Mink, for blessing me with your story and CRITICAL information! 💜💜💜