April 1, 2007

Good day everyone. Historically, my blogs have been inspirational, empowering (I think) and some might say fluffy ( although no one has said that up to this point). Inspiration and empowerment are all good, but today, I am going to let off some “steam” about a topic that has been on the news lately and is close to my heart…literally, a few inches away – my right breast – the one I almost lost. I am not sure if some of you know that when I found the lump, I went to see a doctor immediately, who sent me to a breast surgeon. The breast surgeon did an ultrasound in her office and then sent me for a mammogram. The mammogram results were negative, so despite the fact that I found myself experiencing abnormal fatigue, and urged her to do a biopsy, because the mammogram machine told her that I was okay, it didn’t matter what I wanted. There are two things going on here that are bothersome. One, as educated and experienced as doctors are, they are not the end all authority on YOUR BODY. Only you have lived in that body for every second and every day of your life. You know it better than anyone else. Women also need to remember that feelings exist for a reason. Our body’s responds in certain ways – i.e., fatigue, hair loss, itching, heart palpitations, and headaches, sweating, due to certain internal or external stimuli. So, if your body is telling you one thing and your doctor and the machine are telling you another. Listen to voice you were born with – your intuition; and get a second or third opinion. I didn’t listen to my doctor or believe the mammogram results. Unfortunately I stuck with the same doctor; however, I insisted on a biopsy, which ultimately detected the cancer that had been growing inside of my body. The second thing is that the medical industry needs to get with the program when it comes to the detection of cancerous tumors in the breast. If I had relied on what the mammogram said, I don’t know if I would be around to write this blog. All the talk about getting Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans in addition to mammograms as extra insurance in detecting tumors is way late in coming - studies now show that MRIs can detect tumors missed by mammograms. According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, involving 1,000 women with cancer in on breast, MRI scans found 30 out of 33 tumors in the other breast among the women. Further, "one in ten women diagnosed with cancer in one breast will develop the disease in the opposite breast. Having a better technique to find these cancers as early as possible will increase the chances of successful treatment," said NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni. (www.breastcancer.org) It is true that MRIs can cause false positive results, meaning that women might think they have breast cancer when they don’t really have it, but on the other hand if a tumor is detected, even if falsely, a biopsy would let the patient know whether the tumor is cancerous or not. In addition, since we know that one in three women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, wouldn’t you want to know? I would much rather go through a biopsy, which can be a rather minor, in-office procedure, than take the risk of losing my breast(s) or my life. What do you think? Breast cancer will be diagnosed in more than 200,000 U.S. women this year and will kill 40,000, according to the American Cancer Society. Which side of the ground do you want to be on? Pushing up the daisies or planting them. I got this analogy when planting my garden this week. I am not purposefully trying to be morbid or scare anyone, but I choose to err on the side of caution, and by posing questions, you can choose to make informed decisions too. You see, in life (here comes the philosophical and inspirational part), you are the captain of your own ship. Living in a world where masses of information are available at your fingertips and choosing to be uninformed on issues that will save your lives and the lives of those you love is unacceptable. I have spoken to many women who still are afraid to get mammograms; are afraid to know, but I can’t help but think of how the same women might react when they are given the choice of having to remove a breast or told that the cancer is too far gone. Anyway, I hope this leaves you with some thoughts about your breasts and how you choose to care for them. Remember, doctors and machines are not 100% reliable. Be educated about breast health and be your own best advocate. Until next time, live healthy and live well. I know I will be. ;O)