Breast cancer awareness campaign is in October!
Apart from the pink ribbons, special products ,fundraising campaigns and pastel sea of colors that marks the breast cancer awareness month.
The month of October offers us a reason to genuinely celebrate and reflect on the journey so far.
This is because this awareness have made women more knowledgeable about the warning signs, the importance of self-examination, treatment options and second thoughts on breast cancer.
By this, women are so prepared than they have ever been to match head on like soldiers with Breast cancer.
This is good news when it comes to breast cancer awareness.
The awareness involves teaching people mostly women what breast cancer is all about and things they should look out for.
Research have it that more than 5000 women will be diagnosed of breast cancer this October.
According to the American cancer society every woman have one in eight chances of being diagnosed and her lifetime.
October has been declared as the breast cancer awareness month.
A lot of people have been surviving breasts cancer more than ever since this awareness started.
Breast cancer is one of the most devastating health conditions of women.
It dampens the emotional well-being of the patient leaving them feeling isolated from their families and friends.
Patients of breast cancer are always afraid of the cancer returning even after treatment.
But you know what?
You can help us in this October being the breast cancer awareness month to spread this message to reach alot of women so at least they know what breast cancer is and what to look out for as symptoms.
The 5 point code of breast cancer
- Know what is normal for your breasts.
- Know what changes to look out for
- Look and feel
- Report any changes to your doctor immediately
- Attend routine breast screening
Risk Factors Of Breast cancer
Here are the main Factors that increases your risks of developing breast cancer.
- So long as you are a woman,you are at risk of having breast cancer.
- Being older,breast cancer are mostly found in older women but that is not entirely truth because 25 % of recorded breast cancer diagnosis occurred in women in their younger years.
- Alteration of the breast cancer gene.
- Family history of breast cancer
The fact is that most women have no risk factors and also no history of breast cancer in their family.
So it’s true that not everybody who have risks can develop breast cancer and even those who have no risks also develop breast cancer.
All you need to do is find out things you can do to lower your risks of breast cancer development.
One of the things you need to do always is breast cancer screening.
Although the screening cannot prevent breast cancer but it well help in detecting it earlier enough to commence treatment.
Talk to your doctor about which breast cancer screening test will be right for you and when you should have them.
Warning Signs of breast cancer
Alot of women and even men but most importantly women should have first hand knowledge of how their breasts look and feel.
It is an important way of making sure you have a healthy breast.
You need to regularly check and feel your breast to observe any changes in the breast and report them immediately to your doctor.
You can do this at your most convenient place for instance in the shower or when you are lying down..
Before you start checking and feeling your breast you need to Know what you are looking for.
Note;that you Know what you are looking for should never take the place of going to the hospital for breast cancer screening.
The warning signs to look out for includes;
- A new lump or mass;while you feel your breast and you notice a painless (though it can be painful at times) hard mass with irregular edges.This can likely be cancer .Breast cancers can be tender ,soft or rounded. It’s important to have your health care professional examine any new lump or change in the breast for proper diagnosis.
- There might be no lumps felt but there is swelling in any or all parts of the breast.
- Discharge from the nipples (Any fluid other than breast milk)
- Painful breast or nipples
- Redness and thickening of breasts.
- Scaling of the breast.
- When the nipple becomes retracted.
- Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collar-bone
- Irritations on the skin of the breast.
- Dimpling of the breast (looking like orange peel)
All these warning signs can also be caused by other health conditions aside breast cancer,but it’s important that you report any changes to your health care professional for early detection of any other disease if it’s not breast cancer.
Self Examination For Breast cancer
Every grown woman for the fact that all women are at risk of breast cancer is advised to perform self examinations regularly at least once in a month.
As mentioned earlier,there is need as a grown woman to know what your breasts looks like and how they feel.
There are places you can perform self Examination of the breast and they includes;
- In the shower
- Standing in front of a mirror
- Lying down on the bed
In The Shower
While in the shower,gently use your fingers to move around your entire breast.
This should be done in a circular pattern from the outside to the center.
Also check the armpit area for any enlarged lymph nodes.
While checking feel for any lumps,thick or hardened parts.
Once you notice any report to your health care professional for proper evaluation and diagnosis.
Standing In Front Of The Mirror
While in front of the mirror,you are seeing every part of your breasts clearly.
Raise your hands above your head and inspect the breast carefully
Look closely for any visible changes.
Look out for the following;
- Changes in the contour
- Any swelling
- Dimpling looking like orange peel
Lying Down On the bed
While you lie down on the bed it’s natural for the breast tissue to spread out evenly on the chest wall.
Place a pillow under your right shoulder and also place your right arm behind your head.
Then use your left hand to carefully and gently move your fingers around your right breast checking the entire breast for either of the warning signs above.
Check the armpit region also.
While doing this apply pressure either light, medium or firm to the fingers.
Squeeze the nipples too to check for discharge.
Repeat this for the left breast as well.
You want to ask,if you can rely on this self-examination to make sure you are cancer free?
The answer is NO!
The truth is that when you combine the self-examination tips and breast cancer screening,it can help you to know what exactly is normal for your breasts so you can easily detect and report any changes to your doctor.
If you notice breast lump during self-examination,schedule your appointment with your doctor.
Do not shiver , because a large percentage of breast lumps are not cancerous.
Having known the facts, symptoms and tips for self Examination for breast cancer and also being passionate about women’s health.
Join us in this October breast cancer awareness to save a friend, friend and colleagues from breast cancer.
You can do this by sharing this post.
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