I have been struggling with a rotten case of mastitis this week, and I even went to the doctor because I was so sick with nausea, chills, aches, and pains. Being 99% sure it was mastitis before I even entered the building, I was startled and shocked to hear the doc say, “well, typically breast cancer is painless, so I don’t believe you have that to worry about.” Wait. Back up. Breast cancer?! That was NEVER on my radar at all. Not even a brief thought. But, that made me realize, it probably should be.
Now, I have a whole host of questions.
- I’ve never had a mammogram. At what age should women begin having them? How frequently?
- Are there any measures I can take to avoid cancer?
- I’ve heard of checking for lumps. How often should I be doing that?
I believe out of fear, I’ve never done any research on this subject before, but since it is breast cancer awareness month, I figure I ought to. My very first Google search result seemed to have a wealth of information to answer basically all of my questions. Plus, from learning this information, it actually made me feel better rather than more afraid. Interestingly, I just read that if you find out early, you have majorly improved chances of fighting it off.
But before doing my intensive research involving typing the words, “breast cancer aw,” into my browser and letting it auto-complete the last word to “awareness,” I asked my mom a few questions. She said she has regular mammograms, and that I should discuss this with my gynecologist to decide when I should start having them. Simple and logical advice. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
So, I challenge all of you moms out there to do a little research on breast cancer early detection (aka, click here), and ask your doctor about what the right plan is for your breast cancer screenings.
