Wellness

[cindyNC]

I have a mammogram and then my yearly 6 months afterwards as I figured twice a year was fine. . Had genetic testing done which indicated 13% risk of breast cancer..........low and behold.......had an estrogen positive pappilary lump removed in July. 

Runs in the family, and my guess is that my obesity played a big part of it. (Estrogen binds to fat cells)

[beckyb1012]

Not for about 25 years or so now.  Just yearly mammogram. 

[Pecky]

Absolutely I do and get yearly mamograms.  My cousin found a lump by doing her own exam only a few months of having her mamo.  My doctor advised doing a monthy exam even though your mamograms are clean.  

[chrystaltree]

I don't.  I did once upon a time but I get yearly mammograms.   I stopped the self exams when my friend who is a physician said they are only recommended for high risk patients now.  I asked my own PCP and she agreed.  She added that if a lump or mass is palpable during self exam,  it would have been picked up long ago on mammograms.  Hence the importance of mammograms and breast ultrasounds which find things long before they can be felt.   

[Love the Au and Ag]

Since breast cancer runs in my family I had a doctor spend quite a bit of time showing me how to do self exams and even practice on a fake model. I never felt like I knew what I was doing. I would also have yearly mammograms from the age of 35.

Years later I had a spot that felt weird to me, like a bump but with tightness. It was actually more on my breast bone and not in the breast tissue. They only did a lumpectomy because of my family history. Multiple doctors said breast cancer doesn't start there it starts close to your arm pits. The surgeon thought it could be scar tissue from a seat belt during a very violent car crash I was in.

It was breast cancer. A very fast growing form of invasive ductal carcinoma. After onco-typing they said the rate it was growing was something they had never seen. If it was in a more fleshy part it might have been caught too late. I had a double mastectomy with reconstruction called a DIEP-flap and 2 types of chemo plus and oral chemo for 5 years. This January it will be 10 years. 

I have been told I have very good bad luck. My tumor was still quite small, 5mm. I still had 9 months before the next mammogram. All of my doctors said that would have been too late.

Please know your body and if anything seems off see a doctor. If that doctor doesn't take you seriously, find a new doctor. 

[Marciirene]

I feel every woman needs to perform SBE monthly, get clinical breathing exams and mammograms yearly.

[bargainsgirl]

Not as I should...but I do have a yearly mammo and ct scan. A mammo found a tiny tumor 9 years ago which was treated by lumpectomy/radiation/tamoxifan.  SOOOO important to get mammograms because they detect what you cannot feel.  Please do not skip annuals!