Personal Message from Dana
Hey my Lady Friends (and men friends OF ladies),
I have to tell you that I need us to be far, far LESS STUPID than we sometimes are. There is a single fact with your health, and that is that if you sense a problem, that you are in charge of it. You are your own best - and sometimes only - health advocate when it comes to your own body.
I have just heard my second story in my life about a woman (not a friend of a friend spam glurge, but people I actually KNOW) who has found a lump in her breast, reported it to her doctor, been told after a cursory exam (no biopsy) that it's "nothing" and then has gone home, only to watch it grow and grow over the course of a year. When they finally pushed to get it REALLY checked out, they have advanced breast cancer.
People, if you have a lump and your doctor doesn't think it's a big deal, get a second opinion. And do not, under ANY circumstances, sit back and watch that lump grow and grow inside you and think "it's no big deal; the doctor said so".
We are vital, strong, intelligent women. Listen to your bodies and, if you have to, stand up and SCREAM ON A CHAIR until you get the medical attention you feel it needs. And please don't fall into the trap of fooling yourself that it's "nothing", just because a medical professional says so.
Next time you're in the shower, do your breast exams, and if you're behind on your yearly "woman" exam, make your appointment and go get looked at. Cervical or ovarian cancer is just as important to look for as is breast cancer.
Don't be ignorant, naive or stick your head in the sand. Do whatever you can to see that you live a long, healthy life, for yourselves, for your families, for your friends.
Thanks for listening.
I have to tell you that I need us to be far, far LESS STUPID than we sometimes are. There is a single fact with your health, and that is that if you sense a problem, that you are in charge of it. You are your own best - and sometimes only - health advocate when it comes to your own body.
I have just heard my second story in my life about a woman (not a friend of a friend spam glurge, but people I actually KNOW) who has found a lump in her breast, reported it to her doctor, been told after a cursory exam (no biopsy) that it's "nothing" and then has gone home, only to watch it grow and grow over the course of a year. When they finally pushed to get it REALLY checked out, they have advanced breast cancer.
People, if you have a lump and your doctor doesn't think it's a big deal, get a second opinion. And do not, under ANY circumstances, sit back and watch that lump grow and grow inside you and think "it's no big deal; the doctor said so".
We are vital, strong, intelligent women. Listen to your bodies and, if you have to, stand up and SCREAM ON A CHAIR until you get the medical attention you feel it needs. And please don't fall into the trap of fooling yourself that it's "nothing", just because a medical professional says so.
Next time you're in the shower, do your breast exams, and if you're behind on your yearly "woman" exam, make your appointment and go get looked at. Cervical or ovarian cancer is just as important to look for as is breast cancer.
Don't be ignorant, naive or stick your head in the sand. Do whatever you can to see that you live a long, healthy life, for yourselves, for your families, for your friends.
Thanks for listening.