It's October...
So it's that time to do my public service announcement of something dear to me, Breast Cancer!
Ladies, don't forget to do a monthly exam. Remember, you lay back, put one arm behind your head, and with the fingers of your other hand (because otherwise you're examining your head, not your breast), gently use a circular motion (small circles, in a line, essentially checking a small area at a time, in lines across your breast). Do this for your actual breasts, the area around it, and your armpit (tis where the lymph nodes are).
If you feel ANYTHING odd, go to your doctor, don't brush it off. Also, don't forget that some breast cancers do not actually HAVE a lump:
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms:
* A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised (without you slamming it into a door or something).
* A tender, firm and enlarged breast.
* A warm feeling in the breast.
* Itching of the breast.
* Pain
* Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange.
* Thickened areas of the skin
* Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above or below the collar bone.
* Flattening or retraction of the nipple.
* Changes in colour around the nipple (areola).
Paget's Disease of the Nipple Symptoms:
* A persistent redness, oozing and crushing of your nipple, causing it to itch and/or burn.
* A sore on your areola that will not heal.
* Usually only on one nipple.
If you have any of these symptoms, get them checked out! Some problems (such as sores on the breast) are benign, but it's better safe then sorry.
Men! Don't forget that while rare, breast cancer CAN and DOES effect you to (and not just because of the women in your life. While rare, men run a higher risk of the cancer spreading to their lymph nodes as the breast tissue in men is obviously of a smaller quantity.
Male Breast Cancer Signs:
* A lump or swelling which is usually (but not always) painless.
* Skin dimpling or puckering.
* Nipple retraction (turning inward).
* Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin.
* Discharge from the nipple.
And that's it for this month! *wonders off mumbling 'why the hell was my BCA icon buried in the back?*
Ladies, don't forget to do a monthly exam. Remember, you lay back, put one arm behind your head, and with the fingers of your other hand (because otherwise you're examining your head, not your breast), gently use a circular motion (small circles, in a line, essentially checking a small area at a time, in lines across your breast). Do this for your actual breasts, the area around it, and your armpit (tis where the lymph nodes are).
If you feel ANYTHING odd, go to your doctor, don't brush it off. Also, don't forget that some breast cancers do not actually HAVE a lump:
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms:
* A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised (without you slamming it into a door or something).
* A tender, firm and enlarged breast.
* A warm feeling in the breast.
* Itching of the breast.
* Pain
* Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange.
* Thickened areas of the skin
* Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above or below the collar bone.
* Flattening or retraction of the nipple.
* Changes in colour around the nipple (areola).
Paget's Disease of the Nipple Symptoms:
* A persistent redness, oozing and crushing of your nipple, causing it to itch and/or burn.
* A sore on your areola that will not heal.
* Usually only on one nipple.
If you have any of these symptoms, get them checked out! Some problems (such as sores on the breast) are benign, but it's better safe then sorry.
Men! Don't forget that while rare, breast cancer CAN and DOES effect you to (and not just because of the women in your life. While rare, men run a higher risk of the cancer spreading to their lymph nodes as the breast tissue in men is obviously of a smaller quantity.
Male Breast Cancer Signs:
* A lump or swelling which is usually (but not always) painless.
* Skin dimpling or puckering.
* Nipple retraction (turning inward).
* Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin.
* Discharge from the nipple.
And that's it for this month! *wonders off mumbling 'why the hell was my BCA icon buried in the back?*