I didn’t expect to hear the phrase, “You have breast cancer”, at 34 years old. I certainly didn’t expect to hear them during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, of all months, during the pandemic, and less than 24 hours before my husband was supposed to get on a plane to go to the other side of the world for 3 months.
But I did hear it and those words changed my life, forever.
Breast cancer can hit any age, any gender, any skin color, and any body type. It does not discriminate and it does not care what is going on in your life.
I often get asked how my breast cancer was found when mammograms typically do not start until 40 years of age. I found mine by doing self-exams. Self-exams saved my life.
Throughout my adult life, I have learned the importance of knowing my body and what is normal and not normal. Our bodies change, especially during our menstrual cycles and when we’re pregnant. We all have “normal” bumps and curves but everyone’s normal is different.
I typically do my self-exams in the shower but you can do them anywhere. Believe it or not, many partners have been able to find abnormalities in their partner’s breasts before they did themselves. They may not need much convincing to get them to give you a breast exam.
One day, in the shower, I noticed a small lump. It was pretty close to the skin on my left breast. It didn’t hurt, at all. Originally, I chalked it up to being a pimple or in-grown hair. When it didn’t go away after 2 weeks, I decided to call my doctor and make an appointment. Pretty quickly I was scheduled for a mammogram, then ultrasound, then biopsy, and then the diagnosis all in 1 week.
Thankfully I found my breast cancer before it spread past a few lymph nodes so it was straightforward for my oncologist to know what the treatment plan was going to be. The earlier the cancer is caught, the less treatments you tend to need. Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky ones that could just have surgery and be done. Ultimately I ended up with 3 surgeries, 6 months of chemotherapy, 28 sessions of radiation, and am still in my 5 years of estrogen suppression.
I don’t like to think what would have happened if I would have just ignored it or waited until I was old enough to start having regular mammograms. I need to be around for a long time for my husband and children, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.
It can be easy to ignore something small or think it’s nothing. Going to the doctor can be scary as you are potentially getting bad news but waiting will only have worse outcomes. It is better to know and knowing is half the battle. Thankfully there is a greater than 90% survival rate for those that catch their breast cancer when it is in stage 1 and stage 2.
You can help spot cancer early with self-exams. Start today and do them at least once a month, about 2-3 days after your period. Do not wait for your doctor to do them during your annual physicals or pap smears.
Start with your arm up and your hand resting on the back of your head either standing or laying down. Take 2 fingers on the opposite hand and press around your breast in a circular motion. Gently press in your armpit and up to your collarbone. Your breast tissue goes almost up to your shoulder. Repeat on the other side. Look in the mirror to see if there are any lumps or dimpling, changes in skin color or texture, and any kind of deformation on your nipples or if leaking fluid when not breastfeeding.
Any time you feel or see anything abnormal, get it checked out. If you suspect it is something like a bug bite or ingrown hair, monitor it for a week or 2. If it doesn’t go away, make an appointment with your primary care physician. It can be very scary to go get checked out but the earlier it is found, the better. About 80% of biopsies come back benign (not cancerous) so if you get sent for a biopsy, it doesn’t automatically mean you have breast cancer.
The breast cancer community is an amazing support group that no one wants to be part of. Please do your self-exams. It can save your life. It saved mine.
Written by:
Laura Jouret
