The Importance of Self Exams

For those that do not know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may have noticed the color pink is everywhere to raise awareness. This post is dedicated to the importance of performing self checks as well as a personal story about self checks.

One of the most important, yet lesser used methods of being/staying healthy is preventative measures. Screening tests fall under this group. If there is an issue, it is best caught early. Although you are not a healthcare professional you can always perform a self breast exam. In fact you should be very familiar with your own body so that you can know when something is not as it normally is. This site gives you information on doing your own self breast exam from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Personal story time: In college I randomly performed an exam on myself; at that point I had been doing them sporadically. This particular day I found a lump in my breast. I was very distraught and I began thinking the worst. I called my mom and arranged to go to my doctor at home for an exam the following week. After my exam with my doctor I was sent to have an ultrasound done which helps to identify the type of tissue. After my ultrasound I found out that I had a fibroadenoma. A fibroadenoma is a noncancerous breast tumor that often appears in women under 30.  My fibroadenoma went away soon after that, but this is an experience I will not forget. I was anxious and afraid during this process. This is nothing close to the experience women who are diagnosed with breast cancer endure, merely a glimpse.  This really opened my eyes to the support and the love that needs to be bestowed upon those dealing with this horrible disease and cancer in general. The following is not an original image/graphic.

-XOXO