When is BSE more important than a mammogram?

http://healthguide.howstuffworks.com/breast-self-exam-picture-a.htm

 In my opinion, before menopause.

Why?  Before menopause a woman has dense breast tissue.  Tumors show up best when they are sitting in fatty tissue, not dense tissue.

Women who have reached menopause have fatty breast tissue; hence a mammogram is more likely to reveal tumors of the breast.

The best defense to fight breast cancer is early discovery. For the pre-menopausal woman that means doing breast self exam.

How do I know this?  In my early 40's I had a 'normal' mammogram.  About 2 months later I felt a lump in my breast. 

It was discounted because I had a normal mammogram.  Big mistake.

And my doctor told me a mammogram was definitive.  Wrong.

My malignant tumor did not show up on my mammogram because it was sitting in dense tissue.

If you feel you need one, get a mammogram.  But don't depend on it alone for diagnosis or discovery if you are still menstruating. 

And be advised, you are exposing your breast to radiation, which we are now told is much more harmful than originally thought.

No one really knows for certain how that radiation effects healthy breast tissue long term.

Had I depended on my mammogram results I likely would have had advanced breast cancer before I was diagnosed and treated.

I likely would not be sitting here typing this post.  I'd be 6 feet under instead.

Along with the thousands of women that die annually of this disease.

My point:  EXAMINE YOUR BREASTS EVERY MONTH. 

 

The life you save may be your own.

Early detection can mean the difference between life and death.  

Don't delay.  Don't be afraid of what you might find in your breasts.   

Be brave.  Fight like a girl.  Meet the dread disease head on.

For more detailed information you can go to How To Do Breast Self Exam  .

The Importance of Monthly Breast Exam

I'm a breast cancer survivor.  Here's a bit of my story , which I published a couple of years ago.  It bears re-publishing because it validates the importance of doing your own breast exams, of being your own advocate.  When it comes to your health and your life no one can do more for you than you .

If it's October, then it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Of what do you need to be aware?

Well, if your a woman you have a high risk of getting breast cancer. I know. I am a breast cancer survivor.

Eighteen years ago I discovered a lump in my breast. My doctor blew me off. Why? I'd had a normal mammogram two months earlier.

One year later I returned for my annual exam. Mentioned that the lump in my breast concerned me. To give you peace of mind, he said, we'll have it biopsied.

So it was. And a week later I got the call. We're sorry to inform you--huge pause, then rushed speech--but the tumor we removed from your breast was malignant.

I almost fainted. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. It was so loud it drowned out what I was hearing.

That day my world changed. I who thought I was healthy--who felt better, looked better, weighed less, exercised daily--who had no family history--I had breast cancer.

I found my lump. I followed up and persisted. Had I not, I may not be here today. Later I learned my doctor neglected to do some things..in other words he was negligent. He didn't cause my cancer, but he certainly didn't do anything to help me detect and treat it early.

I had a years delay in getting it treated. When I found it, it was large enough to feel when palpated. One year later it was much bigger.

So...the moral here is...examine your breast every month. If you find a lump, go see your doctor. If he blows you off, get a new doctor. Follow up. Don't assume you won't get cancer. The majority of women who do have no family history.

NBCAM

If it's October, then it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Of what do you need to be aware?

Well, if your a woman you have a high risk of getting breast cancer. I know. I am a breast cancer survivor.

Eighteen years ago I discovered a lump in my breast. My doctor blew me off. Why? I'd had a normal mammogram two months earlier.

One year later I returned for my annual exam. Mentioned that the lump in my breast concerned me. To give you peace of mind, he said, we'll have it biopsied.

So it was. And a week later I got the call. We're sorry to inform you--huge pause, then rushed speech--but the tumor we removed from your breast was malignant.

I almost fainted. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. It was so loud it drowned out what I was hearing.

That day my world changed. I who thought I was healthy--who felt better, looked better, weighed less, exercised daily--who had no family history--I had breast cancer.

I found my lump. I followed up and persisted. Had I not, I may not be here today. Later I learned my doctor neglected to do some things..in other words he was negligent. He didn't cause my cancer, but he certainly didn't do anything to help me detect and treat it early.

I had a years delay in getting it treated. When I found it, it was large enough to feel when palpated. One year later it was much bigger.

So...the moral here is...examine your breast every month. If you find a lump, go see your doctor. If he blows you off, get a new doctor. Follow up. Don't assume you won't get cancer. The majority of women who do have no family history.