*Giveaways* Breast Cancer Awareness Month *Contest*

I've had mammograms done since I was 30, at the age of 18 I had a lump removed which was not cancerous, thus putting me in a category of at risk patients. I hate mammograms and haven't had one in a couple of years, probably need to get one scheduled.

I won't preach, but yeah....it's time to schedule one :) I hate them too. With all our technology it looks like they would have come up with a better technique by now!

We read somewhere or saw on TV that the mammograms aren't all that...I'll look for the link ...
The TRUTH about mammograms and your boobs

That's an interesting read and further emphasizes the need for other detection techniques. I'm going to look at more of the articles at the bottom of that page.

I Do A Self exam everyday Faithfully Since The Doctors Keep Telling Me i Have to Wait till I'm Forty To Have a Mammogram Done which I feel Is wrong Because How In The world Are To Catch It early If No One Will Give Us Woman a Mammogram Until Were 40 I Had One Doctor Send Me For a Mammogram At 35 And The Techs "wouldn't" Do A Mammogram On Me!!! I Tell and Show My Daughter Who Is 19 The Right way To do A self exam and How Important It Is To Keep Doing them Everyday and to tell Her friends Because Brest Cancer Is a Very Serious Thing and It Isn't Something to Take For granted Or Play With..

I Check For Lumps , bumps Anything That Is a Sign Of Brest Cancer Every Morning In The Shower .. My Best Friend Right Now Is Going Threw Brest Cancer And I Feel So Bad For Her I wish I could Just Take It Away From Her But She Is A Very Strong Woman Who Is still working Two Jobs As She Goes Threw Chemo And I So Very Proud Of Her That She Is Such A Strong Fighter That She Isn't Letting This Keep Her Down ...

She Inspires Me Each And Every Day .. The Day of My 40th Birthday I will Have a Mammogram Done And Faithfully Every Time I'm Due for One If Not even When I'm Not Due For One Until Then I will KEEP doing My self Exams And Keep Telling My Daughter every Day to do a self exam.. I'm Sure She Thinks I'm Crazy But Its Ok Because I would Rather tell her every Day Then NOT...

Please Everyone Get your Mammograms And IF you cant Like Me Do a Self exam EVERYDAY

Jennifer, keep doing it and be sure to do your mammogram when you're 40. They probably wouldn't do it because you aren't "at risk" (or at least that's what I would hope is their reason).
I'm sorry your friend is going through this. She sounds like a wonderful person! Kudos to her for staying strong, being courageous, and being an inspiration to you.
Thank you for reminding everyone to do self exams and get their mammograms!
Side note: If you haven't read "The Department of Lost and Found" by Allison Winn Scotch, you may like it. You can read the review here.

I do the self exams and my doctor does an exam when I come in for my yearly appointment. My grandmother is a survivor. Luckily all she had to do was have her breast removed, no chemo or radiation. It worked for her. My cousin's wife is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. This time they don't think it's going to work. She is not doing very good. But my cousin is running in Relay for Life in support of her. It's nice that we can all do our part to help. A goal I have is to run a relay this next year.

Good for you, Tara. Keep doing that since you have a family history of breast cancer, then you need to keep a check on things. Congrats to your grandmother. I'm sorry to hear about your cousin's wife. However, you are right...we should try to do our parts as support. Thanks so much for sharing your story.

I am a breast cancer survivor. I always did those self exams in the shower, and never felt anything, and I had just turned 62 and one night brushed a piece of lint off the top of a black top I had on, near the shoulder and found a lump, I swear it was a big as an egg.
Shocks ran through me, and I had my husband come in and look at it, and he said it is probably a cyst, but I want to tell you I couldn't wait until the morning to call my gyn
and they just told me to see a surgeon. I did that afternoon , and he said anything
that big had to be biopsied but sent me for the first mammogram I ever had in my life.
They of course did both breasts and found a lump , low by the nipple in the left breast.
I was then scheduled for same day surgery for both breasts to be biopsied. One they
thought as fine, and the other they weren't sure of. I went back to work in a few days
and then got a call that the right breast was cancer, invasive inter ductal carcinoma.
I discovered the lump on Jan 29 , 1989, and had surgery on 2/15/89, have just passed
my twenty years. Six months later I went for a mammogram on the left breast and
they decided to do a further surgical biopsy on that one, and they actually did a lumpectomy and removed the whole tumor. It was benign. To tell the truth I was not
so upset by the radical mastectomy on the left side, where they even took my pectoral
muscles out and 13 nodes. In those days they did that to save your life as chemo wasn't
all that great. I did take Tomoxafin for five years, and then they took it away from me, as they had changed their minds about doing it for life. I had signed a paper saying taking that drug could make me prone to getting endometrial cancer. I had check ups every few months at first, then after a few years, yearly ones. in 2001 I was one of the
statistics that got the endometrial cancer and had surgery and chemo for that. I am now passed the eight year mark on that one. I think everyone has to be careful and check themselves and insist on a base line mammogram early in life. My daughter had
a lump and did a needle biopsy when she was about 34 and it came out benign, it was
up by her shoulder too, I mean very high on the breast. She had a car accident when
she was 39 that left her in a vegetative state for 2 1/2 years, and I found a huge lump
on her breast while adjusting covers for her. They took that out and it was the same type of cancer I had. We took her from life support when she was 42 as the cancer had
spread throughout her body. She has a 17 year old daughter who I have not yet told
the whole truth too, but have told her she needs to get mammograms early in life to be sure because I, as her maternal grandmother had it. I will tell her when she is a bit older or I have told her brother to tell her in case I should not be around why she should get a base line done early. I don't want her to be afraid to live her life. She has had enough
trauma, but she will know early enough. I still get yearly mammograms , had one in March, and so far so good. Take care of yourself, and get those checkups , some people
don't follow through, and then they are in big trouble.

Elsie, you and your family have experienced so much. I am glad you are here to share your story with us! Thank you so much for your story, as well as your daughter's.
You are so right, people need to realize the importance of this and make sure they get themselves checked...as well as having mammograms done. Treatment for cancer has advanced so much. I just wish we had a cure, instead of just treatment.
I don't want your granddaughter to be afraid to live her life either and I'm glad you will tell her to get an early mammogram done.
Thank you again, Elsie.

oh Elsie...what a rocky path you've been dealt...{{{{{HUGS}}}}

My mom is a breast cancer survivor. Her doctor missed her cancer for an entire year because he misdiagnosed her lump as a caffeine lump. She had to have a total masectomy and 10 lymph nodes removed. She also had to go through chemo therapy. She was fine for 15 years or so then she had a resurgence where the cancer had apparently spread to her bones. They treated that and now she is okay again - still surviving!

To avoid this - I have done my self checks religiously and I DO NOT DRINK CAFFEINE (if i do it is a very small amount spaced so far apart that it would never make a fibrous lump like the one misdiagnosed in mom) so there is less chance of a misdiagnosis!!

Kimber, hugs to you and your mother! I'm glad she is "still surviving". Keep doing your self checks and make sure your doctor knows you have a family history of cancer!

1. Tell us what you steps you take (or have taken) to detect breast cancer. I have my yearly mamogram and I self check monthly.

2. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or know someone who has...share your story. My mother had breast cancer and lost one of her breasts. She is deceased but it wasn't from cancer. She survived the cancer but succumbed to diabetes.

3. If you are a breast cancer survivor...tell us about it! Or have a relative that is a survivor and you can share their story. My mother. She survived the cancer but succumbed to diabetes.

Bunny, thank you sharing your answers. I'm glad you have your yearly mammogram and do the self checks. Keep doing those.
I'm sorry for your loss. Diabetes is also a terrible disease and sometimes very difficult to control.

I make sure to get regular annual exams with my Dr. Luckily I personally have not been diagnosed with cancer, but have known people who have been. No one i know has had breast cancer, but my brother in law is a cancer survivor (overcame throat cancer), and as a child I had my best friend lose their house because his treatment for leukemia made them unable to afford to live there anymore. It amazes me how the right to live depends soooo much on how much you can afford to pay for treatments...

Shawnee, thank you for sharing your comments. I'm glad you continue to get your annual exams. Make sure you get your mammogram when it is time and do your self breast exams.
Congrats to your brother in law! I'm so happy he is a survivor.

It is so sad to know that people lose their homes due to medical bills....or even do not receive medical care because they make the choice to pay their house payment instead of getting care. It's a terrible situation when a choice like that has to be made. You're right, it amazes me too.

I have a mother in-law who is a breast cancer surviver. She is one awesome woman and I admire her. She fought with a cancer 20 years ago while working full time and attending college. She won the fight, graduated and I am so happy that I had a chance to meet such a strong person.

Kudos to your mother-in-law. She sounds like an amazing person. It is wonderful that she graduated from college and is such an inspiration to me. If she told her story to others, she would be an inspiration to more people too. I'm glad you've shared it with us here. Thank you.

I have yearly physicals and my doctor does a thorough breast exam. I also try to do monthly breast exams.

My mother is a breast cancer survivor. I'll never forget when she came home from the hospital and my sister who is a nurse was changing her dressing when my dad who typically has a weak stomach asked if he could watch. Mom's eyes filled with tears because she knew how hard it was for him to see the still healing wounds. Because of this moment I edited the play I was working on to add men (partners of the women with breast cancer) to the play. I realized that the partners of the survivors also had powerful viewpoints.

Good for you. I guess I don't have to remind you to keep doing those things :)

Wow. I'm amazed by your story and am glad you shared it here. Kudos to you for adding "partners" into your play. You're so right...they do have powerful viewpoints and those viewpoints need to be share too. Thank you!

selfexam, mammography, doctor checks.

My mother died of aggressive breast cancer in 1988. Since that day, we (her daughters have had mammograms every year. The feeling is like a ticking time bomb waiting to be ignited. Though, I believe the technology has advanced since the 80's, we still hold our breaths until we get clearance for another year. Missing my mom.

Hugs to you, your sisters, and your other family members. It is never easy when a loved one dies, for whatever reason. You know, I got so sick of hearing "time will heal" when I lost some of my loved ones. I don't believe time heals....we still miss the person, we still wish they were around. Time doesn't heal, we just learn to cope with the loss from one day to the next.

Thank you for sharing your story. Thanks to for reiterating the feeling from your standpoint.

i've lost several friends to breast cancer. i attend race for the cure in their honor.

i do self exams; have not had a mammogram in several years. i have no insurance & when they are offered free; it's very difficult to get in.

I'm glad you attend the race. I'm also glad you do self exams and hope you will continue to do so. I would like to ask you to go to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) website. On the right hand side, you will see a box with "Free or Low Cost Mammogram and Pap Test". When you click on the link, it will take you to a window to click on your state. From there, it will give you a listing of facilities that offer free or reduced mammograms and pap tests. Maybe you will find one close to you and be able to get a mammogram done soon. Here's the link to the CDC. Just in case that doesn't work, here's the actual URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp

Renda, this information is very good to know. Thank you for sharing it.

You're welcome. I hope people will utilize it. I don't have insurance either right now and know how it is to have to decide if I'll get medical care or pay a bill.

sitting here weeping...such intense stories of survival, love, lose, bravery ...life hands us some raw deals

Kathy, I'm glad I posted this....if only for the members here to share their stories. I think it may be a great eye opener for some people. You summed it up nicely with your description above. Thank you :)

1. Tell us what you steps you take (or have taken) to detect breast cancer. I have regular mamagrams and MRI's

2. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or know someone who has...share your story. I have not been diagnosed with breast cancer, but have been diagnosed with another cancer

3. If you are a breast cancer survivor...tell us about it! Or have a relative that is a survivor and you can share their story. I am still fighting cancer

Dnbuster, thanks for taking the time to enter this contest and share your "story". Hugs to you.

I've never had a mammogram before but when I turn 40, I'm sure it will be requested. I do go to my yearly checkups and my doctor always check for lumps.

Carolyn, be sure to keep doing the checkups with your doc...and do self exams.

Great idea Renda for an IMPORTANT CAUSE!

Thank you, Rene. I think it's important too. I hope this helps raise awareness and support. Please send any interested people you may know on over :)

1. Tell us what you steps you take (or have taken) to detect breast cancer.
I do weekly sbe's and go yearly to my gyno. I get my 1st Mammogram
soon.

2. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or know someone who has...share your story. I have not been, but my aunt( my dad's sister) died 3 yrs ago, she fought BC for 5 yrs before she passed away. My dad's mom also had BC. When my aunt was
in the hospital a few days before she passed away, I went to visit with her.
she had no hair, could hardly eat. She was so skinny. Growing up she had
always been my fav aunt, I just could not reconize my aunt. She had bruises
all over,yet thru all of the treatments, she was always telling jokes to make us
laugh. In her times of pain, upset stomach, hair loss, she held her head high.
She never gave up. I miss her so much. But she is no longer in pain.
I think Cancer is the most humbling disease ever. I know how strong my
aunt fought against it, and she won, Cancer did not. Even though she
passed away, she did not let it beat her. She is in Heaven.

3. If you are a breast cancer survivor...tell us about it! Or have a relative that is a survivor and you can share their story.
My Uncle's ex wife was diagnosed with BC a few yrs ago. she is in remission.

Thank you, Kelly. I'm glad you take steps to detect problems. I'm sorry about your aunt. Cancer is such a horrible disease. I wish there would be a cure found soon.
Good for your uncle's ex!
I appreciate you sharing some of your story here. I think it does others good to be able to see stories like you and others have shared.

the steps i have taken, is I do the self exam and a yearly. I am supposed to have test for breast cancer as I was 32 when i had my hysterocmy (sp) done. They want a basline, but I am way to scared to go..

I'm glad you do the self exams, Anne. I really wish you would go get your baseline done. Maybe you will do it soon :)

I am a staunch believer in "Feeling Your Boobies." every month. I taught my girls the importance of self breast checks every month. I have a "Feel Your Boobies" magnet on the back of my car.

"Saving the Tatas" is so important in a woman's health care regime.

Every day I click on the link The Breast Cancer Site to help donate mammograms for underprivledged women.

Please, if you do nothing else, check for lumps every month!!!

Good things to do, Nancy. I saw a bumper sticker that said "Save the Tatas"....too cool. Yes, the Breast Cancer Site does have the link click and I try to do it as often as possible (though I can honestly say I don't get to it everyday).

Thanks for the reminder, Nancy (about checking for lumps) and the links you provided. I hope others will heed your advice :)

My husbands aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 5 years ago. She came thru it, lots of pain afterwards. Seemed to affect her bones, she is hurting alot. However, she went two weeks ago for a follow up PET scan, the phone call she got stated all was normal, however, she went to the hospital to get a report herself, on the last page, last paragraph, a two centimeter active tumor was detected in her lung. she called her doctor to ask about the results again and was again told all was normal. She had to draw their attention to the last page, last paragraph and ask them to read it to her. Now she is going thru biopsies. Thank God she followed thru with the tests results herself. She almost made it 5 years w/o any post problems.

What a story! I can't believe they missed that, well I can believe it...I just don't like it. I'm glad she paid attention to the report herself too! Thank you for sharing her story and reminded others of how important it is to check and double check things like this!

I do breast self- exams on a regular basis. I have had 3 bioposies and thankfully none were cancer. I have had many mammagrams because of the ones that come back with problems found. It is always scary.

I had an Aunt die of Breast cancer

Connie, I'm glad you keep doing the self exams and follow through..especially with your family history. It's good you stay on top of this. Thank you.

I think this is a great way to get the word out. I do not have breast cancer, but I did lose my sister to breast cancer. It is because of her that I stress the importance of self examinations and getting checked no matter what your age. Too many women wait and wait before they ever get a mammogram.

My sister was 26 when she passed away from breast cancer. She never had a mammogram before she was diagnosed and she only noticed something the one time. It was post pregnancy too, so she brushed it off as a breastfeeding issue.

Now my sisters, cousins and I make my friends check too. Its never too early in my opinion.

Sophie, thank you for sharing your sister's story with us. You're right, it never is too early and I think everyone should start checking their breasts at an early age. If a lump, bump, or anything is found...they should immediately contact their doctor to followup on it. I would rather get checked out and nothing be wrong, than wait and have something really wrong.

I do self breast exams and have an annual check up by my doctor. My great aunt had a double mastectomy when I was young.

Thank you, Rachel for sharing the information about your great aunt. I hope you continue to do your check ups and sbe.

You're welcome, I will.

Breast cancer runs in my family. My great grandma on my mom's side developed it, but refused to go to the doctor for it. She was in denial, but by the time she went to a doctor it had spread so bad she didn't make it.

My mom has always been a big influence in my life to help me do things that will keep my health up. I'm rather heavy in the front which is another risk factor. She maintains that it always helps to chow down cabbage and lemon juice. I don't know if these things help as much has she says they do. But, I'm sure taking enough that I hope I never have to face the scariness of such a thing for real!

Thank you, Kimberli for sharing your information. I'm glad your mom influences you to take care of yourself :) I haven't heard about the cabbage and lemon juice, but I never scoff at old remedies. I've seen too many of them work :)

Ever since I turned 20 I have been pretty good about giving myself self exams. I also get my annual check up done too.

My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when I was about 18 I guess and she passed away in 2006 in December. Just right before Christmas. She fought it off for a long time but in the end it finally caught up with her. She had both breast removed about 10 years ago I guess or longer and then the cancer went into her lungs and at the end it made it to her bones.

It was amazing to see her determination to get rid of it and to fight so hard for it. You would have never guessed she was suffering or hurting in anyway. She never once let anyone of us know the severity of it.

In the last month of her life my siblings (all 7 of us) moved back home with my parents to take care of her. It was the best month of my whole life. We bonded together and stood by her side until she was no longer with us. We stayed up in shifts to watch her overnight and provided whatever comfort we could to her.

She was an amazing woman and showed me how to fight and stand strong in the midst of trails.

Though I'm sorry for your loss, I am happy that you shared this story. Some people are so strong and determined :) I think it is wonderful that you and your siblings were able to have those special ties made during that month. What a wonderful thing to experience. Your mother sounds like she was an exceptional person. You are very fortunate to have had such a person in your life.
Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Mammograms are very important. I recently received a reminder from a relative who had to go for a biopsy. It's scary, but all was well. Cancer does not run in my family, but I need to change some things to lower risk for many things. I'm working on it.

Keep up the good work, Val :) Those things can be scary. I'm glad all went well with the biopsy.

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Thanks Kay :)

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