BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Public Health How Many of You Perform a Monthly Breast Exam?

I will be adding a channel soon that will be dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness. I had my cancer scare at age 37 and am an avid supporter of monthly breast exams. I would like to know if you perform a monthly self-exam on a regular basis. If not, why?
My neighbor is only 40 years young and just had a double mastectomy. By the time, she realized she had a lump in her breast; she was diagnosed as stage 4. Had she detected it earlier, the outcome may have been very different.

Thank goodness your scare is over. I don't perform monthly breast exams, telling myself that if I had a lump in my breasts I'd know it because I am so flat-chested. But I jest at my own potential peril, I suppose. Even men can get breast cancer from what I understand. And I'm really not flat-chested, per se.

I guess I haven't worried about it too much because I thought it didn't run in my family, but I learned that a great aunt and her daughter died of it. Is that too distant a relation to be a risk to me?

My mother had a lot of benign breast lumps. Uh oh. This is sounding worse, isn't it?

I ran my first marathon last year for Breast Cancer. I met a young lady who was running for her best friend. Her friend was only 28 years old, no history of breast cancer in the family.

And Yes, men are getting breast cancer as well! My view is that there must be some environmental and dietary factors involved.

I don't because I just forget but I should. I just wish I could remember to do it. My boyfriend says he checks for me so does that count?

And wow if men are getting it too then diet/exercise must be a bigger factor now. Do you think they'll do more research on this?

Many women forget. I think your boyfriend qualifies as a buddy check!! Now you need to do the same favor for him. Exercise and healthy eating are important to lower a person's risk.

There is continuing research going on to determine why breast cancer is now increasing in men. So far over 4,000+ men have been diagnosed with breast cancer. While these numbers are small compared to the 200,000 women that are diagnosed each year, it is important that we do not let the numbers reach that high.

LOL. You guys are funny!

And I think you're right, Jenny, in saying that there must be environmental and dietary factors involved. I don't think we'll ever know the true impact of all the toxins, preservatives, chemicals and pollution has had on us.

It's really disturbing. While we love our manufactured products, they've come at a high cost to our health. When I get into my uncle's old car after it's been in the hot sun, the dashboard emits this chemical odor that gives me a headache. My son's skin developed this rash that became a wound. The doctor said it was from rubbing against his plastic belt.

And I have a sad confession to make: I give my dog(s) table food from time to time. A while back, we used to eat those dry packaged ramen noodles because they were inexpensive. I would give the leftovers to my dogs. Two dogs developed tumors. Coincidence?

A research article I read stated that the environmental toxins seem to have a more immediate effect on lower animal forms (like frogs). Our livers, kidneys, lungs, skin, etc. are very good at filtering out toxins but eventually they get overwhelmed and ineffective.

Oh gosh. Even if we eat natural, organic foods and drink clean water, we still breathe in and absorb toxins! What can we do?

I know that high estrogen levels are linked to breast cancer, and apparently, there's been an enormous increase in environmental estrogens, because, for one, so many women were taking estrogen for so many years, and for another, farmers are feeding it to cows and other animals to increase milk production and to make them fatter. Even if you never took/take estrogen yourself, so many people did, that it is present in our environment now and unavoidable.

--Maria

Save second base!! Make sure you do a monthly self-exam, the life you save will be your own!