Our Breasts Are At Risk - Red Alert

[Andrew, Jr.]

Please make sure everyone gets their yearly mammograms and does the monthly self breast exams.

Andrew

[WolfyOne]

Breast cancer runs on both sides of my family. I think these people ought to find something else to do with their time other than sitting around sipping coffee and trying to decide how they can upset and hurt all of us. Women are not the only ones that can get breast cancer. It's just more talked about and prevalent in women. I bet none of them would talk that way if they or someone close to them was diagnosed with breast cancer...............these know-it-alls disgust me.

[Andrew, Jr.]

My mammogram came back last week showing a huge tumor (5"). I am having a biopsy/outpatient. My mother and grandmother both had/have breast cancer.

[redrose]

i had my cyst in my left breast removed way back early 90's just before i met my butch,,,

[Bad_boi]

This to me seems like insurance companies + this terrible economy have something to do with this 'panel'.

This is why self breast exams are so important. You can't just count on everyone else, you gotta take care of yourself.

[Toughy]

What I got to say ain't gonna get me any brownie points........

Mammograms are, in women under 50, pretty useless for the general population. Breast tissue is too dense and the risk/benefit ratio does not justify doing mammograms in women under 50 who are at low risk for breast cancer. And if you are talking yearly mammograms on low risk women under 50 it is just plain stupid.

Frankly I completely without reservation support not doing mammograms on women between 40- 50 who have little to no risk for breast cancer.

Susan Love, MD is my go to person for breast cancer. Here is a link from her website and is 10 FAQ. Read all of them and learn a bit about breast cancer.

http://www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/co...d=672&d=nn#exp

I would also highly suggest looking around on her website and read all her books on women's health.

By the way..........one of my best friends died of breast cancer that was undetectable on mammogram....it was stage 4 when her girlfriend felt it and could not be found on mammogram because her breast tissue was too dense. They did find it on ultra-sound. She went through mastectomy, chemo, radiation and bone marrow transplant and died........all before age 50.

Detection of breast cancer sucks. Mammogram does not and never will detect all breast cancers.

edited to add...........in the FAQ link I posted is info on breast self exam. I don't do them ever.......I'm not going on a search and destroy mission on my breast especially when you rarely find them that way.

[bonne-maman]

yeah...yeah...I read all that last fall about mammograms being statistically not a good diagnostic tool before 50. And, usually, I like to think statistically, I like the logic and reason of it. What came out last fall was pretty sound in revealing that perhaps only 1 life out of (1000? or 2000?, now I can't remember), is saved from mammography before age 50.

But, damn, I am that one life.

A routine mammogram at age 48 revealed that I had a small, aggressive tumor. No family history. I am now nearly at my 5 year mark, and have been great after my lumpectomy, 4 rounds of chemo, and 35 doses of radiation were accomplished in the fall of 2005.

Hard for me to reason against the statistics, but, I am damn glad these statistics hadn't come out 5 years ago to dissuade me from gettin mammos every year or two after age 45....

[Andrew, Jr.]

Toughy,

I agree and disagree. Mammograms still work as do the self-breast exams. I also think it is very important that people are not afraid to seek out help because of their fear of having breast cancer.