My Personal Message
To all women, and I must speak to men too; a small percent of men do get breast cancer. Over twenty years ago, a close friend of mine died of breast cancer and recently I met two men going through chemotherapy for breast cancer (cancer of the mammary gland). I will call myself a breast cancer survivor, and I’m still under treatment. My tumor was categorized as Stage 1, which ranges from the tiniest detectable tumor – 2.0cm. You see, that’s how the medical providers measure a person’s percentage rate of survival.
Example:
SURVIVAL RATE
WITH SUGERY TREATMENT AS PRESCRIBED BY PHYSICIAN
STAGE 1 = 80% - With treatment the cure rate can go up as high as 97%
STAGE 2 = 60% - Treatment improves the cure rate at all of the
STATE 3 = 40% stages, but not as high as it does if your
STAGE 4 = 20% tumor is discovered in the early STAGE 1 level.
Many women rely on the mammogram for early detection of tumors. Their medical providers tell them to do monthly self breast examinations, but they believe the mammograms are sufficient. Men believe rubbing their fingers around their mammary glands just is not a manly thing to do. So it’s up to you women to check out your man.
I was one of those women who did examine my breast, but only haphazardly. I couldn’t remember from one month to the next, when the last time I did my self exam. I truly believe my Lord watched over me, because on August 22, 2007 He told me to check my breast, and then placed my hand on the lump. Later I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. All of my diagnostic test revealed that I am cancer free and I am going through an array of follow-up treatment with the hope of remaining that way.
The most important issue I want to get out to everyone is SELF EXAMINATION. I had a mammogram in March 2007 and it was determined to be normal. The location of my tumor was outside the field of the mammogram. It was that potion of my breast that would not fit in the mammogram machine. The machine cannot reach the entire circumference of most women breast, and this is especially true for the perky, cystic breast.
Ladies, when you examine your breast, you must not stop at the breast tissue. Examine the outer parameter; check above and below the breast, around and into the clevish near the breast bone. Don’t forget to check around the breast near the armpit. Report any finding to your doctor even if it turns out to be nothing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
