Welcome to the month of October which also happens to be breast cancer awareness month.
Breast are a thing of pride and beauty even for many women but the sad truth is that they are the body part responsible for the highest cancer rate in women. And the key to beat it is early detection.
Breast cancer recently became quite personal for me when i lost a close contact to the most aggressive form of breast cancer i’ve ever encountered, so this month my mission is to enlighten us as much as possible regarding breast cancer.
Everyone’s breasts are different, and your breasts can change with age and at different times of the month. It’s important to get to know how your breasts normally look and feel so it will be easier to spot if there are any unusual changes for you.
Many women believe that the main alarm sign is feeling a lump in the breast, but there are other changes in the breast to take note of which may (or may not) be a sign that something is not completely right with your breast(s)
So apart from feeling, you must also look closely at your breasts. Some things to take note of include:
Changes in skin texture, such as puckering or dimpling of the skin of the breast. Any rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area.
Itchy, scaly sore or rash
Change in size or shape. For example, one breast might become larger or lower than the other. If this is already normal for you that one breast is bigger than the other then there’s no need to be concerned but if this is a new development then you should definitely get it checked out.
Change in colour. E.g. the breast may look red or inflamed. Any Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast needs to be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.
Nipple discharge. Check if there’s any unusual discharge? One or both nipples might have a discharge. Some women have a small amount of fluid from the nipples when squeezed, but a spontaneous discharge from one or both nipples in a woman who isn’t breastfeeding might be a sign of increased hormones or something else, especially if the discharge is bloody.
Appearance or direction of the nipple. Take note of the appearance or the direction of the nipple. E.g. one might become inverted (turned in) when it normally points out.
Any unusual pain, either in part of the breast or the armpit. Any pain in the breast that doesn’t go away should be checked out.
Sometimes a breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough to be felt. Swollen lymph nodes should also be checked by a health care provider.
It’s great to know what to look for and to do a monthly self breast check but this does not take the place of having regular mammograms and other screening tests. Screening tests can help find breast cancer in its early stages, before any symptoms appear.
