Early last year, a dear childhood friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. I am extremely happy to say that due to early detection and speedy treatment, she is on her way to making a full recovery. I salute her strength and admire her spirit that has pulled her through some very difficult times.
According to the American Cancer society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:
- swelling of all or part of the breast
- skin irritation or dimpling
- breast pain
- nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
- redness, scaliness or thickening of the nipple or breast skin. The skin may have ridges or pitting that makes it look like the skin of an orange.
- unusual discharge from the nipple
- lump in the underarm area
These changes can also be the signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous. However, it is important to get any breast changes checked out promptly by a doctor.
Doctors recommend that women have regular clinical breast exams and mammograms to find breast cancer early. A mammogram is an x-ray picture of tissues inside the breast. Mammograms can often show a breast lump before it can be felt.
- Women in their 40s and older should have mammograms every one or two years.
- Women who are younger than 40 and have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their health care provider whether to have mammograms and how often to have them.
Signing off with a prayer for all those battling cancer and these lines from the poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost
'But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep'
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