Those of you who've been reading along know that my mom's recent health issues is what has spurred me to lose some weight and try to be as healthy as can be. Sorry for being cryptic, but some things you're just not ready to see on paper--or on screen in this case--because it makes it real. Well, it's gotten pretty real pretty fast so it's time to talk about it, especially since it may actually help someone else.
My mom had breast cancer 11 years ago and we thought she had it beat. A few months back, after doing some heavy lifting, she began to have some shoulder pain and then some swelling around her clavicle bone. We went into the hospital expecting an x-ray, a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and to be sent on our merry way. No such luck. After the x-ray came a CT scan, which was followed by several other tests. The diagnosis was metastatic breast cancer in the bones. Fuck. Double fuck.
What this means is that she will have cancer for the rest of her life, however long that may be, and not all the pink ribbons in the world are going to be able to change that. We're hoping that treatment works and keeps her cancer stable for as long as possible and are living day by day in ass-kicking mode. This has given me the push that I needed (after getting
waaaaay too far off track with exercise and healthy eating) to do whatever I can to avoid the same fate. I'm not considered high risk enough to have a voluntary mastectomy, which I would be more than willing to do if I could afford it, but I can try to cut down my risk by getting my weight in check. (If you wanna follow along with my diet you can do so by
clicking here or on the "weight loss" link in the menu above).
Along with making me want to do whatever it takes to get my risk down as well as face the fact that I am getting too old to just do as I please when it comes to diet and activity...or serious lack thereof...I've also been reading up on breast cancer like mad and am constantly surprised by the shit that I read. (Yes, I said "shit" because there's nothing good about cancer!!!). Here are a few things that I have read about cancer that have scared the bejesus out of me and that I think all women should know:
- You can be full of cancer and feel perfectly fine.
- Blood tests can still be perfectly normal even when you've got cancer.
- Any pain that lasts more than 2 weeks MUST be checked out.
- Breast cancer, contrary to what you often read online, can cause pain.
- Being overweight ups your production of estrogen which increases your chances of breast cancer.
- Dense breasts increase your risk of breast cancer.
- Even with yearly mammograms, breast cancer can be missed. (I'm SHOCKED and saddened by how many women do everything right and even add MRI or ultrasound to their yearly screening only to find out that large tumors have been missed and the cancer has spread!)
- Breast cancer can spread years, even decades after you think you've beat it.
This isn't meant to make you feel doomed and destined for cancer no matter what you do, but rather to make you aware.
Take the time to get to know your boobs. Forget following a specific way of self-exam and just touch them--often! Feel your breasts, your nipples, under your boobs, under your arms and all the way up to the clavicle area and do it regularly so that you'll know when something changes. Look at them closely in the mirror on the regular too, because often it's a thickening in the skin or a crease/dimple that is your first sign of breast cancer. Don't put off seeing a doctor about any unusual symptoms and know that breast cancer isn't just about finding a lump. Some types of breast cancer cause red marks and rashes, dimpling of the skin that gives it the texture of orange peel, or even just a change in the way your skin feels without any visible signs.
For reliable information on breast cancer, one of the best sites you can turn to is BreastCancer.org. Our family would be lost without them right now! The information and support you can get there is incredible.
Hope this helps someone.
