Ladies (and gents!!):
I bring you my favorite month of the year, October. Why do you ask? It’s breast cancer awareness month! First off, everything goes pink this month and although it can get a bit cheezy the pink is to help you remember to give your ladies a squeeze this month! Second, as breast cancer is something near and dear to my heart, I feel very strongly about early detection! Make sure you are getting your annual checks. There are so many new technologies these days. Mammograms are NOT the only way to get your breasts checked out. If you are not sure how to do it yourself, ask your doctor! You can also ask your doctor to preform them on you monthly if you have concerns. Breast ultrasounds and breast MRIs are two newer ways to check for breast cancers. These methods are best at detecting early onset cancers along with cancer in younger women who have a tendency to have more dense breast tissues making mammograms harder to read.
If you think you’re at a high risk speak to your doctor about getting early screening done. Did you know that MOST lumps in the breast are found by our partners and not women themselves? I obviously don’t have to explain the why behind that one 🙂 Ladies are not the only ones at risk, men should always be aware of changes in their chest areas. Cancer has NO preference who it effects, please don’t ever think “oh.. I’m too young/old/blue/ethnic/short/fat/skinny/lumpy/kids/religious…” Please, please never hesitate to get yourself checked!
If finances are something holding you back from being examined check your local women’s groups. Often times states and our cities and counties will have special programs for women who might not have insurance to cover these screenings. Sometimes you can find groups who will offer free screening during the month of October to be able to promote awareness. These screenings are not optional for us ladies. There are so many programs that will help women who need these services. For every woman you convince to get screened you could be saving a life.
Oh, and just throwing it out there, at 26 years old I had my first breast ultrasound along with a mammogram and I survived it, YOU can too 🙂 If fear is holding you back, take a friend with you, ask around, take a stinking teddy bear if you have to, because I promise you the pain of the good ol’ “flash ’em and smash ’em” will hurt a hell of a lot less then going through the pains of breast cancer! Be proactive! I challenge all the women who will read this blog to either set an appointment for yourself this month and if you’re not due convince someone else! Feel free to report in with who you convinced to get checked out! Happy smashing 😉
