Celebrating those not only surviving but thriving after breast cancer!
It was 2015. I remember her calling me saying that her routine annual mammogram was "abnormal" and that they were going to have another doctor read it to confirm. That doctor then told her he wasn't too sure what he saw and that's when I thought, "I don't think this radiologist is a specialist". In other words, yes some radiologists specialize in reading breast imaging and in particular mammograms so they have a trained eye for suspicious findings. So I told her to get out of there and we set out on the hunt for a Breast Imaging Radiologist in her town. Not many women know there is extra training that is necessary to read or interpret breast imaging, but now you know! When the specialist saw her films, she knew immediately that it was cancer. And Elainea not only had one lesion, but a few on the left breast. Turns out she had two types of cancers growing. Elainea is my mother in law. Four years later she is thriving and I am thankful for her team the team that got her through this scary time.
Still upon hearing more survivor stories I realize the importance as a physician that even though these women “beat” breast cancer, that doesn’t mean that they are healed mentally. It is important for these women to find a tribe like @the_breasties to help them through the mental rehab that is necessary afterwards from diagnosis to past the day they are found to be disease free. I found that they are a group that focuses on supporting young women affected by breast and gynecological cancers through community and friendship! Check them out!
As we get closer to the end of October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I know we talk to women about getting mammograms but I find that a lot of women are nervous or anxious. I hope this easy tips will help you have a better experience and ease a little of the anxiety.
💕It is still recommended that women get a mammogram every year starting at age 40 or sooner depending on your family history. I tell my patients to try to schedule their annual exams and therefore their mammograms around their birthday. You know your birthday is going to come every year and while it may not be a "present" to go with your gynecologist for an exam or a mammogram think of it as a present to yourself for celebrating a healthy lifestyle!
💕 Do not, I repeat, do NOT wear or apply deodorant, lotions or powders before your mammogram because it can actually look as though you have an abnormality on your imaging and then you may have to go in for more imaging for nothing. Lessen your stress level from already getting the exam and help yourself out!
💕So everyone worries about pain during the exam. I honestly have not had one yet but two tips to help with pain. #1 is go when your breasts are not normally tender. Scheduling one week after your period is usually the best time. #2 You can always take an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen an hour before your exam to help with pain.
💕 Be prepared to fill out a family history questionnaire. This is very important so if you can know your history before the appointment that would be beneficial. Most imaging places will use that information and perform what is called a Tyrer-Cuzick score and that will give your physician a lifetime risk of breast cancer on your mammogram report which is important!! If the score is >20% then you can consider semiannual screening with mammograms and breast MRIs every 6 months because if you are considered to be high-risk then this screening can possibly help detect a problem sooner.
💕Breast density is confusing! So what is this and what should you know? Well, breast density compares the amount of glandular connective tissue seen to the amount of fat seen on a mammogram. You are given this diagnosis only based on your mammogram result. There are four categories. If your breasts are extremely dense it be harder to detect smaller cancers and dense breasts are best evaluated by 3-D mammograms. There are no large prospective studies to support supplemental whole-breast ultrasound or MRI screening of average-risk women with dense breast tissue on mammography. Nonetheless, 38 states have adopted dense breast legislation, and additional states are considering such legislation. At a minimum, these laws require that patients be informed of their breast density, that dense breast tissue may be a risk factor for breast cancer, and that dense tissue may interfere with cancer detection. If mandated breast density reporting were to be enacted nationally, as has been proposed, such legislation could affect 25 million women in the United States (close to half of women between the ages of 40 and 74 years)! Although many states have breast density notification laws, and some specifically recommend supplemental screening with ultrasound, only some states have mandated insurance coverage for supplemental tests, and it is quite possible that the patient's insurance may not cover the supplemental test and the woman will incur significant out-of-pocket expenses should she choose to undergo supplemental screening. Therefore, be prepared for this and discuss with your doctor if you should consider 3-D imaging or 2-D mammogram with breast ultrasound. Hopefully the laws requiring dense breasts will change soon to benefit women all over the nation!
Well, hope this cleared up some mammogram misconceptions up and makes you a little more willing to go get checked! It might just be the best 20 minutes you could spend for your health. You are worth it mujer.
Here to help!
Dr. E