We talked about what you feel with the self-exam, but an important part is to look in the mirror and look for a dimple. The breast should be outwardly round—it should curve outward and not pull in. A dimple is a pulling in of the skin, and it may occur when you raise your arm or lean forward. When you lean forward and raise your arm, the breast should stay outwardly round; it should not pull back in. That may be a sign of cancer, and it should be checked.
If you've had breast surgery before and you have some scars, you might find that the breast will pull in around a scar. Of course, this is a different situation. Anything that is new or different about your breast is important to make note of. You may also see changes in the color of your breast, such as pinkness or redness. You may see a rash on your breast. Some women may notice that their nipple is getting crusty or irregular. You may also notice a discharge out of the nipple. All of these changes are important to bring to the attention of your doctor. Another important finding is enlargement of the breast. There is a very unusual type of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer that involves enlargement of the breast, pinkness or redness of a significant part of the breast, or thickening of the skin, and only half the time is there a lump to be felt.
e should stress here that breast enlargement alone is not necessarily a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. I see a lot of women who are worried about a change in breast size, and inflammatory cancer is rare. If the breast doesn't have any of those other features, if it still looks soft and pale and the color is normal, there may be nothing to worry about.
If you've had breast surgery before and you have some scars, you might find that the breast will pull in around a scar. Of course, this is a different situation. Anything that is new or different about your breast is important to make note of. You may also see changes in the color of your breast, such as pinkness or redness. You may see a rash on your breast. Some women may notice that their nipple is getting crusty or irregular. You may also notice a discharge out of the nipple. All of these changes are important to bring to the attention of your doctor. Another important finding is enlargement of the breast. There is a very unusual type of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer that involves enlargement of the breast, pinkness or redness of a significant part of the breast, or thickening of the skin, and only half the time is there a lump to be felt.
e should stress here that breast enlargement alone is not necessarily a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. I see a lot of women who are worried about a change in breast size, and inflammatory cancer is rare. If the breast doesn't have any of those other features, if it still looks soft and pale and the color is normal, there may be nothing to worry about.
Well written but wish you would have gone into more detail about how sudden Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is; how the symptoms can come on over night and that physicians HAVE to RULE OUT IBC; that by the time you notice it, it is already stage 3B, and can be deadly if not treated with the proper protocol, which is chemotherapy first, not surgery.
ReplyDeletePatti Bradfield, President
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation
www.eraseibc.com