Hillerie Camille

One of my BFF's died from breast cancer.

Cancer is not welcome in my breast.

Today is my birthday, and I'm giving myself the gift of life. I have to admit I do not regularly check my breast for lumps. That's stops today. I'm going to make it a point to give myself monthly breast exams. Yesterday, my girl asked me, "what do you give the person who has everything?" Give him or her the gift of life. Yes, men can get breast cancer too. I'm challenging you to start checking your breasts on a regular basis. If you think breast cancer only affects people over 40, you might be risking your life. Check yourself.

Thanks to my girl at whydidshedothat for the inspiration and the motivation.

Lie down on your back and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

Use the finger pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.

Use three different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary. If you're not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.

Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).

There is some evidence to suggest that the up-and-down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast without missing any breast tissue.

Repeat the exam on your left breast, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam.

While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, or dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)

Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.

This procedure for doing breast self-exam is different from previous recommendations. These changes represent an extensive review of the medical literature and input from an expert advisory group. There is evidence that this position (lying down), the area felt, pattern of coverage of the breast, and use of different amounts of pressure increase a woman's ability to find abnormal areas.

What About A Mammogram or Halo Breast Pap Test?

The Mayo Clinic recommends these guidelines for mammograms and self exams.

• Breast self-exam to identify breast abnormalities and allow a woman to become familiar with her breasts so that she can tell her doctor about any changes
• Clinical breast exam performed by a health care provider and recommended annually beginning at age 40
• Screening mammography beginning at age 40

There's a little-known breast exam available called the Halo Pap Test. This test is supposed to detect early signs of breast cancer. Basically, the test consists of a small suction cup put over your nipple to suck out a small amount of fluid. The procedure is quick and painless. The downside to the Halo test is not everyone can get it. If you've had breast reduction surgery or breast implants, you may not be able to have the test. You can get more information from your doctor or at here.

Do you know someone who is a breast cancer survivor? How have they inspired you?

Love
Hillerie Camille