Tickled Pink? Or Overwhelmed by Breast Cancer Awareness Information?
Of all the months in the year October bombards us with everything pink. We see pink ribbons on shirts, hats, and shoes; there are posters, billboards, pink bras, and boxing gloves telling us to ‘fight like a girl’. It can be overwhelming. Maybe some are tired of seeing and hearing about it.
I was tired too. Tired of my breasts being poked, pushed, and squished. They were scrutinized then analyzed, and, YES, they were victimized…by cancer. To add to the list, not only did I have my general practitioner and gynecologist; I now had a radiologist and an oncologist. When visiting my dentist, I immediately began to slip my arms through their sleeves and I looked around for the gown – ‘with the opening in the front, please.’ My breasts were no longer private and I began to think of them as extra elbows, or knees, body parts that I didn’t mind showing to everyone in the eastern half of Connecticut, which made me thankful that I didn’t live in a big state, like Texas or Alaska.
And then it began…the inundation of information. Not red flags, but pink ones, were flying high and waving me their way. There was so much to process and I didn’t know where to begin. Information came by mail, over the telephone, and through my many doctors. I even started receiving pamphlets from AARP and the Scooter Store, which had little to do with having cancer, but still, I was annoyed.
Here are some links to websites that I feel are beneficial in making some sense of what you can do.
Know your risk. Such as, gender, age, genetics. Do you have a personal or family history of breast cancer? There are also lifestyle-related factors to consider.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/DetailedGuide/breast-cancer-risk-factors
Early detection and prevention. The most important thing you can do is to get your yearly mammogram and do self-breast-exams. Women need to know how their breasts feel and look in order to detect any changes.
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/screenings.htm
Sorting through all of the information out there is overwhelming. I found this site very helpful and easy to navigate.
http://www.informationaboutcancer.com/breast-cancer/learning-about/index.html
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an excellent resource:
http://ww5.komen.org/
http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/UnderstandingBreastCancer.html
More clinical information can be found here:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast
Another resource is calling 211. The United Way lists 88 locations in Connecticut where cancer screening is available.
The Department of Public Health also provides screening at little or no cost. Here is information for Connecticut: http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3124&q=388824&dphPNavCtr=
47735
My calendar is almost as demanding as the President’s; and while he is busy saving the world, I keep busy saving myself and doing what I can to help spread the word.
I was tired too. Tired of my breasts being poked, pushed, and squished. They were scrutinized then analyzed, and, YES, they were victimized…by cancer. To add to the list, not only did I have my general practitioner and gynecologist; I now had a radiologist and an oncologist. When visiting my dentist, I immediately began to slip my arms through their sleeves and I looked around for the gown – ‘with the opening in the front, please.’ My breasts were no longer private and I began to think of them as extra elbows, or knees, body parts that I didn’t mind showing to everyone in the eastern half of Connecticut, which made me thankful that I didn’t live in a big state, like Texas or Alaska.
And then it began…the inundation of information. Not red flags, but pink ones, were flying high and waving me their way. There was so much to process and I didn’t know where to begin. Information came by mail, over the telephone, and through my many doctors. I even started receiving pamphlets from AARP and the Scooter Store, which had little to do with having cancer, but still, I was annoyed.
Here are some links to websites that I feel are beneficial in making some sense of what you can do.
Know your risk. Such as, gender, age, genetics. Do you have a personal or family history of breast cancer? There are also lifestyle-related factors to consider.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/DetailedGuide/breast-cancer-risk-factors
Early detection and prevention. The most important thing you can do is to get your yearly mammogram and do self-breast-exams. Women need to know how their breasts feel and look in order to detect any changes.
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/screenings.htm
Sorting through all of the information out there is overwhelming. I found this site very helpful and easy to navigate.
http://www.informationaboutcancer.com/breast-cancer/learning-about/index.html
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an excellent resource:
http://ww5.komen.org/
http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/UnderstandingBreastCancer.html
More clinical information can be found here:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast
Another resource is calling 211. The United Way lists 88 locations in Connecticut where cancer screening is available.
The Department of Public Health also provides screening at little or no cost. Here is information for Connecticut: http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3124&q=388824&dphPNavCtr=
47735
My calendar is almost as demanding as the President’s; and while he is busy saving the world, I keep busy saving myself and doing what I can to help spread the word.
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