Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Let's Talk About Breasts


Long, short, round, squashed, flat, poofy, bouncy, saggy, busting out the seams, torpedowee, young, old, wrinkled, firm, milkful, empty, breasts, boobs, milk cartons, jugs, hooters, dirty little pillows...name it what you will, but its all the same. We all have them, young and old, short and tall, fat and thin. I love mine, even though I can just about tuck them into my...ah, nevermind, TMI. But I'm not going to talk about breasts. No, I'm going to talk about something way more important.

Way back a long time ago, I battled cancer and won. I briefly mentioned bits and pieces of this war in various posts. Yes, this is a cancer post, but it's not going to talk about puking and hair loss. I promise, I will get to the puke some other post, this post is more important. When I first began chemo, I was a very angry cancer patient. I was totally pissed off at breast cancer patients. You see, I had Leukemia. It was in my bone marrow all over my body, and those "breast" people just had it in one little ole place. Not only was it in just one little ole place, but they could get it cut out...they could get it removed...they could have radiation, take aim and burn the sucker out even. Not only that, they even had their own "Breast Cancer Awareness" month. Their OWN month. And if none of the above mentioned worked, they could get the thing cut off. I couldn't. No, it just ebbed and flowed throughout my blood system, doing its thing. What was their problem? They had it easy.

Boy.

Was I dumb.

Was I ever stupid.

There can never be enough awareness. There can never be enough funding. There can never be enough education. There can never be enough searching for the cure. Breast Cancer is a killer. It is a vicious killer. It is a painful killer. And there is no easy cure. There is no guarantee. And the cure isn't always permanent. And throughout my time being treated for my own cancer, I learned this. And I, the angry breast cancer envious cancer patient, was humbled.

In Fact:

Not counting some kinds of skin cancer, breast cancer in the United States is

The most common cancer in women, no matter your race or ethnicity.
The most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women.
The second most common cause of death from cancer among white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women. 1
In 2005 (the most recent year numbers are available):

186,467 women and 1,764 men developed breast cancer.
41,116 women and 375 men died from breast cancer

Furthermore:

Risk factors that increase risk of breast cancer include

Getting older.
Being younger when you first had your menstrual period.
Starting menopause at a later age.
Being older at the birth of your first child.
Never giving birth.
Not breastfeeding.
Personal history of breast cancer or some non-cancerous breast diseases.
Family history of breast cancer (mother, sister, daughter).
Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
Being overweight (increases risk for breast cancer after menopause).
Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (estrogen and progesterone combined).
Having changes in the breast cancer-related genes BRCA1 or BRCA2.
Using birth control pills, also called oral contraceptives.
Drinking alcohol (more than one drink a day).
Not getting regular exercise.

These facts can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/

Now that you've finished listening to me, there is someone else I'd like for you to visit. Many of you probably already know her. She's pretty famous, and for you SiTS gals, she's a Welcomista. Breast cancer has touched her life, as I'm sure it has touched many of you. We all know someone: friend, family member, co-worker, that has fought breast cancer. She is fighting back. Please, take the time to go to Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom and hear what DiPaola Momma has to say. It's worth the time it takes to click the link here, or click the title of my post, an active link to her post. Read what she has to say. It's well worth it.

10 comments:

  1. Wow. What an awesome post. Thank you for reminding us.

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  2. You battled cancer?! Wow! I just can't imagine how hard that would have been for you.....and your thoughts about breast cancer patients.....how honest.....not many people could admit such a thought.....I'm glad that you made it through and learned a few lessons along the way. Sheez, I can only imagine how
    S T R O N G you must be now!!

    This reminds me that I need to do a self exam....I never do.

    O, and this alarmed me.....I never knew that "Never giving birth" would increase your risk?!

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  3. Yes, Way. I did, a long time ago. Seriously, I honestly envied BC patients. It was silly, I know, and really stupid of me. And, I'm only S T R O N G in my armpits. Fortunately, there is Secret!

    Saddest thing about causes of BC is hormone treatment for menopause, because guess what treatment for BC is most likely to do? Yep, send you into early menopause.

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  4. I know. I know. I know.
    You know what I know?
    You know.
    Very Good Post.
    People like me (that being idiots) are idiots when we read stuff like this.
    I awe you.

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  5. Powerful Alex !!! Very moving . I admit I never thought about that before . In a pace of a few min. with a self exam someones life could be saved .... Powerful ! Thank you for writing everyday ....

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  6. I love your post!! Congrats on being a survivor. That doesn't sound as sincere as I mean it. But I mean it deeply.

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  7. This was so powerful, so passionate and SO TRUE. Congrats on being a strong survivor. My Mom has been battling two types of cancer (one of which was breast) so I totally feel ya.

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  8. What a powerful and honest post. I also was not aware that you are a cancer survivor. Thank you for reminding us all about this important topic. And here's to your continued good health!

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  9. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August. I actually felt lucky that it was found early and I could just get it cut out, have radiation, take a pill for five years and move on. I had no pain whatsoever and felt fine. Compared to others, I feel very fortunate. It was breast cancer, not like a major working part of my body like a lung or liver. The bonus is I can go braless for awhile so as not to irritate my breast and have time off work to heal! The key is early detection.

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