I'll get myself together and tell my Breast Cancer story one day soon...BUT for now, let me tell you that SELF BREAST EXAMS save lives, like mine! Please do not follow the new government findings (about mammograms at 50, and self exams do not work)! I was 36, with no history of cancer of any kind in my family. I breast fed 4 kids and was told it was stopped up milk ducts, but I insisted it was more (I felt a lump), I wanted to be sure (those 'feelings', y'know). I was diagnosed with End Stage3/Beginning Stage 4 BC and all lymph nodes on left side were removed. My insurance did everything they could, I had fantastic doctor (Hi, Dr. Puckett) and awesome nurses (Hi Linda H and Jenny), and I also joined a clinical trial. (Mastectomy, stem cell, high-dose chemo, radiation and 7yrs of Tamoxifen and more stuff, but I am writing in a hurry). I had nothing to lose but my life. Thank GOD. I am a 14plus year survivor. If anything, all women need a baseline mammogram in their early 20's, use the self-exam and learn your body.
If women follow the 'new' guidelines much cancer will be undetected until too late. We must be a reminder to each other...
The American Cancer Society is the best source for information right now.
And WHY were we paying a government committee to look into this and I wonder how many BC survivors were on the committee and what kind of insurance do they have (the free kind that government employees get)?
3 comments:
Seriously! And all this while they are deciding that because 15 people die each year from eating raw oysters, they will now all have to be pretreated, a process which will put a lot of oyster supplies out of business due to cost. When will dying women count? What REALLY narked me was that they said that screening which doesn't start till the age of 50 catches 85% of the cancer cases that screening which starts at 40 catches. How can they live with themselves? Congratulations on your victory and thank you for writing this!
I read a post about the new guidelines last night and was HORRIFIED! What the hell are they thinking???!?!? It's craziness, and I hope that organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the ACS etc. all speak up LOUDLY and CLEARLY!
My daughter was just telling me about this yesterday. It's ridiculous. I, for one, will be speaking out against this.
Post a Comment