JupiterFalling
26-10-16, 15:27
When I was in high school we had this health fair... we were given a fake breast to pass around. One half was 'normal' and the other half was filled with marble sized balls to mimic breast cancer - we were supposed to compare sides to know what a lump would feel like.
I had NO IDEA what the difference was when pressing into them... I knew the lumps were there but I couldn't feel them. I went back to the display multiple times to re-check to see if I could figure it out. That left me with anxiety over whether I'd know if I had lumps...
When I got my last pap test done over a year ago, I asked if I could have a breast exam done as well. The nurse practitioner just laughed and said "a bit soon for that yet." I brought it up again with my doctor last month and he told me that my breasts are only of concern once I hit 50 and if I had a lump I'd know for sure - until then it'd be a waste of time for any test/exam.
It is frustrating to be dismissed based on age when you hear stories of young people dying of breast cancer that wasn't diagnosed soon enough! All I want is for a doctor to take a few minutes to check my breasts and tell me if there is lumps so I have a reference point.
I've tried watching instructional videos but nothing helps because I can feel lumpy stuff in my breast but don't know if it is 'a lump' that doesn't belong!
Is a lump really one of those things where you 'just know' it is a lump and anything less than certainty is normal? How the heck do you distinguish between a lump and the normal stuff inside a breast?
I had NO IDEA what the difference was when pressing into them... I knew the lumps were there but I couldn't feel them. I went back to the display multiple times to re-check to see if I could figure it out. That left me with anxiety over whether I'd know if I had lumps...
When I got my last pap test done over a year ago, I asked if I could have a breast exam done as well. The nurse practitioner just laughed and said "a bit soon for that yet." I brought it up again with my doctor last month and he told me that my breasts are only of concern once I hit 50 and if I had a lump I'd know for sure - until then it'd be a waste of time for any test/exam.
It is frustrating to be dismissed based on age when you hear stories of young people dying of breast cancer that wasn't diagnosed soon enough! All I want is for a doctor to take a few minutes to check my breasts and tell me if there is lumps so I have a reference point.
I've tried watching instructional videos but nothing helps because I can feel lumpy stuff in my breast but don't know if it is 'a lump' that doesn't belong!
Is a lump really one of those things where you 'just know' it is a lump and anything less than certainty is normal? How the heck do you distinguish between a lump and the normal stuff inside a breast?