i went for my annual lady-bits check up. i'm getting up there, 36! and breast health is now becoming an issue for me.
1) because of my age. in the us, women are encouraged to get mammograms every 1-2 years once they turn 40.
2) because of my family history. my mother had breast cancer in her 40's. her sister, my aunt had breast cancer around the same time, and a recurring bout in her 70's, a completely different type of breast cancer than her first bout. and their sister, my oldest aunt, had breast cancer when in her 80's.
because of my cancer-licious family history, i start early. i got a baseline mammogram two years ago, immediately prior to my breast augmentation. now it's a yearly test for me to have, and really, it's no big deal. i was so worried. my mother and my neighbor told me horror stories. they told me it's invasive, and degrading, frightening and even painful. i did not find this to be true at all.
i want women reading this to know - it's no big deal. it doesn't hurt. it's not invasive. it's weird, yea. like, one of the weirdest things you'll do, medically speaking, as a healthy person. but it's also kinda cool. and it doesn't hurt. i will advise you not to schedule a mammo at the point in your cycle when you have breast soreness, because there is pressure. also, it's not a frightening experience, unless you have women telling you before hand that it is. so please, don't let fear prompt you to put off getting a mammogram.
this is what happens:
[YOUTUBE]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2t_lW_PICl4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/YOUTUBE]
so, i've got it under control. i know that, yea, my future probably does hold surgery and chemo and radiation. that's almost more than i want to know. but, that knowledge has made it possible to make life changes to lessen my likelihood of contracting breast cancer. i quit smoking. i eat healthier. i lead a more active life. i breastfed my kids (for reals, that lessens your chances - how cool is that?)
but i have an option now. an option being presented to many young women. the option to get tested for the Breast Cancer Gene.
i put that in caps because i want you to feel the fear that in that phrase. The Breast Cancer Gene. that loaded gun you didn't know you are carrying around. the certainty of knowing your body is a ticking time bomb. having this sword of damocles hanging over your head as you sleep, work, drive, feel your lovers hand on your breast. forever.
no, i will not have this test.
because, even though you will now have fear stalking your life, if you test positive for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, you may not ever get breast cancer. carrying this gene simply means you have a pre-disposition for genetically occurring breast cancer. and not all breast cancers are genetic, as my aunt found out with her 2nd bout. so, why...why? why would anyone get this test? to live in fear? or to take preventative measures? well, all of us should be having mammograms anyway. so, again...why order this very expensive test? i make the point that it is expensive, because your HMO may very well not cover it. many do not.
why get this test? is there something you can do about it? once you've become pro-active about your likelihood to get breast cancer, can you avoid it?
well, it turns out there is something you are prescribed to do if you carry the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes.
get dual, radical, prophylactic mastectomies and breast reconstruction with implants.
wait. let's go back and read that again. you with me? ok....in layman's terms, my doctor told me i should get my breasts removed totally, and reconstructed with implants, on the chance i may avoid breast cancer. are you fuckin kidding me? tonsils aren't even removed by rote any more and we are now urging healthy women to cut off their fuckin tits?
no. i will not get the test. i will also not have major surgery to remove two organs in order to avoid a far lesser surgery. why would i choose major surgery over minor? i know better than most how breast cancer is treated. currently, with proper detection, many tumors are targeted with radiation or hormone blocking medicines or chemotherapy in order to shrink the mass, and then the smaller mass is then removed with a procedure called a lumpectomy.
i hope i have conveyed my horror to you. i hope i have made the case for being pro-active about your health, and not living a life full of fear. women should not be advised to have major, life altering prophylactic surgeries and silly gene testing that greatly benefit medical professionals, for so very little benefit to actual person enduring this. please, go get your mammograms, do your breast self exams, or even better, have a very attractive and friendly person examine them often for you, and don't live in fear. i'm not.
unless it's the fear of women forced through fear-mongering, money hungry surgeons and labs to undergo unnecessary surgeries.
1) because of my age. in the us, women are encouraged to get mammograms every 1-2 years once they turn 40.
2) because of my family history. my mother had breast cancer in her 40's. her sister, my aunt had breast cancer around the same time, and a recurring bout in her 70's, a completely different type of breast cancer than her first bout. and their sister, my oldest aunt, had breast cancer when in her 80's.
because of my cancer-licious family history, i start early. i got a baseline mammogram two years ago, immediately prior to my breast augmentation. now it's a yearly test for me to have, and really, it's no big deal. i was so worried. my mother and my neighbor told me horror stories. they told me it's invasive, and degrading, frightening and even painful. i did not find this to be true at all.
i want women reading this to know - it's no big deal. it doesn't hurt. it's not invasive. it's weird, yea. like, one of the weirdest things you'll do, medically speaking, as a healthy person. but it's also kinda cool. and it doesn't hurt. i will advise you not to schedule a mammo at the point in your cycle when you have breast soreness, because there is pressure. also, it's not a frightening experience, unless you have women telling you before hand that it is. so please, don't let fear prompt you to put off getting a mammogram.
this is what happens:
[YOUTUBE]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2t_lW_PICl4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/YOUTUBE]
so, i've got it under control. i know that, yea, my future probably does hold surgery and chemo and radiation. that's almost more than i want to know. but, that knowledge has made it possible to make life changes to lessen my likelihood of contracting breast cancer. i quit smoking. i eat healthier. i lead a more active life. i breastfed my kids (for reals, that lessens your chances - how cool is that?)
but i have an option now. an option being presented to many young women. the option to get tested for the Breast Cancer Gene.
i put that in caps because i want you to feel the fear that in that phrase. The Breast Cancer Gene. that loaded gun you didn't know you are carrying around. the certainty of knowing your body is a ticking time bomb. having this sword of damocles hanging over your head as you sleep, work, drive, feel your lovers hand on your breast. forever.
no, i will not have this test.
because, even though you will now have fear stalking your life, if you test positive for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, you may not ever get breast cancer. carrying this gene simply means you have a pre-disposition for genetically occurring breast cancer. and not all breast cancers are genetic, as my aunt found out with her 2nd bout. so, why...why? why would anyone get this test? to live in fear? or to take preventative measures? well, all of us should be having mammograms anyway. so, again...why order this very expensive test? i make the point that it is expensive, because your HMO may very well not cover it. many do not.
why get this test? is there something you can do about it? once you've become pro-active about your likelihood to get breast cancer, can you avoid it?
well, it turns out there is something you are prescribed to do if you carry the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes.
get dual, radical, prophylactic mastectomies and breast reconstruction with implants.
wait. let's go back and read that again. you with me? ok....in layman's terms, my doctor told me i should get my breasts removed totally, and reconstructed with implants, on the chance i may avoid breast cancer. are you fuckin kidding me? tonsils aren't even removed by rote any more and we are now urging healthy women to cut off their fuckin tits?
no. i will not get the test. i will also not have major surgery to remove two organs in order to avoid a far lesser surgery. why would i choose major surgery over minor? i know better than most how breast cancer is treated. currently, with proper detection, many tumors are targeted with radiation or hormone blocking medicines or chemotherapy in order to shrink the mass, and then the smaller mass is then removed with a procedure called a lumpectomy.
i hope i have conveyed my horror to you. i hope i have made the case for being pro-active about your health, and not living a life full of fear. women should not be advised to have major, life altering prophylactic surgeries and silly gene testing that greatly benefit medical professionals, for so very little benefit to actual person enduring this. please, go get your mammograms, do your breast self exams, or even better, have a very attractive and friendly person examine them often for you, and don't live in fear. i'm not.
unless it's the fear of women forced through fear-mongering, money hungry surgeons and labs to undergo unnecessary surgeries.
VIEW 12 of 12 COMMENTS
king_mob:
Coolest PSA evar.
peachysweetlove:
haha you said the facebook ... I like that. And yes, I do ...