Breast Self Exams

Ddw79

why do these is my question? I never " find" anything. The imaging only " sees" it. These produce little more than anxiety in me so I question the need. Can anyone suggest a good reason to do these. I have ADH upon imaging and surger

Janet456

I never used to do them at all. It was only 3 years ago when I found my lump completely by accident and the rest is history.

I'm still not sure I do them properly, I just tend to prod and poke. However I am now very aware, so I think I would notice any changes in future, which can only be a good thing in my opinion. x

614

I think that I do breast self exams to cause myself anxiety.

 

BarredOwl

Hi:

I had sort of lumpy ones, and would break out in a cold sweat! When diagnosed, they asked me if I felt anything, and I was "um, no, but how could anyon

BarredOwl

Hello:

I would break into a cold sweat because of the naturally fibrous/lumpy nature. How to find a lump in a pile of lumps? Ultimately, it was detected by mammogram (no palpable lump per professionals).

I now know that one reason to become familiar with the landscape and to look for changes (new lump, dimple, nipple inversion, certain skin changes, etc) is that imaging is imperfect, both technologically and because of the human element of interpretation.

In addition, many people find a lump themselves between screenings, and not always from a self-exam (just noticing a dimple in the mirror, brushing a lump in the shower, etc.). These "interval cancers" are things that were there but not yet detectable by the screening modality, may have appeared benign, may have been misinterpreted/missed, or may be new.

BarredOwl

rovnic13

Hi,

If it wasn't for me doing self breast exams, I would have never known I had cancer. I had a mammogram in March 2015. I was giving a self exam in May and I felt, not a lump, more like a hill. I let it go for a couple of weeks. I finally called my primary care doctor. She had breast cancer herself. She ordered another mammo and ultrasound, they both found nothing. The radiologist suggested I see a breast surgeon since my PCP and myself felt something. I went to the breast surgeon in the hospital that I work in just to get a MRI. Well after the MRI and MRI guided biopsy it was confirmed that I had DCIS, high grade too.

So I am a big advocate now for doing self breast exams. If it wasn't for myself and my PCP being so persistant I would have never known.

So please do them!

Grace

ruthbru

I found mine myself 6 months after a clean mammo. Pretty much by accident, and it definitely felt different from a 'normal' lump (so what you are looking for is something that is not normal for you). I would have been in deep trouble if I had waited 6 more months for another mammo to discover it, as the tumor was fast growing and already BIG (4 cm). After treatment, I was freaking out & poking around on myself all the time, so I put it on my calendar to do a thorough self-exam the first of each month & then don't allow myself to be looking for trouble for the rest of the time.

queenmomcat

i would argue for breast self-exams, not so much because I expect women to find their own lumps and diagnose their own cancer, but simply because I'd hope that women were comfortable with making themselves familiar with how their breasts felt and how their breasts looked.

RV6gal

I always did self exams (not on a scheduled regular basis but frequently enough) however I never actually felt anything unusual. (My breast seemed to be tender and lumpy most of the time anyway) But I often just lifted my arm and checked to see that nothing looked unusual as well and this is what got me to go to the doctor. One area on my right breast just looked different then it had in the past. My PCP sent me for a mammogram and diagnostic ultrasound. Neither test confirmed anything unusual. About 2 weeks after my mammogram, I felt this burning pulling sensation around the areola of my right breast for a day and then I felt a lump. Once my UMX was done, a 2.9 cm tumor was removed. My BS told me that it had to have been there for at least 2 years based on its size. While I cannot scientifically prove it, I believe noticing the change on my own helped locate the cancer before it spread too far. As it was, I had micrometastasis in 2 of my lymph nodes. I agree with queenmomcat that being familiar with the feel and look of your breasts is very important for catching cancer early.

614

I agree with all of you.  The problem that I have is that I have extremely dense breasts and fibrocystic changes.  I have so many lumps in both breasts.  I do self exams to notice whether anything feels or looks different. My radiologist even stated to me, "You have tough breasts.  They are lumpy and bumpy."  Many of my doctors have used the term, "Busy Breasts" for me.  I am glad that I am being closely monitored every 6 months.  With pleomorphic lobular carcinoma, it is a huge relief.  I have also had 6 biopsies, 1 cyst aspiration, and 6 lumpectomies over the years.  I had stopped doing self exams because I always felt lumps and everything was always benign.  I was actually shocked when I was diagnosed with bc because I never expected a dx of anything other than benign. 

The problem that I am having now is that I am constantly checking myself and this cannot be healthy.  I was totally fine from my diagnosis/treatment until my 6 month imaging in April/May 2015.  Then again, I am on a 6 month wait and watch protocol for a suspicious area that could not be biopsied in May 2015, for a 1.5cm linear non-mass enhancement with rapid washin washout kinetics.  I cannot wait until my next diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI which are scheduled for November 2015 so that I can find out additional information.

I just went to my MO on Monday and she did not find anything unusual when she did my breast exam.  That is, aside from my hematoma from the MRI guided biopsy that I had in May 2015.  My MO informed me that the hematoma may never dissipate.  It has gotten smaller.  It went from an 8cm hematoma in May to a hematoma approximately the size of a golf ball now.  Regardless, the hematoma will not obscure the images so that is good news.

How do I stop doing breast exams every night before I go to bed.  I am anxious.  I am stressed about the lumps that I feel even though I know that they are benign because they have not changed. I realize that I have the suspicious area but the linear non-mass enhancement is not palpable.  It showed up on the MRI at the beginning of May and it was not well visualized when my MRI guided biopsy was scheduled 2 & 1/2 weeks later.  At least I was able to have the other suspicious lump biopsied at that time.  I don't understand why the linear non-mass enhancement couldn't be well visualized.  My MO said that she does not have an answer for me.  She said that since I was medically induced into menopause that my MRI's should be consistent since I no longer have a cycle. 

I do believe that the linear non-mass enhancement will be benign because it does not make sense for it to be malignant.  I just finished radiation in October 2015.

Regardless, all of this stresses me out.  Any advice?

Thanks and good luck to everyone.

 

ruthbru

I was doing that too and driving myself crazy! Put it on your calendar for the first of the month (or whenever) and do NOT let yourself poke around until then.....something is not going to show up in one day anyway.....so make yourself wait for the once a month thing (now I am at the point where I will wait a couple days after my cut-off because I DON'T want to know if anything is wrong.....I guess that is progress.....

Ddw79

I have been religiously doing this for thirty years. Never found anything and certainly didn't find my ADH. I feel like why bother ? It's just anxiety provoking

vlnrph

Some leading medical organizations have begun de-emphasizing this practice recently...

ruthbru

Whether or not it is something that has 'worked' for someone personally, it is a way that many people do find their tumors. So I think it is important to 'know' your breasts & to just be aware and check out anything changes from what is 'normal' for you. Sadly it will not catch everything, maybe not even most tumors, but it is what caught mine.

BarredOwl

Hi:

Just in case it was not clear, I did not miss a lump, and if I had not had a bilateral mastectomy, I would be marking my calendar along the lines that Ruthbru suggested. As Ruthbru pointed out, hers "definitely felt different from a 'normal' lump (so what you are looking for is something that is not normal for you)" or some visual change.

From Johns Hopkins:

• "If you still menstruate, the best time to do BSE is when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen, such as a few days after your period ends.
• If you no longer menstruate, pick a certain day—such as the first day of each month—to remind yourself to do BSE."

BarredOwl

labelle

Because so many women do find their lumps themselves, I feel strongly that self exams are important. My cancer was screen detected at 7.5 mm, before it could be felt, but I still try to do monthly self exam.

However, between my lumpectomy scarring and scarring around my second incision site (due to infected seroma/radiation)and some residual swelling from RADS, I don't feel very competent about what I may or may not feel in that breast. Maybe it's just a matter of time, getting used to the feel of the "new"me. Anyone else?

mustlovepoodles

I did breast exams sort of sporadically, but never really found anything concerning. I have large, dense breasts, so everything feels lumpy. Still, nothing ever changed or caused alarm. I do, however, get regular mammograms. Sometimes these result in further testing, like ultrasounds. I had a core biopsy in April 2014 for some calcifications that I thought sure were going to be cancer but they weren't.

Well, I was knocked on my can this summer when I had a routine mammogram and they found a little "something" in the OTHER breast! I couldn't feel anything. And I had just had a full physical with breast exam, and the doctor also didn't catch it. Core biopsy came back positive for Stage 1 IDC and now I am on my breast cancer journey.

I'm not telling you this to scare anyone. I want everyone to get their regular mammograms. Do your self-breast exams, too, because you really need to at least be familiar with what your own breasts feel like. My own mother, 81 years old, hasn't had a mammogram in over 15 years! Well, she's gonna get one now, if I have to personally drag her in my her bad leg!

Ddw79

I'm sorry . It's shocking and horrifying to come out of a Mammogram with the news

614

Thank you to everyone for your input and advice. I really appreciate it. I do exams to see whether anything feels different than the way it felt prior. I have found lumps in the past that were palpable but were nothing to be worried about. However, because of those palpable lumps (that were nothing), I was sent for sonograms. The sono's found other lumps that had to be biopsied. Everything was always negative until last summer. In my life, I have had 4 excisional biopsies, 2 lumpectomies (for my bc), 6 core biopsies, and 1 fine needle aspiration. I have extremely dense breasts that are "busy". I am glad that I am being closely monitored. It is a relief. My daughter also had a lump (egg sized fibroadenoma) removed 3 years ago when she was 17.

My bc was discovered because a malignancy grew in a lump of mine that was previously biopsied a few ago and was found to be benign. I do not believe that I would have been diagnosed last summer if that lump had not changed. More than likely the lobular carcinoma would have lingered until it was much larger and a later stage when it may have been diagnosed. Lobular is extremely hard to detect. I am so glad that the lump was not excised and that it was just biopsied the first time. I feel extraordinarily lucky. The other lump at the time of my bc diagnosis had also been previously biopsied years ago. It was benign as well. It was re-biopsied last summer and found to be benign again. I had the lump removed when I had my bc surgery and the pathology revealed pleomorphic LCIS, invasive tubular carcinoma, PASH, sclerosing adenosis, flat epithelial atypia, hyperplasias, and many other benign findings as well. I am so glad that I had a double lumpectomy and radiation. I am taking AI's now and I had my ovaries removed to medically induce menopause.

Thanks for all of the support.

Good luck to everyone and have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Petitegal127

I don't do self exams. The last time I did was maybe 10 years ago. Anything that was found in my breasts, you could never feel, neither could the doctor. It was seen on mammogram only. I have dense breasts and I am not sure what I am feeling anyhow. I think I feel something and it is nothing. So I stopped, don't want to stress myself out about it!