I'll never forget the 4th of July weekend a few years ago when we were up at my parents house. My mom, two sisters-in-law and my self were hanging out at the house one morning chatting. My sister-in-law's cell phone rang and she answered the call. She almost fell to the ground as she started crying and saying its breast cancer! To this day I'm not sure who the phone call was from but we just surrounded her and hugged her as she finished the call. When she hung up, through tear filled eyes, she said, "My mom has breast cancer." Saying it out loud made it so real that she burst into tears again.
Every one of us has been touched by breast cancer in one way or another. In fact about 210,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it is such an important time for busy moms, like me and you, to take some time to make sure we are healthy.
Here are some important reminders:
Self Breast Exam (SBE) - Try to do it the same time each month so you don't forget. You can do it the first of the month or the first day of your period so you are always consistent. If you are not sure how to do it then talk to your doctor about it.
Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) - For women under 40 this should be done every 3 years. For women 40 and older it should be done every year. This is an exam by your doctor that is typically done during your annual exam.
Mammogram - These should be done every year starting at age 40 and maybe earlier if you have risk factors. Don't delay on this. Mammograms may catch a tumor before you can feel it and the earlier he better.
Remember that keeping your self healthy with diet and exercise will contribute to your overall health. For more information on breast cancer and breast health check out this great information from the CDC and cancer.org .
