Breast Cancer Awareness

Annie and I waiting to get our mammies grammied :)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month…so very tiresome. I would  rather not think about breast cancer. It reminds me of all the things that I know I should do, that I don’t do. Like a monthly breast self exam. The thing is, I forget to do it. And then, I don’t want the panic that I will surely feel, should I discover something that’s amiss. So I ‘forget’ again and again. Till a friend suggested I do the self-exam every day, while showering. Hmm…so every day – while taking a shower, slowly and lovingly I lathered the soap over my boobs, enjoying the smooth roundness of them and also checking for any untoward lumps. It was good, because I continued. It was part of my daily routine now and could not be forgotten. Its easier everyday instead of once a month and, you know, you need to do it at the right time of the month. This is better - just keep it simple please. Another plus point was that by doing breast self-exam while showering I could indulge in my favourite activity - multitasking – something that always makes me feel efficient and clever and good.

 But my boobs didn’t feel they were getting enough attention, or, they didn’t like the bra I was wearing…I started to experience the most awful itching sensation all over the delicate skin of my boobs, driving me mad till I collapsed in a paroxysm of crazy scratching, unmindful of the marks my own nails were making on the surface of the delicate skin of my breasts. I realised I need to massage them with lotion. Again, I experienced a slight sense of embarrassment at this unnecessary handling of myself, but what was I to do? It was that or uninhibited scratching in public or private, whenever the urge overcame me. So I began applying lotion, carefully and lovingly to my neglected breasts. They loved it, the itching subsided and here was yet another opportunity to check the health of my breasts.

Sofa so good.

Next is a mammogram. Uffff ….time for chapatti breasts. A nurse, hopefully female, will yank you by the breast, position you over a plate that is invariably the wrong height, too high or too low, and then put another plate over your poor quivering frightened breast squashing it to within an inch of your life. After that she will tell you to hold your breath aaaaaaahhhhhh….and will click …then release your breast. However, you have another one that also has to be subjected to this indignity.

I vote that mammogram nurses should also be naked above the waist. Who joins me?

And I also vote that researchers work on finding a better machine for mammograms. I’m certain that if testicle had to be screened for cancer, involving the same pulling and squashing and flattening and nakedness, they would have invented a machine that lightly skims the surface, creating a faint pleasant tickling sensation AND that the test could be done through your clothes.

However, guys, despite the discomfort, a mammogram beats having a mastectomy, or dying. If you do have it (the dreadful ‘c’ word), the sooner it’s discovered and treated, the better.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer — and is the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 35 to 54.

Although these numbers may sound frightening, research reveals that the mortality rate could decrease by 30% if all women age 50 and older who need a mammogram had one.”

So, do what I’m doing… collecting a gang of friends and having a ‘mammo party’. We’ll go together, hold hands (or boobs), moan, sigh, party and avail of the 50% discount. Yeaaaahahhh.

Annie, happy after her all clear result!

1. girls guide to survival http://wp.me/pFJo1-cb    

2. Judy Balan http://quipsovercoffee.blogspot.com/

3. Alka Singh http://alkasdesk.blogspot.com/2010/03/alkas-desk-  empower-woman-in-me.html

4. Restless http://myworldmyperception.blogspot.com/2010/10/dont-be-s know-your-breasts.html

5. Vidyun Sabhaney