Self checks save lives
Courtney Luke
DNC Staff Reporter
"This was actually the first mammogram I'd ever had," Dana Gough shared of her recent fight against breast cancer.
Dana was watching an interview with Monica Edmonds, a friend from Bernie who has been fighting breast cancer, when she decided she had better check herself.
"She was talking about what she had found and I thought I should look," she explained.
"I noticed something."
She followed her self-examination with a doctor's visit and a mammogram. The original mammogram came back inconclusive and another was scheduled along with an MRI and a breast biopsy.
This past Spring, medical personnel told her that she did indeed have cancer in her right breast.
She was told that her particular type of breast cancer was 90% estrogen receptive, hormone driven, grade three, fast growing with a high chance of reoccurrence.
Dana was quickly scheduled for a surgery to remove the 2.3 centimeter tumor found. Two surgeries were needed before there was an adequate result.
She then rested for three weeks before beginning six weeks of radiation.
Dana's radiation treatments were scheduled daily in Sikeston. Her sister-in-law Angela Earnheart set up a driver schedule and anywhere from ten to fifteen people took turns picking her up in the morning at work at Malden Nursing and Rehab, take her to Sikeston Radiology and Oncology, and drive her back to work. That act alone helped her. She was able to relax during her trip, visit with friends, and not have the stress of worrying about anything other than the actual treatment.
Dana feels like her family, friends, work, and church have been extremely supportive, encouraging, and helpful. Loved ones would text and call her with encouraging words and when she would be really down, she would call her church friend Wanda Johnson who would pray with her and talk her through the problems.
Dana's sister and daughter-in-law made and sold Team Dana shirts that helped with medical costs.
"My husband is real understanding," she said appreciatively.
Dana is now on a five year prescription of Tamoxifen.
The medicine has strong side effects which include memory loss, but she has been advised by, in addition to doctors, friends to stay on the drug no matter what.
She explained that it is hard for her to remember details and she makes more notes than she used to. She is also a pianist and now, as she is following the music, she loses her place.
"Things that were so easy before are not now."
Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Dana was healthy. She did not smoke and she did not drink. Breast cancer was not something on her mind. She felt well. She did not make it a habit of doing self checks. Seldom did she visit doctors.
"For somone who hates needles, I've had a bunch of them," she joked.
Dana now encourages women and men to check themselves for breast cancer and credits Monica and her interview for motivating her to do so.
Dana says when you are looking into the mirror doing a self check, hold your arms up, pay attention to how the skin reacts. If it is drawing in an area- get checked. If the breast is leaking, dimple, or the nipple is inverted- get checked.
For herself, her skin looked pulled back and had she not raised her arms up, she would never had noticed.
Dana is now back to work full time. She is still able to enjoy flying with her husband Harold, who has been a member of the Air Force and Civil Air Patrol, to Memphis, Jonesboro, and even to Sikeston to eat at Lamberts. Her two children, Lindsey and Brandon, their spouses Tiffany and Chris, and the grandkids, Brionna, Olivia, Ryker, and Chrislin also keep her busy.
According to the American Cancer Society, early detection for breast cancer saves many thousands of lives each year. Breast cancers that are found because they are causing symptoms tend to be larger and are more likely to have already spread beyond the breast. In contrast, breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be smaller and still confined to the breast. The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are some of the most important factors in predicting the prognosis of a woman with this disease.
Some lifestyle related factors are associated with an increase in the probability of breast cancer. Women who have not had children or who had their first child after age 30 have a slightly higher breast cancer risk. Having many pregnancies and becoming pregnant at an early age reduces breast cancer risk. Some studies suggest that breast-feeding may slightly lower breast cancer risk, especially if it is continued for 1 1/2 to 2 years. Consumption of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Compared with non-drinkers, women who consume one alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 11/2 times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. Being overweight or obese has been found to increase breast cancer risk, especially for women after menopause. Evidence is growing that physical activity in the form of exercise reduces breast cancer risk. To reduce your risk of breast cancer, the American Cancer Society recommends 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity 5 or more days a week.
For women not having breast symptoms, it is still important to take precautions. The ACS recommends that women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health. Current evidence supporting mammograms is even stronger than in the past. In particular, recent evidence has confirmed that mammograms offer substantial benefit for women. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a periodic (regular) health exam by a health professional preferably every three years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year. Breast self-examination (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s. Women should report any breast changes to their health professional right away. Women at high risk (greater than 20% lifetime risk) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (15% to 20% lifetime risk) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.
For most women at high risk, screening with MRI and mammograms should begin at age 30 years and continue for as long as a woman is in good health. But because the evidence is limited regarding the best age at which to start screening, this decision should be based on shared decision-making between patients and their health care providers, taking into account personal circumstances and preferences.
The American Cancer Society believes the use of mammograms, MRI (in women at high risk), clinical breast exams, and finding and reporting breast changes early, according to the recommendations outlined above, offers women the best chance to reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer. This approach is clearly better than any one exam or test alone.
Additional information concerning breast cancer and methods of detection can be accessed at the American Cancer Society website www.cancer.org
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