Breast Cancer

Many of you know that i am doing a surgical rotation in breast disease this month. In the last four days i have seen more breast cancer then i ever before and i feel compelled to write about it. Breast cancer is a terrible, tragic, life changing disease and this week i have learned that it truly can happen to anyone. Of the patients i saw this week, three were in their twenties, all were otherwise perfectly healthy women, and few actually have a family history of breast cancer (or any cancer). Many had been diagnosed based on their yearly mammogram, not from symptoms or feeling a lump. Yesterday i had a patient who felt a lump in her breast over a year ago. She bought herbal medicine online and never sought medical treatment. She now has a VERY large tumor that has eaten away her breast and metastasized to her liver. I have also seen patients who felt a lump but waited to go the doctor thinking that it was probably nothing. I am writing about all of this because i cannot let this happen to my friends and/or family. There is no certain type of woman that gets breast cancer, anyone can get breast cancer. So tonight i am using my blog for my current soapbox. No matter how old/young you are, if you feel or see something in your breast, get it checked out, soon. If you are over 50, get your yearly mammogram, it could save your life. I am not just saying this because i am in medical school. I am saying this because i have had the crap scared out of me and every preconceived notion stripped from me this week.
Don't let your busy life, aversion to medicine, or fear of results keep you from seeing a doctor or getting a mammogram. As terrible as it is, breast cancer can happen to you.
PS as bad as it sounds, i am loving working with these amazing women who are fighting their disease