Whoa!
I just heard a report from an independent task force that stated most
women don't need a mammogram before the age of 50. Unless there is an
increased risk, women should wait until they turn 50 before having a
mammogram, every two years. The point being that mammograms doesn't
save enough lives in younger women.
Seems like I've heard this argument before. Younger breasts are more
dense, and therefore, a mammogram might not detect a lump or it might
give a false positive. In addition, the cumulative affects of radiation
might CAUSE cancer.
If that isn't confusing enough, this same task force is also telling
women not to bother with breast self-exams because they aren't reliable.
The yield is low and the anxiety is high.
The anxiety is high? Really!?!
The yield is low? Seriously!?!
Guess how I found my lump?
Guess how my sister found hers?
(BTW, the American Cancer Society disagrees with the new recommended guidelines.)
So what are you supposed to do?
Ultimately, you may not have a choice when it comes to your mammogram.
The decision will, at some point, be made by your insurance company,
and we all know how much they care about your health.
As far as self-exams, you're in-charge of this one!
Start touching yourself. If you don't roll like that, have your
husband do it; he will love it. (Enough said on that subject.)
The point is: if you find a lump or have a question, contact your
provider immediately. My lump was neither detected by by mammogram
nor ultrasound. It wasn't until after I invited the radiologist to
"cop a feel" that he ordered a breast MRI that finally showed something
suspicious.
Your Breast, Your Health, Your Life.
What's the debate about?
My first thought when I heard about this report was, "What is Deneitra thinking?" and you've stated it so eloquently. Hope you don't mind, but I posted it as a note (by a "friend" - I didn't name you but if you give me permission I would love to give you credit)on my FB page in hopes that more people will see your very wise advice.
ReplyDeleteYou know they went decided this once before. It was in 1997 or 1998. I had to go to MD Anderson for some unusual lumps. The doc ordered more tests, and she also made it mandatory annually for me. My mom asked the oncologist for her thoughts on the subject, and she thought it was horse poopy! Last year, the same thing happened to me that happened to you, but I was more fortunate. The mammo and U/S did not show anything, but the manual did not feel right. They did an MRI and saw some more spots that were questionable and double checked them. Soon it will be time to do it again. I am totally against the new findings! I am relieved to hear the American Cancer Society disagrees! I hope they go to bat for the many of us affected by Breast Cancer in our immediate family and beyond. Thank you for thie post this blog, Deneitra.
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ReplyDeleteP.S. My grandmother died of it by the age of 45. I disagree with these jokers! I wanted my mom to post, but she did not, I don't know if she found it. I unfortunately never knew my grandmother. Mom was 13. Deneitra can fill you in. It was the year of Pearl Harbor, thank goodness things have changed greatly, regarding treatment and diagnosis.
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