Self Breast Exams

As mentioned in my last post, I gave out information about breast self exams In The Pink at Pepper Place. I know we have all been taught this information before, but you can never hear too much about something so simple and life-saving! Self breast exams are EXTREMELY important. Over 70% of all diagnosed breast cancers are found by self breast exams. It is recommended that women start at age 20 (especially if you have a history of breast cancer in your family such as I do) and continue doing them at least once a month for the rest of your life. It's very simple, quick, and could lead to early detection which is essential in increasing survival rate. [Survival rate for breast cancer caught in the early stages is over 90%] It is important to start young and be aware of how your breasts look and feel normally, which will make it much easier to detect when there is a change. Women need to know ANYTIME they feel a change, go to your doctor as soon as possible. Many women may dismiss it or think it's nothing, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. So set  aside 10 minutes and one day a month and check your breasts. If you won't be your own health advocate, who will?

                                           

"In The Pink" Success!

In The Pink at Pepper Place Market was a huge success! This is a little snapshot of our table that we had set up. [Those beautiful Dahlias on our table were purchased at the farmer's market.]  We shared a tent and table with the UAB Palliative and Supportive Care Clinic giving out information about both of our causes. I was able to speak with 3 young breast cancer survivors, and hopefully get them involved with the YBCSN. The Pepper Place Market was very busy and everyone was out and about in pink, and people even got their dogs dressed up for the cause! There was one "celebrity" who visited our tent. [If any of you watch Grey's Anatomy, the distraught husband who ended up bringing a gun in the hospital and shooting some of the doctors a few seasons ago] He stopped by our tent wanting to find a cause to donate to, and we were more than happy to tell him why he should donate to our causes! The Pepper Place Market was so much fun to be at, and they have their farmer's market every Saturday from 7-12:00 if anyone would like to stop by. I really enjoyed working this event, being able to get the word out about our organization, and also the importance of early detection! I loved being able to meet survivor's and their families while hearing their incredible stories. This was a great event and hopefully these survivor's now have options for any needs that they may be having.

In The Pink At Pepper Place Market

It's finally October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This means it will be a very busy month for myself and everyone else involved in the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Network. Our very first event will be In The Pink at Pepper Place. On Saturday, October 6th we will be turning Pepper Place Market pink! There will be several tables set up from various organizations and YBCSN will be there. I will be bringing a breast model and demonstrating how to give self breast exams. I will be there from 9:00-12:00 at the UAB table. If you are free on Saturday, please stop by and take a look around. If the weather will cooperate, it should be a beautiful day with lots and fun and vital information. Hope to see you there!

Chemo Brain

The Young Breast Cancer Survivor's Network had our first focus group this past week. Our group consisted of about 8 women who were varied in age, but all had received a diagnosis and finished treatment before the age of menopause. Many issues were discussed in the group, but one that seemed to provide the women with the most trouble was "chemo brain." I had heard this term a few times before, but I have never learned the full effects that this takes. I decided to do a bit of research on it, and wanted to share my findings with you all. There is little research on this topic, as it is a new phenomenon that has been discovered. It was only once more and more people came forward with this problem that doctors realized it wasn't something imagined or made up by the patients. Since patients report mild to moderate cognitive impairments, it is hard to truly research this phenomenon, and come up with an exact cause (other than just because they received chemo.) Some of the symptoms of chemo brain include, but are not limited to: having trouble recalling things, memory lapses, taking longer to finish tasks, trouble multi-tasking, and trouble with word finding/ word association.  These symptoms can be short term and get better with time, or continue even months and years after treatment is over. Some tips listed on The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) to help with this include:

• Write things down. Keep track of appointments and schedules, to-do lists, important dates, phone numbers and addresses.
• Exercise your brain. Take a class, do word puzzles, or learn to do something new.
• Exercise your body. Regular physical activity is good for your body; it improves your mood, makes you feel more alert, and helps you feel less tired.
• Get enough rest and sleep.
• Eat your veggies. Studies have shown that eating more vegetables can help you keep up your brain power.
• Set up and follow routines. Put the things you often lose in the same place each time you're done with them. Try to keep the same daily schedule.

It is most important to remember that chemo brain is real! Patients are not “losing their mind” or “going crazy.” This is an unfortunate side effect of the life-saving treatment they have received.

Breaking It Down: Breast Cancer

We hear the term breast cancer all the time, but for this post I thought it might be beneficial to "break it down" and learn the basics about breast cancer. All of this information was obtained from the American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org) and is a great resource for learning about any type of cancer.

What is breast cancer? Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.

Breast Anatomy: To understand breast cancer, it helps to have some basic knowledge about the normal structure of the breasts. The female breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels). Most breast cancers in females begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers). Some begin in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers), while a small number start in other tissues.

                             

The lymph system of the breast: The lymph system is important to understand because it is one way breast cancers can spread. Most lymphatic vessels in the breast connect to lymph nodes under the arm (axillary nodes). Some lymphatic vessels connect to lymph nodes inside the chest (internal mammary nodes) and those either above or below the collarbone (supraclavicular or infraclavicular nodes). If the cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes, there is a higher chance that the cells could have also gotten into the bloodstream and spread (metastasized) to other sites in the body. The more lymph nodes that have breast cancer, the more likely it is that the cancer may be found in other organs as well. Because of this, finding cancer in one or more lymph nodes often affects the treatment plan. 

My Reason for Research

Pictured above is my beautiful Aunt Sally with her husband Ronald. She's the reason I chose my project, The Young Breast Cancer Survivors Network, so I feel it's important for you to know her story. When she was only 30 years old, she found a lump on her breast and went to the doctor. The lump was biopsied, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was caught early so treatment was started. She had a lumpectomy and endured daily treatments of radiation for six weeks. After her final radiation treatment, she was sent home with the good news that her cancer was gone. Two years later, she began experiencing pain in her back. Over time the pain progressed to the point that she couldn't even lay down, and had to sleep sitting upright. She went back to her doctor and received a mammogram which showed no signs of cancer, and she was mistakenly diagnosed with mastitis and was sent home with antibiotics. The pain continued and a few weeks later a lump developed on the same breast as two years earlier. After going back to the doctor and having the lump biopsied, she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, which is non-detectable with a mammogram. It was a very aggressive form of cancer and had spread to her other breast and back, which was the source of her pain. Aunt Sally had a radical mastectomy on her left side and began chemotherapy. She was told by the doctors to go home and "get everything settled," giving her a slim survival rate. But after several months of chemotherapy, she had beaten the cancer for the second time, and proven all the doctor's wrong. Thirty years later, she is well and cancer free, and a true source of inspiration for me. Working on this project is my way to honor her and the struggle that she went through. She is a breast cancer survivor, and my work with Dr. Meneses will allow me to give back to other survivors’ and their families.