Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I’m a little embarrassed to write this, but I promised myself I would always be honest in my blogs, even when it makes me look bad.

Before I was diagnosed with BC, I used to roll my eyes a little when it came to breast cancer awareness, particularly breast cancer awareness month. It just seemed to me like most of the advocates were the ones that had teeny tiny tumors and they caught it so early that they didn’t even need chemo. So why were they being so damn dramatic about it and acting like they knew everything about cancer? Well, now I get it. Finding BC early is so important. If I had been more aware of my body and been doing self exams, maybe I would have caught mine before the tumor grew to six centimeters. And while I’m being honest, I knew that I should have been doing self exams. My OB/GYN preached self exams from my very first visit to him in my mid-twenties. I just laughed it off. I also donated to BC charities and read literature about BC. So I knew that anyone could get it and age didn’t matter. Somehow though, I still felt immune. I went through a short hypochondriac phase in my early twenties because I had a thyroid cancer scare. I have underactive thyroid disease and it turns out that I had some lumps on my thyroid gland. The doc increased my synthroid dose and the lumps shrank. A needle biopsy also proved that they were benign. However, after that scare, for about two years, I got every ache and pain checked.  I even went through a period when I thought I had lupus. Then one day, a specialist laughed at me and I was mortified. I promised myself that I would never be a crazy hypochondriac again. I still went for my yearly checkups so I could get synthroid refills and saw my OB/GYN once a year.  I took pride in never complaining about health stuff, and bragged about being healthy. I was determined not to revert back to being a crazy hypochondriac. Unfortunately, that was my downfall when it came to finding my breast lump. I only waited a few weeks, but as aggressive as my tumor turned out to be, I should have run to my doctor – literally. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

Since it’s October, everyone will see billboards, commercials, internet articles, Facebook posts, etc regarding breast cancer awareness. I’m sure many people will think, “damn, enough already!” But please take my word for it – be aware of your body. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to look at yourself in the mirror and examine yourself. I used to say, “well I’ll start doing that when I’m 40…” But breast cancer does not discriminate. It can strike anyone, any age, men and women. I have no family history of breast cancer and I was never sick a day in my life (unless you count chicken pox and the occasional cold/flu). I didn’t meet any of the criteria or “warning signs.”  If you find a lump, RUN to your doctor. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through over the past three years.