from somewhere in my imagination

I Am Woman - Hear Me Roar?

Today is International Women’s Day,  I remembered to wear purple.  Over the years I have attended a few International Women’s Day functions.  It was a big thing in Mt Isa.  Lisa Curry came and spoke at the Zonta dinner one year and preached on about weightloss.  I left feeling disappointed.  The day was born at the beginning of the 20^th century when the movement wanting equal rights for women was growing force.  A keynote speaker rattling on about weightloss doesn’t really speak to the true meaning of the day.

I think that International Women’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate how much has been achieved by women, by women for women and by women for others in the last 100 years.  However, as a middle class woman, mother, wife and professional the original premise behind International Women’s Day doesn’t really ring true for me today.  I don’t need empowering.  I am perfectly well empowered all on my own. 

International Women’s Day is not about juggling career and family, it is not about being a woman working in a ‘man’s world’, it’s not about women breaking the glass ceiling, not how I see it anyway.  I do not live in a sector of society where I fear for what the future may be for my three daughters.  From where I sit there are many groups across the world that have fewer equal rights than women as a gender group.

I studied to become a mining engineer.  Because I wanted to.

I got married to the man I loved  when I was 22.  Because I wanted to.

I had our first baby when I was 24.  Because I wanted to.

I went back to work when she was 4 months old.  Because I wanted to.

I have 4 children.  Because we wanted to.

I breastfed the 4 of them for 6 years combined.  Because I wanted to.

I worked hard at my career and am successful.  Because I wanted to.

I stayed at home full time for a few years.  Because I wanted to.

I now work part time.  Because I wanted to.

I cook most of our meals.  Because I want to.

I can never remember our bank details.  Because I don’t.

I am fit and healthy.  Because I want to.

I let my husband drive.  Because I want to.

I have choices.  I am fortunate and I am grateful for that.  I have choices where many others, both male and female, do not.

I believe that International Women’s Day is an important platform from which women can take a step back and look at all the people in the world around the,.  There are so many people in this world that do not have the same freedom that I have, they may not have choices relating to education, who (or even if) they can marry, when or how they have children and the way in which they live their live.  Those people are not empowered in the way I am.  They are the people who need the progressive aspect of International Women’s Day.  They are the ones who need women like myself to help drive change toward equality for all.

Happy International Women’s Day.

Tatum

The Mammogram Myth?

As a follow up to 20 questions with my sister Sam about everything breast exam I wanted to take things a bit further and ask her some questions about the dreaded mammogram.  If you missed last week's post about breast self exam you can find it here.

From what I hear the mammogram brings fear to women like the prostate check used to for men, so let's unveil some of the mystery that surrounds mammograms.  Here's what Sam had to say :)

First timers usually come into the mammogram room looking absolutely terrified, and, of course you would.  There are so many horror stories circulating out there that it just scares people off. The truth is it's not that bad, I know, I've been in the machine.

For starters, does it really feel like having your boobs slammed in a fridge door?

Has anyone actually ever slammed their boobs in a fridge door??? I'm thinking no, because it would hurt. A lot. People, however, have actually had mammograms, and guess what? They survived.

I'm not going to lie, a mammogram is uncomfortable, it is an unnatural position for your breast to be in, it should not, however, be painful.  If it is, tell your tech, they should stop applying pressure.  If you are prone to tenderness just prior to or during your period, I would suggest going at a different time of the month because that is going to increase your level of discomfort.

So on a scale of 1-10, where 5 is a pap smear…how does it rate in terms of discomfort?

I'd say 5, lets face it neither of them are a walk in the park, but at the end of the day they are just things that have to be done.

What actually happens when you have a mammogram?

A Mammo consists of four pictures, two on each breast.  The first position is a straight up and down squash, the second is a more side ways squash.  The idea is to compress the breast tissue so that

a) you can keep it nice and still for it's photo and

b) spread out the breast tissue to make sure nothing is hiding in amongst it.

When should women start having mammograms, and how often?  Are there some people who should start having them earlier than others?

Breastscreen send all ladies a letter when they turn 50 inviting them for their first mammogram (woohoo! A free boob squash for your birthday!), they will continue to invite you every second year until you are 70 after that you have to book yourself in.

At 40 you can ring up breast screen yourself and start booking yourself in for mammograms they are still free they just won't invite you, you have to remember for yourself, and that is what I would be doing.  If you have a family history 35 is a reasonable age for your first mammo.

What are you actually looking at when you perform a mammogram?  How early would a mammogram typically ‘see’ a lump before you would feel it?

The radiologist is basically looking for a disruption in the breast tissue that shouldn't be there.  They can be seen much sooner than they can be felt MOST of the time. There are exceptions, and it really does depend on the type of breast cancer. Unfortunately, Breast Cancer can be missed on a mammogram.

The stats on breast cancer are fairly high in term of how many women it affects, what are the main risk factors or are we all equally prone?

Genetic predisposition is certainly a large risk factor, however in terms of other risk factors there is much research still going on in this area, much like any other cancer.

If a lump is found, what happens next?

Next we work out what the lump is. Usually this will mean extra mammogram views (though extra views don't necessarily mean that we have discovered something nasty with in your breast! Don't freak out if the tech comes back for more pictures, it could well mean we took a crappy picture, or that we just need to prove that something isn't there.) Next on to ultrasound, if the lump is visable with ultra sound and we are still not able to determine exactly what it is then you will have a biopsy.

More great information from Sam.  I hope that you have found these posts as informative as I have. 

Given that breasts are Sam's area of speciality as a radiographer feel free to ask her any other questions you might have about breat self exam, mammograms or breast ultrasound here!

Tatum xx

Lumps, Bumps and Feeling Yourself Up

Today is the first of the month.

Do you know what that means?

It means, that if your periods have stopped, it's a good time to do your monthly breast self examination.  If they haven't then the first day after your period is the reccomended time to do it...ideally you want to make it the same day each month because changes will be more noticeable that way...but being a new month it seems like the perfect time to finally share this post with you!

To be honest I am kind of clueless in the area of breast self exam.  I always get my GP to check them out when I have my bi-annual pap smear and feel them regularly myself however I'm not completely sure I'm doing it the right way.  I am pretty proud of my rack so I'd like to look after them thankyou very much!

I had a few questions I felt too embarrased to ask anyone until it occured to me that my sister Sam is actually an expert in the area so I asked her if she would be kind enough to answer a few questions for me here :)

I originally planned this post for new year's day but reality didn't leave it an option and I am proud to finally share her awesome information with you!

Sam is mum to two gorgeous girls and her husband Luke is lucky enough to be my brother in law ;)  Sam is a radiographer with postgraduate qualification in breast ultrasound.  When she's not mumming, wifeing, running or radiographing she's probably sewing something lovely for her business Verri Charmed.

A funny thing about Radiography, is that you often get asked mid procedure “Is this what you do all day?”  I used to feel a little annoyed whenever I was asked as it felt a bit demeaning, like my job was not at all interesting or difficult, after 10 years in this profession I no longer feel that way.  In fact, now that I am primarily a Breast sonographer/ mammographer, I really do understand why I am asked this question with such incredulousness.  But, now I answer with pride, “Yes, yes, I do indeed look at boobs all day long.....”.

How often should we self examine?

Doing a self breast examination once a month is a good start, though while some suggest picking a certain date, like the first of the month, it's actually best to avoid mid menstral cycle.  In other words, do it after your period.  The reason is that your breasts tend to be at their most lumpy and tender just prior to and during your period, which is all completely normal, but it makes it much harder to self examine.

When should we start?

NOW. Trust me when I say that onset of breast cancer in one's 20's was not limited to the beautiful Belinda Emmett.

How do you go about it?

The shower is a good place, considering you are usually already nude (right?). Put your right arm up above your head make your left hand flat and firmly, using circular motions examine the right breast one area at a time (it maybe best to think of it as a clock face, 12 o'clock being the area directly above your nipple) making sure you cover the breast in it's entirity. 

Don't leave out your arm pit, check for lumps up there too. Then switch to the other side.

Boobs are pretty lumpy things anyway, how do you tell the difference between the lumps that are supposed to be there and the ones that aren’t?

I often hear from patients “Oh I don't self examine, I leave it up to the GP, my boobs are so lumpy I can't tell what is what”.  Yep, boobs are lumpy suckers, that is how they are made.  There are two kinds of tissue in the breast glandular tissue, the active stuff that does all the work, it's the tough fibrous stuff, and then we have a nice smooth fatty layer coating over the top.

In some parts of the breast we have more of the glandular stuff than other parts with less fat on top and that's why they feel lumpy.  That's why it's so important to check regularly, it gives you (the owner of the boobs) time to work out which lumps are always there, then if something new crops up, you will recognise it.  GP's are awesome but it's really hard for them to know if something is new for you if they haven't examined you for a year.

What do lumps typically feel like?

This is a hard one, lumps can feel all sorts of different ways.  As you'd expect, in my job I am directed to feel many different lumps, and more often than not I can tell what something is going to be before I start imaging.  BUT, there are times when I'm surprised, and that's what makes it hard.

A benign (non-cancerous lump) is more like to feel smooth and round and be a little mobile with in your breast.  A nasty lump will general feel harder, grittier and will not be mobile.  However, ANY new lump should ALWAYS be checked. It's not silly, it's smart and thorough.

Do lumps have any pain associated with them or are there any external changes to look for?

The most common benign lumps are cysts and they often do have some tenderness associated with them, cancer, however doesn't usually present with any tenderness. At times when cancer is present there can be a slight tethered or dimpled appearance to the skin associated with the region.  Or, if there is nipple involvement the nipple may become inverted (though that can just be a normal occurance too!).

How much does family history play a part?

If you have a family history you should be extra vigilant with your checking. You can even start your mammograms at 35 if you have a young family history.  Unfortuanately I see so many people who have or have had breast cancer that have no family history what so ever, someone always has to be the first.

Should we be checking anywhere else at the same time?

Don't forget those arm pits!!! You are looking for smooth round lumps there..

Anything else that you would like to tell us or any resources you might like to share?

Men are not exempt from breast cancer, they should check too, especially if they have a family history.

Boobs are tricky things and breast cancer can present in so many different ways that checking is just not an exact science, but if you are vigilant, you will have the best chance of catching it early.

WOW!  Thankyou so much Sam for sharing with me.

I hope that you have all gotten as much from this as I have!  As a follow up I have asked Sam to unveil some of the mystery surrounding the mammogram.

Tatum xx