Balanced Life Family,
This blog is geared primarily to women, however it can be helpful to men as well. Did you know that after skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women? Breast cancer in men is rare, because they don’t have breasts like women, but it does occur and can be fatal. Since this is breast cancer awareness month, I want everybody to be aware.
This is a very serious subject for me because my sister Debra, who was one of God’s precious saints and my best friend, passed away because of breast cancer. PLEASE, don’t let this happen to you. She was in the fourth stage before we knew about it. She knew that something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She never had a mammogram.
Symptoms of breast cancer can include a lump or mass in the breast, breast swelling, breast pain, retracted nipple, nipple pain, changes in the skin, nipple discharge, and swollen lymph nodes. If you have any of these symptoms, please get checked by a doctor immediately. Don’t be afraid. All is not lost. Pray, trust God and see a doctor. If you don’t have any of these symptoms, I want to encourage you to do preventive care.
My sisters, when did you have your last mammogram? My brothers, I want you to encourage the women that you are close to and love, to get checked. Now if you are under the age of 40 sisters, you probably don’t have to worry about having mammograms yet. But what you should do is discuss with your doctor, your family’s health history, to determine when you should start having them.
Sisters, if you are age 40 or over and are not already getting mammograms, talk to your doctor about scheduling an appointment for one. You’ll need to have one every year or every other year. You may say, “I don’t need one. I do self-exams.” Self-exams are great, but you need more. You need a mammogram!
When the word mammogram is mentioned, some of you automatically think PAIN. That’s not always the case. Let me tell you, the process has gotten a lot better than it was when they first started.
Maybe you had a painful experience with mammograms. So did I at first. But I have a secret to share with you that should eliminate most of your pain. I found out that if you take a pain reliever like Tylenol, Motrin or Advil, about a half hour to an hour before your exam, the procedure is so much better. I’ve tried it and it works. (Be sure that your body can tolerate these pain relievers.)
Mammograms play an important part in helping to insure good health. They can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages long before either you or your doctor can detect a lump or tumor. And the earlier you find breast cancer, the better your chances are of beating it. If you’re afraid pray first, trust God and then just do it. Take good care of the body God gave you.
If you would like to read more blogs directly from my website, click on the link below.
www.getsomebalance.com
