BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

October, being the 10th month of the year has stood out among others in remembering breast cancer victims.

Wow, what a fabulous and emotional topic we are going to talk about today. Yes, I know some of our little minds are already shouting “oh No not again, we are tired of that, why the obvious things, it’s not me so why should l listen?”, but hey, listen, it’s not time to leave the room yet!.

The great thing about this topic is everyone is involved directly or indirectly, whether male or female we are both at risk. Haa haa the way your faces look, I can tell your brains are popping the question mark on “Males” since we all know the most affected species, but let’s not be quick to argue and find out more. Today we are going to learn about BREAST CANCER.

Firstly, what do we understand by breast cancer? From a simple understanding, we all have cells in every part of our body that grow and die every time. During the growth stage, the cells in the breast plate can grow out of control to the extent that you may feel an abnormal lump. The lump is usually painless, hard mass, immobile and has irregular edges. Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer too according to the research done by the American cancer society.

How can l know lam at risk or l have it already?

Mm scary right, let’s talk about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer;

  • Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt)
  • Skin dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel)
  • Breast or nipple pain
  • Nipple retraction (turning inward)
  • Nipple or breast skin that is red, dry, flaking or thickened
  • Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)
  • Swollen lymph nodes (Sometimes a breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough to be felt.)

We may also want to learn the risk factors of breast cancer;

  • Family history
  • Radiation exposure
  • Obesity
  • Menopause at an older age (55).
  • Having a first child after the age of 30.
  • Personal history of breast cancer
  • Excessive alcohol

#Lets go screening#

Breast cancer is curable once found early, it is advisable to be screened for breast cancer once every 2 years. Treatment depends with the stage of breast cancer you are in, as some stages involve the complete removal of the affected breast.

Wow, what a lesson. I learnt something hope you did too. With the knowledge we have acquired today we can go and educate others.

Lastly just a shout out to all those survivors of breast cancer, it’s a battle and you proved to be way stronger than it, we are proud of you. To all those people who are still in the battle, it’s not the time to give up yet. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!