I get asked a lot what caused me to go to the doctor initially? And if I found a lump or was feeling different/ sick?
It is important to note, that I have no family history on my moms side and although my paternal grandmother has had breast cancer, so far the doctors have said that doesn’t really increase my chance of getting the booby cancers. I honestly have not researched this to know if does or does not increase chances – been busy researching my kind of cancers and treatments and tests.
What brought me into the doctor were visual changes in my breast that I first thought were due to weight change. I have lost probably 28-30 lbs in the past year and a half due to diet and exercise. This was not an unexpected weight loss like is normally associated with cancer, especially Stage 4.
I had noticed my nipple had inverted a little (started to pull inward) and I had a line that looked like tissue was being pulled inward. Best way to explain the way this looked, is that it looked something like if you have a rubber band on your wrist or snug jacket cuff and when you remove it there is an indentation left. These two symptoms changed enough for me to go a’google’izing.
I’d always been taught about lumps and I do self checks – but I was never taught about these visual signs. I have dense breast tissue and even though I have done self exams I didn’t feel any lumps. My gynecologist only felt one mass and it was hard for him to locate, and even still he was going more off what I was telling him about changes in my breast. I was just saying to my mom last night how thankful I am that the doctor listened – he could have dismissed it too because of the weight loss and because I am healthy, high energy and have no other symptoms. Even though he finally found one small mass, radiology found 3.
So, I wasn’t sick, I didn’t feel any different, I did not find a lump. But things were changing, enough to make me wonder what the heck was going on and what really pushed me to make the appointment with the doctor was this news article that popped up on my google search: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/The-breast-cancer-symptoms-don…
Glad I found it, it validated my symptoms were something that I needed to take seriously. Because honestly, I feel good and in no way look sick. I still say… I wouldn’t even be sick if I hadn’t seen the doctor…