Breast Cancer Part 3 With Ruth Wilson and Stephanie Young-Johnson

Thursday, October 17th, I had the honor of chatting with two of my sheros. These woman won the battle and came out on the other side.

Stephanie Young-Johnson and Ruth Wilson are breast cancer survivors. Their journey was hard, but they made it through, with the grace of Jehovah Rapha, family, church family, friends and each other.

Please listen to their inspiring journey. You'll rejoice with them and be blessed.

What's On Your Mind?

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things. Phil 4:8 NKJV

Social media giant, Facebook asks the question, "what's on your mind?" Today, that's an extremely loaded question. Our minds, most of us I venture to say, are filled and clogged with all manner of stuff almost like a head cold. Crammed. This is treacherous terrain for those of us unfortunate enough to be overthinkers such as myself. Sometimes the mind just will NOT shut off. There is no switch, no pull chain, or any other mechanism that can deliver us from this affliction. It is the cause for many sleepless nights, or nights of disturbed sleep. We have a tendency to borrow trouble. Imagining all the worst, never considering it is just as easy for a positive outcome to be manifested as a negative one.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 NIV  I wish I could put that in red, being Jesus's words.

Sometimes we'll run into situations that makes positive, affirming thoughts almost impossible. But that's what we're called to do. We need to, as the elders used to say, stop borrowing trouble. Jesus told us exactly that. But again, for all of us, many times in life that's easier said than done. We must learn to train our thoughts. We must break away from self-destructive thoughts that keep us tossing and turning, walking the floor, having that extra glass of wine, or whatever it is you do to enable you to relax. They'll be trouble always, this side of paradise. It's totally unavoidable. But the great thing, the only GOOD thing about trouble is, it doesn't last forever. While we're in the midst of it, it can feel that way, but feelings lie. And if you're a child of the most high, then you know something good will come from your suffering. The bible says God gives beauty for ashes. Isaiah 61:3 Furthermore, it also says in Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. So there's but two of the promises in the word that let's us know that when the smoke clears everything will be alright.

So next time you cannot sleep, for whatever reason, reflect on these things. And...    

Stop worrying about grown children, give advice, if asked, but turn them over to the Lord.
Stop worrying about that job. If you die tomorrow morning, your position will be filled the next day.
Stop worrying about that spouse/so. People love you the way they know how.
Stop worrying when your king/queen will come. Live YOUR life.
Stop worrying about bills. You'll owe someone until the day you die.
Stop worrying about America. We won't have to suffer this nut in the oval very much longer.

Remember His promises. Ask Him to increase your faith. The bible says in Psalms 121:4 says, indeed He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. That's praiseworthy!!!!

So let God be God. And go to sleep.

Ninakupenda

Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Although it shares this month with Breast Cancer Awareness, it doesn't get the attention that it so rightly deserves. Women, and in many cases, men to are pummeled sometimes beyond all recognition by husbands/boyfriends, wife/girlfriends at rates that are on the increase. I won't pontificate on why people choose to stay in such dangerous situations, although I know why many do, as probably you do as well. I am not going to judge in this space. My intention is to share the information I've gleaned in regard to this topic. But before I venture any further, please take note of the phone number provided below.

IPV, short for Intimate Partner Violence is a very frequent occurrence all over the world. According to data from the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey(NISVS), about 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact with sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported some form of IPV-related impact.

Wife beating was made illegal in all states of the U.S. by 1920. Modern attention to domestic violence began in the women's movement of the 1970s, particularly within feminism and women's rights, as concern about wives being beaten by their husbands gained attention.

A UN report compiled from a number of different studies conducted in at least 71 countries found domestic violence against women to be most prevalent in Ethiopia. In the U.S., numerous studies have found that women and men are equally likely to report to researchers that they have hit their partners during the preceding 12 months. Domestic violence, they argue, exhibits gender symmetry: that is, an equal number of women and men are it's victims. Surprisingly.

Health consequences of IPV include, increased health problems such as injury, chronic pain, STDs, depression, and PTSD as well documented by controlled research in abused women in various settings

Of the 2340 deaths at the hands of intimate partners in America in 2007, female victims made up 70%. FBI data fro the mid-1970s to mid-1980s found that for every 100 husbands who killed their wives in the U.S., about 75 women killed their husbands. 

Marital Status. Cohabitating women are at greater risk of domestic violence and uxoricide than married women. Research has found that cohabitating women are nine times more likely to be killed by their intimate partner than a married woman. A number of possible reasons account for this finding. 1) Cohabitating women are more likely to be young, with a lower level of education and are more likely to bring children from a previous relationship in their home with their new intimate partner. 2) In addition to this heightened risk to a mother with stepchildren, the genetically unrelated stepfather also poses a risk to the child; research has shown that children are at much greater risk of violence and filicide(murder of a child) from stepfathers compared to a genetic father. Research has found that the presence of stepchildren can significantly increase the risk of uxorcide(the murder of one's wife or female romantic partner. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out). The killing of a partner is called mariticide. A large number of filicides are accompanied by uxoricide and suicide.

It goes without saying both alcohol and drug abuse contribute greatly to domestic violence. Today's stresses, learned behavior from childhood. also contribute to the mix among a myriad of other reasons/excuses. Some people are just not good and decent human beings.

My own godmother was a victim of domestic violence. My beloved Momma Eva. She was a hairdresser and gave me what I used to call shaky curls(what a seven year old calls banana curls). He hardly served any time. Full disclosure, I saw him once and almost ran up on the curb to run over him. He killed a beautiful woman. Eva Mae Campos. I'll say her name. I would overhear my parents talking, because little ones love to listen to things they should not. She suffered greatly. Frequently. Even my dad tried to get her to leave. But every one has to have their own fill, revelation, epiphany, if you will. Sadly she never did.

So if you know someone suffering through this, be there for them, but just know, they won't make any moves until they're ready. Just pray they do before it's too late.

ONE FINAL THING... I am still awaiting word on how to bring the 3rd and final breast cancer blog to you. I'm dreading typing it, praying that my techie comes through and helps me out. Fingers crossed. 


Ninakupenda
Kupendana
 

Growing Old Or Grown Up?

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11  NKJV

When we are children, we cannot wait to grow up. We long for the days of making all our own decisions, doing what we want-when we want, and answering to no one. We're grown! We've arrived! In the words of Janet Jackson, we want to be in control. We never take into consideration what this entails. Responsibilities. Jobs. Health issues. Financial setbacks. Errant children. Aging parents. And the list goes on and on and on. But not being psychic and being immature, we live in the moment, and the moment knows nothing about how hard knocked life can get.

Most of us, grudgingly rise to the occasion, face the music and handle our business. We may groan, moan and complain, but miraculously by the grace of God, we get through the valleys and revel in the mountain tops. We grew up. Adults in every sense of the word.

However, there are some, whom age chronologically, but they don't fully mature. Some never grow up at all. Some are doing the exact same things they did 20-30-40 years ago. They give little thought to the future, help no one but themselves and treat and interact with others in their retarded mental state. Going from woman to woman, man to man, still trying to recapture the "glory days," when they had no paunch, and shapes like coca cola bottles. They're still hanging out in clubs, wearing clothing that should be given to younger relatives or Goodwill. They're spreading around their four syllable words trying to impress and using most of them out of context. They work and amass nothing. Just good time Charlies/Charlottes. Or worse yet, they're in churches, doing the same thing, swapping out church for clubs, hearing the word, but it taking no root. Most have very little conscious and therefore could not give a whit about any one's feelings apart from their own. Playing games with no shame.

Question is, who's to blame for this? Did their parents not give them what they needed to be well rounded, fully developed human beings? Or were their lives so fraught with dysfunction, that some how it impeded their mental growth? What happened to them? Who dropped them? Or could it be, they alone decided that they would be narcissistic and all about themselves? Unable to communicate and afraid of confrontation, man/women babies are perfectly OK with walking away from their offspring, loving spouses/mates, many times without a second thought, to continue in their narcissistic behavior, believing, in err, that the world evolves solely around them. They believe they are the sun. And those who fly too close will get burned.

They're easy to spot. Most still live at home, or worse yet, in their mom's basement. I really don't think we can be mad at the man woman/-babies, they probably don't even know that their maturity is stunted. It's kinda of sad. So instead of being enraged at those who, for whatever reason will not grow up, even into their 40s-50s-and 60s, I say they are to be pitied, and prayed for. Probably even the one whom inhabits the oval. So lets make that 70s as well.

Admittedly, we all probably have areas where there is room for growth. No one is perfect, no not one, the good book says. I, personally petition God everyday, less of me, more of thee. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

If it's possible, talk to them. find out what makes them stuck/stagnant. Do it with love and concern. If they're receptive, that's wonderful. If they are not, and it irritates you, remember, some we are called to love from afar. Pray for them. Love them. But re-evaluate how you interact with them for your own peace of mind. Let peace always lead the way.

You're the keeper of the castle, so be a father to your children. A provider of all their daily needs. Like a sovereign lord protector, Be their best friend, please direct them, and they'll do well to follow where you lead.

You're the keeper of the castle, so be a good man to your lady, the creator of the sunshine in her day. In the garden that you seeded, be a friend when a friend is needed. You won't have to look the other way. 
Sung by the Four Tops, circa 1972. Written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter.

Ninakupenda
Kupendana

Wake Up And Dream!

Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for any appointed time: But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it. Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:2-4 NKJV


When we were young, we had dreams.

Most children can tell you with a degree of certainty what it is they want to do when they're adults. Now, this may change, almost with the weather, but they know intuitively that this is not all there is. They have dreams. Once we had dreams. And many of us accomplish them. But, sadly, I believe most of us do not. Many I've noted, are in careers that seem on the surface what they probably wanted to do as kids, or just always wanted to do, but once they matriculate, like children, majors get changed, for whatever reason. So I'll go out on a limb and say  even though successful, very few are living their dream.

We encounter dream killers along the way. Responsibilities come along once we have families, and they are our first priority. Haters come and remind us how old we are, why do you even want to do that, etc. Fear, although self-inflicted, swirls around in our heads and tells us we are not up to the challenge, the sacrifice and the discipline for such an undertaking. All types of things get in the way of us living our individual dream. And sometime, you can get all of this discouragement at the same time. And we buy into it. We push our dreams aside and get back to the business of living. But we always have that nagging inside. What if? I could do it. No I can't. The internal struggle is horrific.

What if Steve Jobs was discouraged?? There'd be nothing Apple in the world. Or Bill Gates? How did we live without Microsoft? Don't forget Larry Paige and Sergey Brin, Google's founders. We'd still be using encyclopedias without them. More recently, Tyler Perry. That man is REALLY living his dream. Studios, back lots, a movie compound? They all started out with only a dream. All had humble beginnings, although I venture to say Jobs and Gates weren't quite as humble as Perry's. They worked their dreams part-time until they could devout all the time they deemed necessary to make it a success. Their successes, I've no doubt have exceeded their wildest dreams.

Personally, I believe God is the giver of dreams. He knows the way, the perfect plan for our lives. He knew it, the bible says, before we were formed in our mother's womb. It's up to us to discover exactly what that is. What sets our souls on fire? I think gifts and dreams go hand in hand many times. We all have them. Sometimes people can go through life never utilizing their gifts or moving toward their dream.

So, as I said, what sets your soul on fire? What is it you enjoy? What idea do you have? Find it, I implore you! Think about it. It doesn't have to start out a big splash. Start small. Employ a vision board. That seems to be the "thing." Put everything you'd like to do toward your dream and as accomplished, tick them off one by one. Do small things that put you in the game. Someone said, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Maybe you're an entrepreneur? Maybe a great cook/baker? What is it? Find it and run with it. The only way to activate dreams is doing something. Dreams need hands and feet. No matter how much you want it, or its potential, you must work it. It won't fall out the sky and into your lap. Work it!

Which brings me to one final thought...
Parents, stop trying to get your children to live out your unfulfilled dreams. They have their own. God gave them one just as He did you. If that particular dream has passed, it's not too late to find another. But let them do them. Just like us, they only pass this way once.

You may ask, "Ilia, what's your dream girl?" Voila! This is it. My jump off. My beginning. This is my dream. To write. I've been doing it since elementary school. My mom kept a lot of my writings, but now that she's gone, I don't know what happened to them. I remember a couple of my poems made the church bulletin. I was soooo happy and she was soooo proud. Years later, I just stopped. Until a friend and I had a conversation and a light went on, I remembered I've written speeches for others, wedding toasts, and letters for businesses. Writing sets my soul on fire. There's nothing I'd rather do. All these years I wasted. I'm grabbing the bull by the horn now. I hope, no it's my prayer, that all of you do as well. Don't waste anymore time. Regret is a hard pill to swallow. Do what you can and rely on God to do what you cannot. If you take one step, He'll take ten. He'll open doors, make people receptive and maybe make some of your haters your footstool.

Live your best life. Do what you love. DREAM!!!!

Ninakupenda

Breast Cancer Part 2

In today's blog, the various descriptions of treatments will be noted, but space will not allow delving specifically into each one in this one blog. So again this is very general information.

Treatment for breast cancer depends on the stage of the cancer. It may consist of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Surgery- mammaplasty, tissue expansion, lymph node dissection, lumpectomy and mastectomy.
Mammaplasty is plastic surgery to increase or reduce the size of a breast, or the reconstruct a breast. Tissue expansion is inserting a balloon under the skin and then gradually expanding it to stretch and grown the skin and surrounding tissue. Lymph node dissection is the removal of a lymph node. Lumpectomy is the surgical removal of a lump(tumor) in the breast. Mastectomy is the surgical removal of sum or all of the breast.
Medical procedures- teletherapy and radiation therapy. Teletherapy is radiation therapy that uses xrays or other high energy beams to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy is the treatment that uses xrays and other high energy rays to kill abnormal cells.    

         
Medications- Estrogen modulator mimics the effects of estrogen on various tissues including the                       breast bone and reproductive organs. Chemotherapy kills cells that are growing or                                 multiplying too quickly. Hormone based chemotherapy treats hormone sensitive cancers.                     Bone health helps strengthen and build bones.

During the course of this disease many doctors will contribute to the treatment before, during and after breast cancer.

A primary care provider will probably receive results (most times through a mammogram) and forward the to an oncologist, which is a cancer physician. There will be a radiation oncologist is many cases. Also, in many cases there may be a surgeon. After the cancer is destroyed, many times a plastic surgeon will be utilized, but that is entirely up to the patient.

Breast Cancer in Men

Most men diagnosed with breast cancer usually have a modified, radical mastectomy. Breast conserving surgery with lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy may be used for some. Therapy given after an operation when cancer cells can no longer be seen is called adjuvant therapy. Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, the patient may be given radiation therapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy and/or targeted therapy after surgery to try to kill any cancer cells that may be left.

Ladies, PLEASE HAVE THOSE MAMMOGRAMS! It is crucial. And even more so if you have a family history of it. On a personal note, I had one this past Wednesday. Like Nike says, Just Do It! Make the time. As always, the life you save maybe your own!!!

Gents, you need to examine your breasts. Self examination is key for you, because you do not have regularly scheduled mammograms. Go all around your breast in a circular motion until you've checked the entire breast. This is what women do. Nobody has to know. Again, like Nike says, JUST DO IT! The life YOU save maybe your own as well   

Next week, two breast cancer survivors will speak with me on their journey to wellness.
Ruth Wilson and Stephanie Young Johnson have so graciously allowed me and you by extension to see what the road is like and how they got to the other side.

Ninakupenda

When Later Is Too Late

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone.  Hebrews 12:14a NIV

  We all have different personalities, idiosyncracies and upbringing. In a word, we're individuals, each marching to our own beat and trying to get through this world as unscathed as possible. Having different personalities, we will, inevitably, find ourselves at odds with others from time to time. That spouse, parent, child, relative, church member, neighbor or co-worker. On occasion, we will bump heads and cross words will be spoken. This is human. Everyone experiences this, there's no escaping it.

  But how to handle such situations? If you're the type that has to be right all the time, your traverse on this terrestrial ball will be one of constant conflict. Ditto if you're abnormally prideful. On the opposite spectrum, if you're passive, meek, the go along to get along type, eventually, you, too, will have your fill of people riding roughshod over you.

  Again, how to handle such situations? I, personally, if offended will pull someone aside, away from others and tell them they've hurt and or offended me. I have found when dealing with adults, this is most beneficial. Get it all out there. Chances are they didn't even realize the offense. If it's an argument/disagreement, then it's probably best to wait for cooler heads to prevail. Then take the subject up. Sometimes, you have to be the initiator(the more mature person), to open the lines of communication to restore peace. A friend of mine, my longest, since fourth grade, over 50 years prefers to write a letter to whomever offended her. I once was the recipient of one of her loooong letters. lol. She feels that by writing it, it's therapeutic for her, and that she'll get out all she wishes to convey, and they can go from there if the other party is amenable. If not, she let's it go. Now matter how it's accomplished, peace should always be our goal. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

  Sadly, some may not want to talk it out. You may not even know what transpired, all you know is they are perfectly willing to let a relationship go, because they are not mature enough to deal with your feelings in general and theirs in particular. Sometimes, it can be over some perceived slight, real or imagined, and they have too much pride to sit down and talk about it. I'm of the let's talk it out delegation. I value harmony. Life is too short to be nursing animosity. But, again, we're all individuals. So marriages end, families become estranged, churches become divided and friendships end, when just sitting down could probably have corrected the situation. Perhaps you'll never reach the intimacy that you once shared, but you can still move in and out of the same spaces without awkwardness. In some instances, however, you have to just to Shake the dust. Mark 6:11 as Jesus told the twelve, "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.

  The most saddest part of all, after no meeting of the minds, dust has been shaken, you've both gone on with your lives, you still have love for them, and as the Rev Dr. Kenneth W. Arrington Sr. is known to say, "She's gone on to give an account of her stewardship."  They've passed on. Then you start to feel some type of way. Could I have done more? Should I have had a third party witness, my asking them to sit and talk about whatever is was, again, real or perceived that occurred to end the relationship? All this second guessing is a miserable thing. I've experienced this just recently, and have been flooded with emotions, until yesterday. It occurred to me, I reached out on two occasions to try to get it right. They were not receptive. I did all I could to try to rectify the situation. I turned it over to God years ago, and I decided that their death was not going to destroy the peace I had with the situation. You see, all we can do is what God would have us to do, and I tried that. Twice. Some people you just have to love from afar, but when the address becomes heaven, it shakes you, if only momentarily.

  Being a very direct person, I still advocate for working it out. For being receptive. The bible says life is but a a vapor. Why be immersed in drama and ill will when peace is an option? Full disclosure, I've had run ins with people, and I've been wrong sometimes, and have had to humble myself and apologize, and I've been the injured party as well, and I still seek peace. In both situations, I talk with people. I thrive on harmony. Acrimony, stress and meanness, can affect your health and of course, your mental well being. Stress when you hit a certain age can wreak havoc and leave the door open for a reduced immune system that leaves you suspetible for situations you really don't want to put your body, nor your mind through.

  Now I know, there are probably some, who would rather nurse hurt feelings, relive ugly situations because, quite frankly, some people thrive on drama. It's like the air they breathe. I saw a meme  awhile back that said something to the effect of "some people won't like you because your spirit upsets their demons." That's a blog for another day. But that's not how God wants us to live. I will not live that way for my peace and well being, and by stopping up His glory and His favor for me.

 Iyanla Van Zant says it best, "beloved, live in peace and not in pieces."

 Rest in the arms of Jesus girl.

Ninakupenda
Kupendana    

Breast Cancer Part 1

  In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October, I will be sharing some knowledge I've recently obtained about this dreaded, yet treatable disease. In subsequent blogs, I will be interviewing two women that have both fought this battle and come out on the other side. Hallelujah. My sheros.

  According to Medical News Today, Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women and the 2nd leading cause of death in women after lung cancer. Advances in screening and treatment for breast cancer have improved survival rates dramatically since 1989. According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 3.1M survivors in the U.S.. The chance of any woman dying from breast cancer is around 1 in 38(2%). Death rates have been decreasing since 1989 as well.

  Awareness of the symptoms and need for screening are important ways to reducing the risk. In rare cases, men can develop breast cancer as well.

Symptoms: The first symptom of breast cancer usually appear as an area of thickened tissue in the breast or a lump in the breast or armpit.

• Other symptoms include
• Pain in the armpits or breast that does not change with the menstrual cycle.
• Pitting or redness of the skin of the breast, similar to the surface of an orange
• A rash around or on one of the nipples 
• Discharge from a nipple, possibly containing blood
• Sunken or inverted nipple
• Change in size or shape of breast
• Peeling, flaking or scaling of the skin on the breast or nipple.

  Most breast lumps are not cancerous. However women should visit a doctor for an examination if they notice a lump in the breast.

  A doctor stages cancer according to the size of the tumor and whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body. There are different ways of staging breast cancer. One popular way is 0-4.

• Stage 0  Known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the cells are limited to within the ducts and have not invaded surrounding tissues
• Stage 1  At this stage the tumor measures up to two centimeters. across.  It has not affected any lymph nodes, or there are small groups of cancer cells in the lymph nodes.
• Stage 2  Tumor is 2cm across, and it has started to spread to nearby nodes, or is 2-5 cm across and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
•  Stage 3 Tumor is up to 5 cm across, and has spread to several lymph nodes or the tumor is larger than 5cm and has spread to a few lymph nodes.
• Stage 4  The cancer has spread to distant organs, most often the bones, liver, brain or lungs.

Causes

  After puberty a women's breast consist of fat connective tissue and thousands of lobules. These are tiny tubes, or ducts, and carry the milk toward the nipple. Cancer causes the cells to multiply uncontrollably. They do not die at the usual point in their life cycle.  This excessive cell growth causes cancer because the tumors uses nutrients and energy and deprives the cells around it.

• 
  

  Breast cancer usually starts in the inner lining of the milk ducts or the lobules that supply them with  milk. From there, it can spread to other parts of the body.

  We've seen the 'Real Men Wear Pink Too' shirts, right? Well they should, because male breast cancer is a thing. A very real thing. Actor Richard Roundtree is a survivor. Matthew Knowles, father to both Beyonce and Solange has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Male breast cancer is a relatively rare cancer, but one doctors often diagnose in the later stages. Knowing how to recognize the signs can help a person of both sexes get early treatment.

• Males breast cancer accounts for fewer than 1% of all cancer diagnoses worldwide. A man's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 1:833 according to the ACS.  The outlook for male breast cancer is excellent if diagnosis occurs in the early stages. However, early diagnosis is not always possible. One factor is delay in lack of awareness. While women know how to look out for changes that could indicate breast cancer. There is far less awareness among men which means they are less likely to seek help in the early stages. Breast cancer affects men differently, as they have a small amount of breast tissue in comparison with females. This can make it easier to detect small lumps, but it also means that the cancer has less room to grow within the breast, As a result, it may spread more quickly to nearby tissues. 

  For these and other reasons, around 40% of men with breast cancer receive a diagnosis in stage 3 or 4, when the disease has already spread to other parts of the body. As a result, overall survival rates are lower for men than for women.

Symptoms for men slightly differ

•   A lump in one breast with is usually painless
•   Nipple retraction, ulceration and discharge
•   Skin puckering or dimpling on the breast
•  Redness or scaling of the skin on the breast or nipple
•  If cancer spreads, swelling in the lymph glands, in or near the underarm area, breast or bone pain.

  The prognosis for breast cancer in men is similar to that in women. According the ACS, the chances of surviving 5 years or more after diagnosis are, on average

• 96% when cancer affects only the breast tissue at diagnosis
• 83% when it affects nearby areas as well as the breast
• 23% when it has spread to other parts of the body.

  For this reason, it is essential to seek help as soon as a person notices changes. Early stage breast cancer responds well to treatment. Diagnostic methods and treatments have improved in the last few years, and so chances of living for at least 5 years after diagnosis are probably higher than above figures for people currently receiving a diagnosis.  

Next Friday, treatments.

Get those mammograms ladies. The life you save may be your own.

Ninakupenda

   

  

Come back Sunday for When Later Is Too Late.