Breast cancer self-exams just got easier
A friend of mine has breast cancer. She’s taking it well actually. She figures that she’ll just go in, have the mastectomy and be done with it. I envy her courage though I’m sure her outside calm must in the middle of the night give way to worry and fear. Each year more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and of those 40,000 will die according to the American Cancer Society. Doing some simply bath in my brunette head, that comes out to be a 25% mortality rate. The good news is, 97% of women survive breast cancer when it is discovered early.
The ACS recommends a Breast Cancer Self Exam (BSE) monthly and WebMD has insructions you can read at this link here. The Koman Foundation has an outstanding BSE Tool. There are some additional options also for the BSE and for clinical exams that may be worth taking a look at that are reported to make these exams easier:
Mark for Life T-Shirt
This t-shirt shows wearers exactly how to do a BSE; simply follow the arrows. T-shirts are based on bra size and come with instructions and a washproof pen to record suspicious bumps or changes. You can check them out at Mark for Life or ring them up at 877-512-5433.
FaRose and Fenomenole breast self-exam scented oils
This helps your fingers slide over your skin (or your partners 
) for easy exams. You can check the FaRose oil out at ZenMomma, 877-804-4749 or the Fenomenole oil at Bath By Bettijo, 877-528-1584.
The Aware Breast Self-Exam Pad
This FDA approved pad has liquid sealed between two sheets of plastic and, when pressed to the breast, it actually reduces the resistance between the fingers doing the exam and the breast being examined to give a better feel for lumps or changes. You can see them at Aware BSE, 800-854-3002.
MammoPad by BioLucent, Inc (now owned by Hologic)
The FDA approved MammoPad takes some of the discomfort and pain out of a mammogram. Sitting between the breast and the mammography machine it reduces discomfort by half researchers claim. The pads aren’t available in stores, but you can check the MammoPad/Hologic web site or call 866-460-4141 to see which mammography centers use them.
(Source material for this article came from USA Weekend Magazine, p. 13, January 13-15 2006 edition, author Karen J. Bannan)
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Update for 10/3/11: The “Mark for Life” shirts appear to be out of business. Link is dead with no forward
Update for 10/26/09: ZenMomma’s site appears to be out of business; Mammopad now a part of Hologic; added links to instructions on how to do a breast cancer self-exam (BSE)
