Awareness....

I have never been a person to preach about things. I've never been the, "Oh you should have only 2 drinks, you should brush your teeth after you eat, you shouldn't smoke or you should NEVER mix those 2 colors in an outfit," type of person. But for Breast Cancer Awareness I am. I wanted to just take a moment to write about this.

It is my year anniversary from when I had surgery to remove 3 fibriods from my right breast. Fibriods are benign tumors that are not cancerous. Thank you God. But feeling a lump in your breast is not a kidding matter. My surgeon remarked them looking like oddly shaped golf balls. I never thought my first sonogram experience would be for my boob. I knew I had them for about 4 years but was too scared to go to the doctor. I'll admit it. I think I thought that one day I would wake up and the lumps would just be gone. I was petrified. But last July I went and told a doctor. Fibroids generally occur in your 30's if they do, but I was early. I was 22 when I told the doctor. This whole experience was one of the scariest things in my life, but I am one of the lucky ones and the tumors were benign. The surgery took about less than hour my mom said because it happened to be textbook procedure and the fibroids came right out. My mom said she barely had time to be upset because I was done so fast. It was done at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, NJ. I still can't get over how nice and how supportive and how just you actually felt like the nurses and the surgeon cared. The lady who had given me the gown to wear also had fibroids removed. Ironically, my surgeon's first name was Faith. I guess I had a lil faith. The only thing that to this day I chuckle about is that in the waiting room at the hospital there was a sign along the lines of, "Be kind. Don't eat in this Waiting Room." Well I was supposed to not eat for 12 hours before, so okay I understand the sign's point. But what boggles my mind is why on the TV in the waiting room there was Rachel Ray's TV show and she was cooking a feast???? Did they not realize? lol. Probably not. The TV was also very near to the sign. Go figure.

It's a year later and I only really have a little pain everytime it rains. I'm not sure why everyone who has ever had surgery is a little sluggish when it rains? hmmm. I don't have any regrowth and I actually feel okay physically from it. I have a line scar from this but from using Vitamin E cream every night for a year I barely notice the scar. I don't have the "I really have no idea what these lumps are?" thought in the back of my head anymore. I think the reminder of this experience has made me a little sad this week in addition to other things but thats understandable. But I'm glad I went to the doctor and it turned okay for me.

My point for sharing this is for you to go to the doctors if you feel a lump in your boob, or if you notice a muscle feels wrong, or if you just don't feel right, if your noticing unusual pain on the sides, or any abnormality in a self-breast examination. I was lucky to just have fibroids. I know doctors seem intimidating but GO because unfortunately you never know what life deals us. So go get the mamogram, do the breast self-examinations, and go to your women's doctor appointments because Early detection does save lives.

The picture of the ribbon is via The Pink Ribbon Shop