The Importance of Breast Self-Examination

Last 2003, I had undergone a minor surgery to remove a lump from my right breast and right underarm.  The extracted specimen were biopsied and it turned out to be benign.  From then on, I regularly do a breast self-examination.  I have learned that breast cancer if detected earlier has a very high percentage of patient survival and doing the breast self-examination is the easiest way in detecting a breast cancer in it's early stage.

Last September, a week after my period, as usual, I did my breast self-examination routine and I have detected a small lump in my left breast, as small as a black bean.  For several weeks, I just continued monitoring the lump hoping that it would disappear but another month passed and the lump was still there ... not changing in  size though ... but the fact that it is still there, I decided to seek professional help.

I visited a gynecologist and she examined my breast.  She told me that the lump is too small and she's happy that I'm doing a breast self-examination, at least more women are now aware of the importance of the said self-examination.  She doesn't recommend the removal of the lump because it's too small, instead she recommended breast ultrasound. 

This afternoon, I had my breast ultrasound.  It was my first time to undergo breast ultrasound although I had other ultrasound (tummy and trans-vaginal) before.  As expected, it was just a short, painless but messy procedure.  Messy because of the gel spread on my breasts.  The result was released 5 minutes after.

Tomorrow I will bring the result to my gynecologist and I'll see what she have to say.  I know things will just be fine ... I can feel it.