Our Breasts Are At Risk - Red Alert

Toughy · 05-03-2010, 07:42 PM

What I got to say ain't gonna get me any brownie points........

Mammograms are, in women under 50, pretty useless for the general population. Breast tissue is too dense and the risk/benefit ratio does not justify doing mammograms in women under 50 who are at low risk for breast cancer. And if you are talking yearly mammograms on low risk women under 50 it is just plain stupid.

Frankly I completely without reservation support not doing mammograms on women between 40- 50 who have little to no risk for breast cancer.

Susan Love, MD is my go to person for breast cancer. Here is a link from her website and is 10 FAQ. Read all of them and learn a bit about breast cancer.

http://www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/co...d=672&d=nn#exp

I would also highly suggest looking around on her website and read all her books on women's health.

By the way..........one of my best friends died of breast cancer that was undetectable on mammogram....it was stage 4 when her girlfriend felt it and could not be found on mammogram because her breast tissue was too dense. They did find it on ultra-sound. She went through mastectomy, chemo, radiation and bone marrow transplant and died........all before age 50.

Detection of breast cancer sucks. Mammogram does not and never will detect all breast cancers.

edited to add...........in the FAQ link I posted is info on breast self exam. I don't do them ever.......I'm not going on a search and destroy mission on my breast especially when you rarely find them that way.

bonne-maman · 05-03-2010, 07:55 PM

yeah...yeah...I read all that last fall about mammograms being statistically not a good diagnostic tool before 50. And, usually, I like to think statistically, I like the logic and reason of it. What came out last fall was pretty sound in revealing that perhaps only 1 life out of (1000? or 2000?, now I can't remember), is saved from mammography before age 50.

But, damn, I am that one life.

A routine mammogram at age 48 revealed that I had a small, aggressive tumor. No family history. I am now nearly at my 5 year mark, and have been great after my lumpectomy, 4 rounds of chemo, and 35 doses of radiation were accomplished in the fall of 2005.

Hard for me to reason against the statistics, but, I am damn glad these statistics hadn't come out 5 years ago to dissuade me from gettin mammos every year or two after age 45....

Andrew, Jr. · 05-03-2010, 07:56 PM

Toughy,

I agree and disagree. Mammograms still work as do the self-breast exams. I also think it is very important that people are not afraid to seek out help because of their fear of having breast cancer.

SuperFemme · 05-03-2010, 08:03 PM

One life is One too many.

Toughy · 05-03-2010, 10:04 PM

I agree that one life is too many..............

However as a woman with low risk for breast cancer........I prefer to avoid screening mammogram under the age of 50. I find the cancer risk associated with having repeated yearly screening mammography for 10 years with the ability to actually detect any form of breast cancer to be rare, a risk I'm not willing to take.

If I was at high risk for breast cancer and under 50, I would think ultrasound would be far less toxic with far more useful results than screening mammography. Dense breast tissue looks like cancer on a mammogram. Dense breasts are not common in women over 50. Is it ok to expose women with dense breast tissue to a procedure (that is not risk freee) that detects cancers that are dense and look the same as non-cancer dense breast tissue?

I would think it would be far more beneficial to all women to advocate for better screening techniques and better ways to prevent breast cancer.

Clinical Research is rarely about the individual and always about the general population. How do you help the many without letting the few slip through the cracks?

Health care is complicated. It is a risk/benefit analysis with every decision made.

I would suggest that instead of arguing about 'one life is too many', that we work to find better screening methods. Until then, lets educate women and give them options that make sense in their lives. Yearly screening Mammography for for low risk women between 40-50 really makes no sense. (as to breast exams........laughing.......please let that be something the femme in my bed does something without me ever knowing...........laughin

Lady Pamela · 05-03-2010, 10:45 PM

Due to knowing family who have lost the battle as well as great friends. Every year we walk for a cure!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-...78200?v=wall#!

It will be held this coming Saturday.

My daughter and gradaughter are walking and I was going to but due to my chair..I MAY HAVE TO HAVE SOME ASSISTANCE THIS YEAR..LOL
We will see.

Send some posotive energy our way...smiles

Andrew, Jr. · 05-04-2010, 02:12 PM

For those women who have little to no health insurance, there is NIH in Bethesda. Clinical Trials seems to be the way to go. I just hope and pray that there will be a cure sooner than later.

SuperFemme · 05-04-2010, 02:20 PM

The same panel that wants to eradicate mammograms in women under 50 also wants to put the brakes on teaching women to do self examination. I think that is ten kinds of lame.

Lady Pamela · 05-08-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Pamela

Due to knowing family who have lost the battle as well as great friends. Every year we walk for a cure!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-...78200?v=wall#!

It will be held this coming Saturday.

My daughter and gradaughter are walking and I was going to but due to my chair..I MAY HAVE TO HAVE SOME ASSISTANCE THIS YEAR..LOL
We will see.

Send some posotive energy our way...smiles

Update

The run/walk went awsome today!
Thousands showed up and hundreds walked/ran.

I don't know the tally but I am sure it was a great amount to help.

Andrew, Jr. · 05-08-2010, 02:49 PM

I have a very close friend of mine who is a 1 year survivor (next week). I am so excited because her husband is having a huge party for her when her daughter comes home from college. It is just a day of celebration. Life is good when miracles happen. Lady Pamela, I am thrilled to hear about the number of folks walking. Susan G. Komen is just a Godsend for this horrible disease. I hope to see a cure for this cancer during my lifetime!

05-03-2010, 07:42 PM	#1
Toughy Senior Member How Do You Identify?: pervert butch feminist woman Preferred Pronoun?: see above Relationship Status: independent entity Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Oakland Posts: 1,826 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,068 Thanked 7,654 Times in 1,523 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	What I got to say ain't gonna get me any brownie points........ Mammograms are, in women under 50, pretty useless for the general population. Breast tissue is too dense and the risk/benefit ratio does not justify doing mammograms in women under 50 who are at low risk for breast cancer. And if you are talking yearly mammograms on low risk women under 50 it is just plain stupid. Frankly I completely without reservation support not doing mammograms on women between 40- 50 who have little to no risk for breast cancer. Susan Love, MD is my go to person for breast cancer. Here is a link from her website and is 10 FAQ. Read all of them and learn a bit about breast cancer. http://www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/co...d=672&d=nn#exp I would also highly suggest looking around on her website and read all her books on women's health. By the way..........one of my best friends died of breast cancer that was undetectable on mammogram....it was stage 4 when her girlfriend felt it and could not be found on mammogram because her breast tissue was too dense. They did find it on ultra-sound. She went through mastectomy, chemo, radiation and bone marrow transplant and died........all before age 50. Detection of breast cancer sucks. Mammogram does not and never will detect all breast cancers. edited to add...........in the FAQ link I posted is info on breast self exam. I don't do them ever.......I'm not going on a search and destroy mission on my breast especially when you rarely find them that way. __________________ We are everywhere We are different I do not care if resistance is futile I will not assimilate www.butchfemmesocials.com/

05-03-2010, 07:55 PM	#2
bonne-maman Member How Do You Identify?: femme Relationship Status: All right SPA. I am single. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 147 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39 Thanked 158 Times in 61 Posts Rep Power: 2494	yeah...yeah...I read all that last fall about mammograms being statistically not a good diagnostic tool before 50. And, usually, I like to think statistically, I like the logic and reason of it. What came out last fall was pretty sound in revealing that perhaps only 1 life out of (1000? or 2000?, now I can't remember), is saved from mammography before age 50. But, damn, I am that one life. A routine mammogram at age 48 revealed that I had a small, aggressive tumor. No family history. I am now nearly at my 5 year mark, and have been great after my lumpectomy, 4 rounds of chemo, and 35 doses of radiation were accomplished in the fall of 2005. Hard for me to reason against the statistics, but, I am damn glad these statistics hadn't come out 5 years ago to dissuade me from gettin mammos every year or two after age 45.... __________________ http://www.sakshamimpex.com/images/logo_bonne_small.jpg

05-03-2010, 10:04 PM	#5
Toughy Senior Member How Do You Identify?: pervert butch feminist woman Preferred Pronoun?: see above Relationship Status: independent entity Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Oakland Posts: 1,826 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,068 Thanked 7,654 Times in 1,523 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	I agree that one life is too many.............. However as a woman with low risk for breast cancer........I prefer to avoid screening mammogram under the age of 50. I find the cancer risk associated with having repeated yearly screening mammography for 10 years with the ability to actually detect any form of breast cancer to be rare, a risk I'm not willing to take. If I was at high risk for breast cancer and under 50, I would think ultrasound would be far less toxic with far more useful results than screening mammography. Dense breast tissue looks like cancer on a mammogram. Dense breasts are not common in women over 50. Is it ok to expose women with dense breast tissue to a procedure (that is not risk freee) that detects cancers that are dense and look the same as non-cancer dense breast tissue? I would think it would be far more beneficial to all women to advocate for better screening techniques and better ways to prevent breast cancer. Clinical Research is rarely about the individual and always about the general population. How do you help the many without letting the few slip through the cracks? Health care is complicated. It is a risk/benefit analysis with every decision made. I would suggest that instead of arguing about 'one life is too many', that we work to find better screening methods. Until then, lets educate women and give them options that make sense in their lives. Yearly screening Mammography for for low risk women between 40-50 really makes no sense. (as to breast exams........laughing.......please let that be something the femme in my bed does something without me ever knowing...........laughin __________________ We are everywhere We are different I do not care if resistance is futile I will not assimilate www.butchfemmesocials.com/

05-03-2010, 10:45 PM	#6
Lady Pamela Senior Member How Do You Identify?: A Lady..Femme..Free Spirit with a touch of survivalist woman in me. Preferred Pronoun?: Spiritual Warrior..She Ra..Baby Doll, or anything close..ha! Relationship Status: In perfect love and perfect trust I believe that will be directed..for now Just friends in my life. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Live in Utah but take trips to Arkansas. Plan to move there eventually. Posts: 2,579 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,073 Thanked 5,940 Times in 1,609 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	Due to knowing family who have lost the battle as well as great friends. Every year we walk for a cure! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-...78200?v=wall#! It will be held this coming Saturday. My daughter and gradaughter are walking and I was going to but due to my chair..I MAY HAVE TO HAVE SOME ASSISTANCE THIS YEAR..LOL We will see. Send some posotive energy our way...smiles __________________ Believe what people show you the first time. It will keep you in balance, and will show you truth! ~~ Author unknown ~~ When negative thoughts come to mind, Let them die stillborn. Speak and do posotive in any situation, And watch your dreams grow and flurish. If you can't say anything posotive, Zip it up. Do not give birth to that which you do not want to see grow. See it, Believe it, Own it, Have it! ~~ Lady Pamela ~~

05-08-2010, 02:49 PM	#10
Andrew, Jr. Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Me Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Over the Rainbow in a House Posts: 5,072 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 16,004 Thanked 5,249 Times in 2,216 Posts Rep Power: 0	Survival and Hope I have a very close friend of mine who is a 1 year survivor (next week). I am so excited because her husband is having a huge party for her when her daughter comes home from college. It is just a day of celebration. Life is good when miracles happen. Lady Pamela, I am thrilled to hear about the number of folks walking. Susan G. Komen is just a Godsend for this horrible disease. I hope to see a cure for this cancer during my lifetime!

05-03-2010, 07:56 PM	#3
Andrew, Jr. Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Me Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Over the Rainbow in a House Posts: 5,072 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 16,004 Thanked 5,249 Times in 2,216 Posts Rep Power: 0	Toughy, I agree and disagree. Mammograms still work as do the self-breast exams. I also think it is very important that people are not afraid to seek out help because of their fear of having breast cancer.

05-03-2010, 08:03 PM	#4
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	One life is One too many.

05-04-2010, 02:12 PM	#7
Andrew, Jr. Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Me Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: Unavailable Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Over the Rainbow in a House Posts: 5,072 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 16,004 Thanked 5,249 Times in 2,216 Posts Rep Power: 0	For those women who have little to no health insurance, there is NIH in Bethesda. Clinical Trials seems to be the way to go. I just hope and pray that there will be a cure sooner than later.

05-04-2010, 02:20 PM	#8
SuperFemme Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Permanently Banned 10/24/2010 Preferred Pronoun?: She. Relationship Status: Married (one of 18,000) Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Atascadero, CA Posts: 4,933 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,309 Thanked 7,108 Times in 2,327 Posts Rep Power: 0	The same panel that wants to eradicate mammograms in women under 50 also wants to put the brakes on teaching women to do self examination. I think that is ten kinds of lame.