Good Morning loves... Ok, guys, even though you don't like to think about your own breasts, men get cancer there too. With that said, I'm going to share something I didn't know about self checks...

WHAT THE HECK IS IT WE ARE FEELING FOR? Don't say lumps, breasts are full of lovely lumps that are perfectly normal and not cancer.

Breast self massage is healthy and familiarizes you with what is normal and natural.

OK... direct from the book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way  (Susun S. Weed)

What am I feeling in there?

If it's soft or spongy, it's fat. The older you are, the more fat you'll feel. Fat is a normal part of breast tissue.

If it's like lumpy cream of wheat or large curd cottage cheese, it's lumpy glandular tissue. The older you are, the less of it there will be. Lumpy glandular tissue is a normal part of breast tissue, as is non-lumpy glandular tissue.

If it's ridgy, corrugated, fibrous, bony, and big, it's your ribs (and the connective tissues and muscles around and between your ribs). The thinner you are, the more of this you'll feel. Ridgy, corrugated, fibrous, bony ribs are normal.

If it's thick, gel-like, or softly firm, it's a thickening. Thickenings are a normal part of breast tissue. Thickenings are commonly found in a semicircle under the breast (like a built-in bra) and perched in the upper, outer chest near the armpits.

If it's like a regularly shaped pea, pebble or marble, it's most likely a cyst. A slippery lump that suddenly appears in the breast is more likely a cyst than a cancer, but it needs to be watched closely. If it shrinks (or swells and shrinks) over time, or if it stays the same, it's probably a harmless cyst, especially if you are under 50 yrs old. If it only gets bigger, or you have a sense it's cancer, seek assistance.

If it's hard and dense, like a dried grain of rice, like an uncooked lentil, like a dried bit of cheese, it could be cancer. Is there a mirror-image in your other breast? If so, it's probably normal for you. If not, seek help. This kind of lump may or may not be normal breast tissue.

If it's a tender, rounded lump in your armpit, it's probably a swollen lymph node. Lymph nodes are normal tissue, but swollen lymph nodes indicate injury, infection, or possibly cancer, in the adjacent arm, lung, or breast . . . if your lymph nodes stay swollen for more than a month, seek help.

"Ninety percent of lumps - and I am talking about lumps that ultimately turn out to be cancer - are detected by women themselves"  Pat Kelley, breast cancer activist, 1993.

 If you feel clumsy and don't know what you are doing - Take a break from Breast Self Exams. Learn Breast Massage. We need to be familiar with our breast composition - with their natural make-up before we can be aware and alert to anything that changes.

All my life I've been aware of breast health. I nursed my 6 kids for extended periods of time, I have been diligent to look for anything not consistant. I've taught my 4 daughters to always check their breasts because my mother is a breast cancer survivor, and on their father's side, breast cancer moves quickly into other areas of the body and brain killing the women young - beautiful women with young daughters, in their 40's... their grandmother at 52. 3 different cousins all between 35 and 45. Two of the cousins have had their breasts removed electively. I do not believe cancer has to be anyone's fate because of genetics. we have to live AWARE - always - but not in fear.  

This information is shared here because I was looking it up for my daughter who asked me to help her understand what she's looking for when she performs a self exam.

Love to all...