{"id":610,"date":"2017-05-21T16:54:21","date_gmt":"2017-05-21T23:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/?page_id=610"},"modified":"2019-07-17T11:03:37","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:03:37","slug":"tips-for-facing-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/tips-for-facing-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Facing Breast Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOTE:\u00a0This article was written by Kit. She saw her mother and grandmother face breast cancer and survive. Kit wanted to find out more about the disease and the options. She shared this with us and asked us to share it with you<\/em><\/p>\n

A week or two ago, you found a lump in your breast. As soon as you got your bearings, you arranged a doctor\u2019s appointment, and you set it for the closest available date.<\/p>\n

You were worried, maybe even terrified. What\u2019s going to happen now?<\/p>\n

When\u00a0 you think of the word \u201clump,\u201d you tend to think of good things. Maybe a lump of cr\u00e8me fraiche on a pancake topped with strawberries, a lump of butter on a steaming hot potato just out of the oven, or that cute lump of baby in the pictures you show\u00a0 everyone you meet.<\/p>\n

Those are good things, but when one finds it in a place that\u2019s not supposed to have any lumps, it\u2019s not a good thing. Way too many women\u00a0 and their families have suffered horribly from breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Facts About Breast Cancer<\/h2>\n

Approximately\u00a0 12 percent (one out of eight) women in the United States will face breast cancer in their lifetime. There are many contributing factors: poor food choices, stress, and genetics are at the top of the list.<\/p>\n

According to the American Cancer Society there will be 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer, 63,410 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer, and an approximate 40,610 deaths from breast cancer this year.<\/p>\n

There is some good news, though. The majority of women\u00a0 who find masses do not have breast cancer. Lumps may come from a number of causes: intraductal papillomas, mastitis, fibroadenoma, or lipoma, for instance.<\/p>\n

All of these are either non-threatening or easily resolved.<\/p>\n

Death rates from breast cancer dropped<\/a> from\u00a01989 to 2007, but have remained fairly steady since. These decreases are attributed to increased awareness, better screening, and more technologies for an efficient intervention.<\/p>\n

There are 3.1 million survivors of breast cancer in the US alone, showing the effects of continuous medical improvement. The current statistics show the chance that a woman will die from breast cancer is about 2.7%.<\/p>\n

Breast Cancer Biopsy – What to Expect<\/h2>\n

Your physician will most likely perform routine palpation, then order a mammogram or ultrasound of the mass. The typical next step in the diagnosis is a biopsy.<\/p>\n

A biopsy is a simple surgical procedure done to get samples of suspicious tissue. These may be accomplished in several ways: fine-needle aspiration cytology, core biopsy, or a surgical biopsy. Your doctor will determine the type of biopsy, based on the appearance, size, and location of your lump.<\/p>\n

A fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is often done if the lump is likely to be fluid-filled. This works by taking a fine-needled syringe, essentially \u201cpiercing\u201d the mass, and getting cells or fluid from it to be examined under a microscope. The cyst will often collapses after aspiration.<\/p>\n

A core biopsy\u00a0 uses a larger needle to get samples from the suspicious tissue. Local anaesthetic is administered to the area before a small cut is made on the skin, or the needle is pushed through to the mass. Both these procedures may be guided by ultrasound imaging.<\/p>\n

A surgical biopsy is done\u00a0 under local and mild general anaesthesia. A cut is made on the breast, and the lump is partially or wholly removed from the surrounding tissue. All samples are then taken to the laboratory to be examined.<\/p>\n

Breast Cancer and the Biopsy —\u00a0Tips<\/h2>\n

Here are tips to remember, if you\u2019ve found a suspicious lump in your breast. These are from those who\u2019ve gone through the process.<\/p>\n

You are not alone.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Don\u2019t panic if you find a lump in your breast; chances are it isn\u2019t cancer<\/li>\n
  • Talk to someone who will support you on the journey, and let them know exactly what you\u2019re feeling<\/li>\n
  • Ask your support person to come with you to the biopsy and to the follow-up appointment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    There are definitely good lumps in the world, but all aren\u2019t so good. Even if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, it\u2019s not a death sentence. Many women recover every year to live full and healthy lives. Some even say their diagnosis was a godsend. It helped them get back in touch with the preciousness of life and begin to take better care of themselves and their relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n

    Please Note: The articles on Dr. Andy Higgins’ website are obtained from a variety of sources. While they pertain to the treatment of breast cancer, colon cancer, and other maladies, their presence here is not to help diagnose or treat any disease, but to stimulate conversation about health-related issues. All articles are cleared by an editor, but not necessarily by Doctor Higgins himself. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    NOTE:\u00a0This article was written by Kit. She saw her mother and grandmother face breast cancer and survive. Kit wanted to find out more about the disease and the options. She shared this with us and asked us to share it with you A week or two ago, you found a lump in your breast. As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88894,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drandyhiggins.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}