Don’t panic when you see a lump

Although Springs resident Desire Wiggill was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 she still remembers the day she discovered the lump on her breast.

She says in the back of her mind she knew it was cancer, but because of shock, thought it was just a swollen gland.

The positive breast cancer test results did not come as a surprise, but through it all she stayed positive.

She feels women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel.

Desire says it is important to have a doctor check out any new lump or mass right away.

If it does turn out to be cancer, the sooner it’s diagnosed the better.

A woman, who wished not to be named due to sensitive reasons, says finding the first lump in one breast almost 10 years ago was her worst experience ever.

The thought of having cancer and dying too soon was overwhelming.

On the contrary, she could picture her funeral and family crying at the grave.

But the support of her husband immediately changed her outlook.

She remembers the sonar and mammogram was painful and uncomfortable, but nothing could prepare her when the doctor informed her there was, in fact, three lumps in both breasts.

With guilt controlling her mind, she thought of her two children and husband and what was going to happen to them when she’s gone.

Waiting for the results at a government hospital, knowing you have lumps in your breasts that might be cancerous, can be quite exhausting and nerve-wrecking.

But finally the results were negative and she felt a mountain lifted from her shoulders.

The advice these two women would like to share with others are to perform monthly breast self-examinations where changes in the breast will be easily identified.

Tips on self-examination

• Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips. Look if breasts are their usual size, shape, and colour, as well as evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling. If any dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin, a nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple, redness, soreness, rash, or swelling are visible, see a medical doctor.
• Raise the arms and look for the same changes.
• Look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples. This could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood.
• Feel the breasts while lying down, using the right hand to examine the left breast and then the left hand on the right breast. Use a circular motion, keeping the fingers flat and together.
• Do the same examination while standing or sitting.

Many women find the easiest way to examine their breasts is in the shower.

Rina Burke from Cansa says although many breast lumps are harmless, they should all be checked.

She suggests that symptom-free women from the age of 40, should go once a year for a mammogram, a special x-ray to detect lumps in the breast.