Early screening

Hello. 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer over a month ago. My reason for posting is to say it would not have been picked up as early as it was if it were not for a clinical trial going on in my area for women below 50. 

 

I am totally asympyomatic and and wasn’t even going to go to the mammogram. Luckily I did. Have had my op and am in recovery. I just wanted to say go for the mammogram if you’re invited or if you feel anything is strange with your boobs. 

 

It has probably saved my life. 

 

Jane

Thanks for this Janey. A good message that I now give all my friends - we are so lucky to have screening. Anoher message I give people is to get a referral if they have ANY concerns about changes to the breast - I too had no symptoms that were visible or able to be felt, just discomfort in the breast, but a mammo and ulrasound showed bc at an early stage, a year before my next mammo would have been. I had WLE and SNB - a year or so’s wait might have meant it was more advanced and more treatment required. Good luck with your ongoing recovery - every day it gets a bit better. xxxxx

I can only echo what you both have said. My bc was also picked up by screening & I had no idea. It would have been more advanced & less straightforward to treat, if it had been left to me.
So from being a bit of a breast screening sceptic, I now promote it whenever I can, as well as the importance of being breast aware & the necessity of getting any breast changes seen to.
ann x

another echo from me, mine was a routine 3 yearly mammo, I did not find a lump, and even then it took two lots of biopsies for my consultant to definitely say it was cancer.

 

I really have a go a ladies who are umming and ahhing about going to have their routine screen

 

Helena xx

Hi Jane - i was diagnosed through exactly the same trial for under 50’s. I didn’t find a lump either but actually had 10 lumps (a main 17mm one and another 9 tiny ones found on MRI). I’m with you, wouldn’t have known and after mastectomy with clear nodes i owe my life to our NHS. I’m sure it would have been a different story in 3 years time when i would have been called up for routine mammograms. 6 months post diagnosis and i’m now leading a normal life x