The Plumarade - What a fantastic idea to start a virtual group for men with breast cancer

Connect to people like me Breast cancer in men
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I think it is brilliant that you have done this. I remember years ago hearing that the father of a Government Minister Michael Howard had got breast cancer. You of advanced years may remember that Ann Widdicombe accused M Howard of having something about the night about him.

(Well she can talk) 

I don’t know how I remember random things like this, but it meant I knew from quite young that men can get breast cancer too, and I think it must be far more difficult to deal with for men. It’s not like we women have testicles to worry us. The good thing about breasts is they are out front and the less breast tissue the easier in theory it should be to spot lumps. But speaking as a small breasted woman it is remarkable how blind I was, and I know it was because I didn’t want to know. My mind couldn’t take the idea I had it again. 

So all of us need to remind our nearest and dearest boyfriends, fathers, work mates of both sexes to look for how your chest looks and get any changes checked out. It’s not wasting the docs time. Difficult during covid but send pics if you have to that’s what I do when my mum gets anything as her surgery seems determined to keep all patients at internet length not arms length…

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Hello Seagulls

This point In your post was very poignant,

 “The good thing about breasts is they are out front and the less breast tissue the easier in theory it should be to spot lumps.”

Most men even in a new modern time around, Male Breast Cancer, still have an inherent default setting  in their Male Psyche.  That being ,“Women, get Breast Cancer Not Men” ,this medieval thought process then makes the “ Less Breast Tissue” analogy appear less or even an invisible amount of breast tissue to check . It creates a mental block, which creates ignorance about this abhorrent, and  violent disease and it’s ability to penetrate and infest both Female or Male Breast Tissue. 

it is great that a VMU now exists for Males with a history to visit and be involved with and talk about their plight alongside other sufferers, about a subject matter nobody chose, or wanted, and that most attendees were themselves often unaware they could get it, until they actually did

Yes the real message is, tell your man folk this Rare but Occurring Cancer truly exists, and it warrants all males, AWARENESS, Vigilance and Education……that’s how we will eventually heal the Male Psyche, which is floored in many ways, we are nurtured to be strong, to not cry, hide our emotions, our feelings, man-up ( a term I despise), yet by living this shackled health existence we invite long term health conditions, to both invade our bodies, and because if delayed diagnosis place our lives in jeopardy, and potential death because of late stage conditions. 

Men need to be more health Savvy, take care of themselves and value a good and prolonged health, by health education early detection and prevention……

I say this as a surviving breast cancer patient whom 12 hours ago yesterday underwent the surgical revision of a post Mastectomy done in 2019, and a new Preventative Mastectomy  surgery of remaining breast due to a BRCA 2 diagnosis. 

I chose to use my information about an inherent gene defect, to remove the potential risk of another breast cancer striking the remaining side.
I wasn’t prepared to go through all the subsequent treatments again, to have removed another Breast Cancer, which left a wretched shell of a body, behind the first time.

( in this case “forearmed was definitely forewarned”.) 

But that’s another topic…

Kind regards

D

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Great post @Seagulls  

This (to me) is key for everyone

So all of us need to remind our nearest and dearest boyfriends, fathers, work mates of both sexes to look for how your chest looks and get any changes checked out. It’s not wasting the docs time.