What are the ways to detect breast cancer? Breast self-examination and breast lumps. 13 women are here to tell you the absolute truth about breast health “firsthand.
PART 1: Not every woman has two breasts
There are 3.5 billion women in the world, but only 6.48 billion breasts. Because of this, there are 1.2 million breast cancer patients in the world each year, and about 800,000 of them will lose one or even both breasts.
Ms. Alexandra Penney, the founder of the Pink Ribbon, was asked, “What do you think the real meaning of the Pink Ribbon is?” Without hesitation, she replied, “Self-help, mutual self-help and support between people of the same sex. If even women don’t help women, if there is no mutual encouragement, support and discovery, we will look infinitely smaller in the face of this terrible disease.”
Perhaps the existence of the Pink Ribbon should have a deeper meaning than just reminding us to do regular breast self-exams and to wear the right bra. If you think the following text is a warning for women’s health, please don’t forget to share it with your girlfriends, moms, or even someone of the same sex who has been jealous of you.
Be sure you remember the words of French author Duras: “What is more important than health is, is faith; what is more important than faith is you who give it.”
PART 2: Our story: 18 breasts for 13 women
There is a saying in Western medicine that women with breast cancer are broken-winged angels who have been kissed by death. They may have lost their wings, but that doesn’t stop them from flying free. This time, we invited 13 “angels” who have suffered from breast cancer to stand bravely in front of our readers and tell us their experience of discovering cancer. The Pink Ribbon exists for women to help each other. More than one of them told us that they want to use their stories to help more women. Yes, even if you have lost one wing to suffering, don’t let that stop you from being afraid to fly.
“The bra no longer fit and I found out I had breast cancer.”
Ming Su, age of breast cancer discovery: 26, current age: 31, keeps both breasts to this day
“I’ve always worn a B-cup bra, and one day five years ago, I noticed that my right breast seemed to have grown a bit, and when I wore the bra, I kept feeling tight on the right side. I’ve been wearing a B-cup bra for a long time. The company’s main goal is to provide a better solution to the problem. I even went to a high end bra customization center and had a pair of bras made for me with two different cup sizes. Once I talked to a doctor’s best friend about this, she said to me seriously: ‘It’s a bit dangerous, you’d better go for a mammogram.’ I had the test done at the hospital where she worked and the results came out the same day: early stage breast cancer. The doctor said I was lucky to have caught it in time, and the surgery only removed my breast lump and some of my lymph. Now, I’m fully recovered.”
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“Cellulite appeared on the skin of my breast, and I suddenly got nervous.”
ShirleyWill, now living in New York, age 39 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 41, retains both breasts to this day
“I have a habit of putting essential oils on my breasts. Two years ago, I noticed a bit of cellulite on my left breast, and compared to the cellulite on my thighs, the ones on my breasts seemed rougher and a little wider striped. I went to a health food store to buy a scrub for this, and I told the clerk selling the medicine, ‘Introduce me to some scrubs that can treat orange peel on my breasts.’ The clerk immediately reminded me that last year she met a woman who asked a similar question and found out that the cause of the orange peel was actually breast cancer. I was so shocked by her words that I immediately went to see a doctor and the results were exactly the same as she said. The good thing is that I found it in time to keep both intact breasts, and chemotherapy took less time than others.”
“When it came time to remove the breast implant injections, the doctor said, we’re going to have to do much more than that.”
Aiyun Zhang, age 36 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 39, retains both breasts to this day
“When I was 35, I made a small fortune in business and went for breast augmentation on a whim. I didn’t dare to do implants, so I opted for the injectable breast augmentation method, and at that time I opted for the hyped-up Omadine. A year later, Omadine was found to be a banned substance. I rushed to the hospital to speak to my doctor and I wanted her to take out the Omadine in my body. After examining me a bit, the doctor said, ‘We have to do much more than just make a small incision.’ From that point on, I learned that Omnidene also has the potential to cause cancer and that I had the misfortune to be hit. Fortunately, my doctor was excellent and helped me make small incisions in my breasts to remove the Omniderm, and removed some of the cancerous tissue, but still kept both breasts intact for me. Now, my breasts are still as flat as a teenager’s, but I don’t care because I’m a healthy woman and I have the capital to hold my head up high no matter what.”
“Thank you for the routine company physical and thank you for that ultrasound doctor.”
Fu Xinbo, age 42 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 44, had her left breast removed
“I discovered the symptoms of breast cancer during a routine company physical examination 2 years ago. I still remember the ultrasound doctor at the time telling me, ‘We found a small problem, don’t be afraid, medicine is so advanced now, with surgery, it can definitely be solved.’ Later I found out that the ‘problem’ he was referring to was early breast cancer. Later in the surgery I had my left breast removed and the cancer did not spread because it was found early. I really have to thank the routine medical checkup and the ultrasound doctor for that.”
“My 10-year-old daughter asked me: Mom, why are you soft on one side and hard on the other?”
Heran, age 40 when breast cancer was found, now age 44, right breast removed
“One day four years ago, my daughter and I went to the shower. The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to its customers. The company’s main focus is on the development of a new product, which is a new product. I was shocked and hurriedly went to touch my right breast. Children’s fingers are just sensitive. My right breast was really a little harder than the left, but there weren’t any lumps. To be on the safe side, I went to the doctor anyway, and the results were shocking, but also very fortunate. I was shocked that I had breast cancer, but fortunately, I caught it very early. I’ve been healthy since the surgery until now.”
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“While having sex with my husband, I felt bone-chilling pain.”
Ai Ping Wu, age 33 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 36, retains both breasts to this day
“My husband was the one who helped me discover breast cancer. I still remember the night we both made love with my husband on top of me. During the squeezing, my left breast started to feel a tearing pain, which was strange, a feeling I had never had before. At first I didn’t say anything, but I often refused my husband’s requests because I was afraid of the pain. When my husband asked me what was wrong, I had to tell him everything. He was very alerted and forced me to go to the hospital for a checkup, and the result was not good. The doctor started to say that my left breast should be removed, but later found that the cancer was not serious, so only a small piece of cancerous tissue was cut. It’s been a long time now since this happened, and I’m recovering well, and my husband and I are much closer to each other.”
“It’s been a long time since I was breastfeeding and I find myself still spilling milk!”
Zhang Yu, age 30 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 35, right breast removed
“I became a mother at 29 and breastfed for 4 months and then went to work. But after 8 months, I noticed I was having overflowing breasts again. I even jokingly told my mother-in-law that it was because I was mothering too strongly that I was having this phenomenon. But then, I read some health books and felt scared. It turned out that breast overflow could be a precursor of breast cancer! Even though I couldn’t feel any lumps, I went to the doctor and had my right breast removed. The doctor said that two months later, it is possible that the cancer would have spread, which is really nine deaths!”
“The lymph nodes alerted me.”
Guo Mei (pseudonym), age 38 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 41, right breast removed
“I always thought breast lumps were the only sign of breast cancer, but they are not. I, for example, didn’t find any abnormalities in my breasts. During that time, I felt like I had lymph nodes in my armpits, and I tried a number of detoxification methods that didn’t work. Then I went to an old Chinese doctor, and when the old doctor touched it, his face immediately sank, and without saying a word, he asked his little assistant to help me get a gynecologist number. A few weeks later, I had a mastectomy. To this day, I still visit the old Chinese doctor in charge and thank him for saving my life.”
“I wanted to go for nipple recess reconstruction and found ……”
Ziran (a pseudonym), 34 years old at the age of breast cancer discovery, is now 38 years old, right breast removed
“For a while I was unhappy with my breasts because the nipple on the right side was clearly collapsed. Then I simply contacted a cosmetic hospital to go for nipple correction surgery. I didn’t realize that a collapsed nipple wasn’t a matter of beauty, but I was diagnosed with breast cancer at that hospital and then immediately transferred to the hospital for a mastectomy on my right side. Now I’m always glad that I found a beauty hospital, not a street salon, or else those little girls who only know how to massage would not have been able to help me discover breast cancer.
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“I didn’t feel anything different, I just felt tired, extra extra tired.”
Rauna, age 28 when breast cancer was discovered, now age 31, left breast removed
“As a breast cancer patient, I really didn’t feel any discomfort in the early stages. I didn’t notice a lump and I had no pain. It was just that for a long time, I felt particularly tired. My job wasn’t too busy, but every day after work it was like I was falling apart. My mother secretly muttered, ‘Why are you so delicate at such a young age?’ Then she forced me to go for a medical checkup. I didn’t take it seriously at first, but then I gradually felt something was wrong and went for a medical checkup. The result was very disappointing, it was breast cancer. I couldn’t believe it. I was only 28 years old, how could this happen to me? But the good thing is that I found it early, so I saved my life. The doctor told me that cancer cells are like iron-sucking stones, sucking away a lot of energy and strength, making people feel fatigued. It’s true!”
“I had menstrual cramps when I never had them!”
Ju Jia, 38 years old at the age of breast cancer discovery, now 40, had her left breast removed
“I haven’t had menstrual pain since I got my period at 14. I’ve always prided myself on being able to binge on ice cream when my ‘period’ visits. But 2 years ago, I didn’t feel right anymore. Every menstrual flow was not only choppy, but also accompanied by severe pain in my lower body and sometimes a swollen feeling in my chest. I took a lot of herbal medicine for this, but it did not work at all. My mother, who is a breast cancer patient, told me that the chance of a mother inheriting breast cancer from her daughter is 40%, and she had similar symptoms when she developed the disease 10 years ago. I was immediately alerted and immediately went to the hospital for a checkup, and it turned out that I really had the same left breast lump and early stage of cancer as my mother. The doctor told me that breast cancer causes huge hormonal changes in the body, and that’s why I suddenly had menstrual pain.”
“I found I couldn’t actually lift small dumbbells with my right arm!”
Liu Yin, age 33 when breast cancer was discovered, is now 37 and retains both breasts to this day
“I’m a fitness enthusiast and just love doing ‘flybys’. But then I felt the more I did the ‘birdie’ the more I struggled, and one day I realized I couldn’t lift the small, insignificant dumbbell on my right arm! And every time I lifted my arm, I felt a pulling sensation and pain in my breast. The doctor said I had breast cancer, but only some of the cancerous tissue was removed, not the whole breast. Even during chemotherapy, I still kept the habit of going to the gym. Who said the purpose of exercise is just to lose weight, the purpose of exercise is to better discover myself and know myself.”
“I can’t believe how my breasts are so hot!”
Jiayong Zhong, 38 years old at the age of breast cancer discovery, now 42 years old, had her left breast removed
“I had the habit of taking a bath, and once, when I got out of the bathtub, I lay comfortably on the bed and waited for my body to dry naturally. But somehow, I noticed a strong burning sensation on my left side of my chest, not overall, but locally. The sensation was strange, neither painful nor unpleasant, just like being on fire. Later I told my best friend about it and she accompanied me to have a breast biopsy and walked me to the operation room and watched the doctor remove my left breast and also remove my cancer cells. In fact, cancer is not scary, what’s really scary is when it comes and you find yourself without the support and encouragement of friends around you.”