breast cancer!?!??!?

Question

When I press down on my breasts towards my chest its hard... and when i put my pointer on one side and thumb on the other and squeeze its hard in the middle.. thats not breast cancer is it?

Answer 1

From the details give by you it appears you have a lump in your preset. You have a self exam of your breast properly as mentioned in my blog in Yahoo 360 (also appended below) and if you find the lump please see your doctor immediately and he will do the needful to assess further.

"All of you right from the age of 20, should be aware of the benefits and limitations of Breast Self-Examination (BSE). You should be aware of how your breasts normally look and feel and report any new change to a health professional as soon as you find any. Finding A BREAST CHANGE DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS CANCER.

Women can notice changes by being aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and by feeling their breasts for changes (breast awareness) or by choosing to use a step-by-step approach and using a specific schedule to examine the breasts.

Again, women with breast implants can do BSE. It may be helpful to have the surgeon help identify the edges of the implant so that you know what you are feeling. There is some thought that the implants push out the breast tissue and actually make it easier to examine.

If you choose to do BSE, the following information provides a step-by-step approach for the examination. The best time for a woman to examine her breasts is when the breasts are not tender or swollen. Women who are pregnant, breast-feeding, or have breast implants can also choose to examine their breasts regularly. Women who examine their breasts should have their technique reviewed during their periodic health exams by their health care professional.

It is acceptable for women to choose not to do BSE or to do BSE occasionally. Women who choose not to do BSE should still be aware of their breasts and report any changes without delay to their doctor.

How to Examine Your Breasts

* Lie down and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, and not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and it is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue. In such a state any abnormality will be noticed easily.
* Use the finger pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.
* Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal. If you’re not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.
* Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone.(sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire area.

Breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).
* There is some evidence to suggest that the up and down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast without missing any breast tissue.
* Repeat the exam on your left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand.
* While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)
* Examine each underarm and armpits while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm fully straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it difficult to examine.

This procedure for doing breast self-exam is different than previous procedure recommendations. These changes represent an extensive review of the medical literature and input from an expert advisory group. There is evidence that the woman's position (lying down), area felt, pattern of coverage of the breast, and use of different amounts of pressure increase the sensitivity of BSE as measured with silicone models
If you find any changes, see your health care provider right away. "

You can see my blog at - http://360.yahoo.com/jayaramanms...

Answer 2

We don't know the cause. If we did, we might be able to prevent it and treat it better. Symptoms are rare. I had a red rash present from the tumor causing tissue changes. The lump was rather large but my doc never detected it. No worries though; it's very treatable, fine now.