Breast cancer happens to many women across the globe; the positive part is that, if diagnosed early, it is curable and the lady can lead a normal life after treatment. Thus, instead of being apprehensive, scared or even embarrassed women need to be aware and look for any signs and symptoms of the condition. Women need to be more conscious about how they feel, what they experience and how they see their body – anything which seems odd, should be immediately taken up with Doctor immediately without any kind of delay.
Though, the signs and symptoms can be caused by some other health condition, there is nothing wrong to be safe and take care. The Doctor is the best person to get in touch with whenever in doubt.
Here Are Some Symptoms And Signs Of Breast Cancer:
Feeling Of Lumpiness In Breasts
Breasts tissues are generally bumpy in texture and this is quite natural. However, if there is a lump and if the lump feels more in one breast than the other, it is a cause of worry. This should never be ignored and should be monitored for just a week. If the lump feels harder or feels quite different from the other breast, it is a concern and should be checked immediately. This kind of lump might be a symptom of a benign condition. So, women should never wait to see what happens next and if the lump disappears on its own. It might be too late!
Hard And Painful Lump Feels
Lumps in the breasts are usually noticed by women first. If the lump is present always, does not show any sign of going away as the periodical cycle gets over, if the lump feels it is attached to the chest or skin and cannot be moved – it is a concern and needs to be checked. This lump can be irregular in shape, it can feel really hard and tends to be painful. In case the lump in painful, it might be non-cancerous, but still it needs to be checked by the Doctor.
Lump In Armpit
Hard lumps in the armpit is not a good sign, especially when it does not go away with the menstruation cycle. Though these lumps are tender, they are otherwise painless. It is a sign that the cancer has already spread to lymph nodes.
Change In Breast Shape And Size
Check for dimpled or even puckered skin of your breasts. Sometimes there is dimpling and even thickening of breast skin which is referred to as orange peel skin. Other changes you need to check are redness of breasts, increase in warmth and swelling of the breasts which often appears like an infection. Women can check for any changes in their breast size and shape by checking out from the mirror. This is the best way to understand if there is any change in size and shape. If there is slight itching in the nipples, it a sign of inflammatory breast cancer and needs immediate treatment.
Change In Nipples
Keep checking your nipples for any sign of change. Women might find it really odd to keep a watch on their nipples, but that is the way to keep safe, especially if there is a cancer history in the family ( if her mother or grandmother suffered from breast cancer). Several women have their nipples pointed inward or inverted. This is normal if it has always been like that. However, if you notice that your nipples are suddenly getting inward you need to visit your Doctor. Nipples can sometimes discharge due to different conditions and most of these are non cancerous. However, if there is a discharge from one nipple, it might be a sign of cancer. Check if it happening without any squeeze or if it is blood stained. In both cases, you should see a Doctor. If nipples are crusting or scaling or there are ulcers on the nipples it is a sign of a rare type of breast cancer.
Late Signs
Late signs of breast cancer are the most dangerous – they appear late and are often detected in the last stage. These are extremely risky since they mean the cancer has grown and has probably spread to many parts of the body. These signs include nausea, bone pain, weight loss, jaundice, breath shortness, double vision and muscle weakness. However, treatment can still be started and no matter how late it is, women should get in touch with their Doctor.
Be alert and aware of any changes in your body. Never neglect any symptom or anything unusual you notice in your body. It is nothing to feel shy about!
