Have You Had Your Mammograms, M’am?
Here are a few guidelines on Self-Examination:
1. Stand in front of a mirror with your arms at your sides. Look for any changes in the size, shape, or skin of your breasts, including dimples or scaly patches. Check for discharge. Any bloody discharge should be evaluated by a doctor right away.
2. Clasp your hands behind your head and again look for changes in the size, shape, and contours of your breasts. Then check again with your hands on your hips, bending slightly toward the mirror with your elbows and shoulders pressed forward.
3. Do this next part lying on your back in bed, where you have better access to the undersides of your breasts. Lying down also spreads the breast evenly and thinly, making any abnormalities in the tissue easier to feel.
With your left hand behind your head, use the fingertips of the three middle fingers of your right hand to feel for lumps under the skin of your left breast. Use small, overlapping, circular motions and start just below your left collarbone, pressing your fingers on a small area the size of a quarter. Using various amounts of pressure, feel both on the surface and deep in the breast tissue for lumps that differ from the overall consistency of the breast in any way. Continue to check the breast following one of the patterns shown in the diagram. Make sure you cover everything from the collarbone to the bottom of the breast, and out to and including the armpit. Move around the breast in an up and down pattern (experts say this is the most complete and effective way to examine the entire breast). Switch hands and examine the right breast in the same way.
