My story: Why pinktober is important

When I was 19, I found a lump in my chest that was quite big. I was in the army at the time doing voluntary military service, so I thought the doctor there might not be the most qualified when it came to breast cancer, but I went anyway. He was quite concerned and thought it was quite a big lump for him to dismiss it as something that wasn’t dangerous. I wasn’t very scared when I went into his office, but I was definitely worried when I left it.

He booked me an appointment in Haukeland Hospital, one of the best hospitals in Norway, and they gave me an ultrasound and the whole ordeal. They took a sample from my chest (that I can still see the scar from), and sent me on my way. They initially said it would not be necessary to do something about it, which was why I was surprised when they called me in for surgery.

They hadn’t been able to detect what the lump was, so they had decided to take it out. Yikes, right? I was awake during the surgery, where they burnt my skin instead of cutting it – nicer scars, apparently. It was quite bizarre laying on the operation table smelling my own burnt skin, listening to the surgeons’ casual conversation.

I asked to see the lump after the surgery, an eye-ball-sized little white bump. It wasn’t big, but it could have been enough to change my life massively. It did leave a nice reminder on my left chest though, a hardly-visible scar of about two inches.

Luckily my lump turned out to be nothing dangerous, but it made me realise that cancer could happen at any time, at any age. It is important to have this month to remind us that we need to check our breasts every month so we can be as early as possible with treatment.

Here’s a check list to check if you’re in the danger zone:

LOOK

Nipples
Does your nipples look like they use to? Are they pointing in instead of out? Are there unusual fluids?

Skin
If your skin resembles the peel of an orange, that can be a sign of danger. Any changes to the skin on the breasts can be an indication that something is wrong.

Size
Do you look or feel swollen around your breast, collarbone or armpit?

FEEL

Thorough search
Use a flat hand to feel around your whole chest, from top, around the armpit, to bottom. It can be a good rule to go clockwise, so you know you have checked the whole breast. This should be done every month, about a week after your period.

Temperature
Breast warmth and itching may be symptoms of mastitis – or inflammatory breast cancer. If antibiotics do not help, you should do another visit to your doctor.

Pain
Although most breast cancers do not cause pain in the breast, some do. If you have severe pain that persists beyond your menstruation, you should see your doctor.