Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Go Pink Wednesday - Part 1

Greetings Ladies and Gents!

Can you freaking believe that its already OCTOBER?!?! OH MY GAWD this year has flown by!

If you're a lady (or you read the title off the post), you probably already know what October is. Aside from the month where you eat more Halloween candy than you give out (or maybe thats just me...) its Feel the TaTas month, AKA National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink. Everywhere.

As a proud owner of a shapely set of all-natural breasticles I was excited to jump (hehe) on board when Andrea from Finger Painting Fingers approached me about participating in this Go Pink Wednesday blogathon where myself and a whole lot of other amazing ladies will show our support by showcasing a pink polish every Wednesday in October. I agreed not only because I love pink, but because I wanted to better educate myself (and maybe some of ya'll) on early detection methods like a Self Breast Exam. (Exam information follows photos. If you're squeemish or uncomfortable reading about breasts, you should probably just stop at the last photo.)

The pink I chose to begin with is more of a fuchsia but I received it as an extra little gift in a swap and I was over the moon about it! Behold: All That Razz-Berry from OPI's Chicago collection from 2005 (yes, its a black label). While the color is gorgeous enough on its own, I really wanted to punch it up a bit and added 1 coat of Party Hardy by Icing. Oh...my god. The sparkle..its blinding! Together they are just the prettiest sparkliest berry pink I have ever seen! The photos with the flash are the most true to color, though photos don't do Party Hardy justice at all. It's simply gorgeous!

p.s. Don't mind the random matte dots, those were from a failed dot challenge that I decided to paint over.

OPI- All That Razz-Berry w/ Flash -- Most true to color

OPI- All That Razz-Berry w/o Flash

OPI- All That Razz-Berry & Icing - Party Hardy w/o Flash

OPI- All That Razz-Berry & Icing - Party Hardy w/ Flash - True to color

OPI- All That Razz-Berry & Icing - Party Hardy

OPI- All That Razz-Berry & Icing - Party Hardy CLOSE UP!

So I mentioned earlier that I wanted to specifically raise awareness of early detection and the importance of the *DUN DUN DUN* Self Breast Exam. You can download a free self-exam shower card here.

We've all felt breasts. Get to know yours and don't be shy about it. It's important to know what they look and feel like so that you're able to notice if anything changes with them over time. Keep in mind though that changes to the look and feel of your breasts does happen and does not always immediately signify something terrible, but if you're concerned its always best to check with a doctor.

TMI moment here but in high school I developed a cyst in one of mine about the size of a pea. I was concerned but figured I was too young for any kind of real trouble. Then it started hurting and I panicked. Certain that I had cancer I tearfully told my mom about my lump and she took me to the doctors right away. They gave me some kind of pill to take and the cyst went away on its own, but I probably wouldn't have noticed had I not been taught about the importance of KNOWING my breasts. Had that thing gotten any bigger, or burst, or whatever *shudder* ack. It would have been much more dramatic than just taking a pill or two.

Anyway, the American Cancer Society suggests a Breast Self Exam (BSE) monthly to every couple of months, though Susan G. Komen For the Cure states that a BSE alone is not a sufficient screening tool. Regardless, its a good way to familiarize yourself with your body so that you can effectively relay changes to your doctor should you find something suspicious.

So...lets get on with it. Let's feel the bosom! From the American Cancer Society:

Lie down on your back and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

Use the finger pads of the 3 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. It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary. 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 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, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam. 

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, or 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 while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.

 And thats it! You're done! That wasn't so bad was it? Now theres no excuse! Go feel those tata and make sure they're in tip top shape! I hope you enjoyed part 1 of Go Pink Wednesdays! I hope you'll participate too and share your awareness inspired mani's on my facebook page! I'll feature some of them on the blog next week. :)

TL:DR
- Boobies RAWK!
- Feel yours regularly!
- It's also Domestic Violence Awareness month. Brownie points if your incorporate purple!
- I still owe you guys a 200 follower giveaway. It's coming! I SWEARZ IT!