Loss can shed new light on early detection
by: Jenna Mattox

Connie Goodman's bracelet catches the dim light in her Blacksburg living room as she candidly recounts a heartbreaking story. Her other hand rests on her daughter's leg who sits quietly beside her. The bracelet has a familiar charm hanging from colorful beads; the charm is the pink ribbon, symbolic of breast cancer awareness and hope for a future cure. The story is her mother's struggle with breast cancer and the effect it has had on her family.

At 57, her mother found a lump in her left breast that turned out to be malignant. It was later discovered that the cancer was apparent in her lymph nodes as well. Connie and her sister Patty accompanied their mother to medical appointments, standing by her side when physicians suggested she have a total mastectomy, a procedure requiring the removal of both of her breasts.

"I wanted her to have it done right away," Connie recalls. "You know let's not talk about this, this is what this doctor is suggesting in Roanoke, let's go for it. She wanted to have a second opinion."

After two months, she traveled to Duke and received the same diagnosis. Her left breast would have to be removed along with the affected lymph nodes. Fortunately, she was able to keep her right breast.

"So she went through two or three years of chemotherapy," Connie say. "She lost her hair, she used to get so sick. We were all taking turns going with her to Roanoke to get the therapy."

Eventually, she suffered a broken hip due a fall and the cancer's weakening of her bones.

"It just kind of spiraled after that," Connie admits. "Right before Christmas and after Thanksgiving we noticed that she was not feeling good. I just won't ever forget. She made it through Christmas, but it seemed like she was pushing herself to get through Christmas because she was sick, she was really sick."

The cancer had spread throughout her body, overtaking her organs and diminishing her health. Connie and Patty took her to the hospital where they were given sound, possibly life-saving advice by her doctors.

"He looked at both of us and said, 'If you're not already doing it, you need to go get a mammogram,'" Connie says.

At barely 32, Connie had never had a mammogram, but began to get one annually after recognizing its importance. Julie, her now 20-year-old daughter is aware of how important regular mammograms are as well.

"When I turn 30, I will have a mammogram every year. Now I go to my gynecologist annually and get checked out," Julie says.

Tina Johnson, an employee of Roanoke's Carilion Breast Care Center for 15 years, couldn't agree more.

"It's so important," she says. "People hear such horror stories about mammograms, but it's really not a bad experience at all."

According to Johnson, after calling the center and setting up an appointment, the patient will receive a phone number to call. This number is designed to gather all of the patient's information to save time on the day of the appointment, Johnson says. Once the patient arrives, they are taken back into a dressing room and are asked to undress from the waist up. The patient is given a gown and is lead to the X-ray room. Two films are taken of each breast, one from the front and one from the side.

"At our screening center, the procedure usually takes no longer than 30 minutes, sometimes less than that," Johnson says.

Results are usually received within seven to 10 days and patients are notified by mail.
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, women aged 40-50 years should have a mammogram every 1-2 years. Women over 50 should have a mammogram annually. Women like Connie who have a first degree relative with breast or ovarian cancer should have a mammogram annually starting at age 30.

Beyond this, annual doctor's exams and monthly breast self-exams are recommended. The best time to perform these breast self-exams is a few days after your period ends each month or, for women who are not having periods, at the same time every month.

The exam consists of two parts: looking and feeling. The first part entails looking for breast changes in the mirror. In the second part, women should feel for any changes in their breasts. Women should report any changes to their doctors immediately. Signs of a problem include: a lump, swelling, skin irritation, dimpling, pain, redness of nipple, and nipple discharge.

The College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists report that by doing routine breast self-exams and having routine mammograms and check-ups, breast problems are able to be detected early and can be prevented from becoming fatal.

"Sometimes you feel so helpless," Connie says. "Especially if it runs in the family, just like heart disease, but there are things you can do. I know women who have had breast cancer that caught it early enough that they didn't have any problems at all.
All women, regardless of breast cancer history are encouraged to make the annual trip for a mammography and a breast exam. One simple procedure could end up saving your life.

Connie knows how it feels to get a clean bill of health from her doctors. "I'll tell you, it's a good feeling when you get that letter in the mail that tells you everything is alright."