Mammogram Madness

Yesterday I heard a young, 40-something woman say, "I like getting my annual mammogram because once it's done, I'm cleared and don't have to worry about it (breast cancer) again until next year."
Buyer beware!
The media talking heads are not reporting what's most important about this new mammogram study: many young women have dense breast tissue and Mammogram, even with new digital capability, does not image dense (young) breast tissue well.
Don't take my word for it--ask a radiologist and/or ask your doctor.
One of the objectives of breast cancer awareness is to recruit women to be their own advocates for their breast health. We accomplish this by performing regular breast self check and asking questions of health care professionals.
Here's a few things I never knew that are very important to breast health:
1) If a health care professional tells you, "your breasts are dense," ask them what that means and how it affects your imaging quality and risk.
2) Feel your boobies! Get familiar with them. They're your girls--protect them!
3) Did you know that most breast cancers occur in the left breast? Yea, me neither.
4) Did you know that the area from your armpit south to your nipple is a kind of "hurricane zone" for cancer?
Everyone is different, but in my case, I found the lump myself. And I kept checking it for about two weeks to see if there was any change. There wasn't. I told my best friend knowing she'd make me get it checked (I'm a coward). I wish I'd trusted my instincts rather than waiting two weeks.
My doctor sent me for a mammogram. I marked the area in two places, as directed, with a metallic button on a tiny band aid. The mammogram could NOT "see" the 2 cm tumor.
They sent me for an ultra-sound. It took a while for the techs to find it. See? Guess where it was? Yes, left breast, hurricane zone.
According to my after-surgery pathology report, I had "very dense breast tissue."
I wish the people at the breast centers that I used SINCE I WAS FORTY had explained what this density means or, even better, I wish I'd asked more questions.
The best thing that will come out of this controversy is awareness. Be careful out there and protect your girls!