Facebook Photo Reveals Little-Known Breast Cancer Symptom

Thirty-seven-year-old Sherrie Rhodes was doing what many people do on a hot June day, going swimming. While she was putting on her bathing suit, the mother of three realized something unusual. On the outer side of her left breast, Sherrie noticed an indentation in her skin. Remembering a recent Facebook post by one of her friends, she decided to contact her general care provider. After seeing the practitioner, the worried woman was referred to a breast clinic for further testing. Upon receiving a mammogram and multiple biopsies, Sherrie’s worst fear had been confirmed. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rhodes knew that she had to make sure other women knew that there were more signs to breast cancer than just a lump.

So, she took to social media. Hesitant to post a picture at first, she eventually found the courage and did just that. Had she not seen a post on Facebook that raised a red flag in her own case, she would not have caught the cancer when she did since the dimple was the only sign.

Sherrie is not alone

Other women around the world have similar stories to Sherrie, performing everyday activities and shockingly stumbling upon odd dimple-like abnormalities in their breasts. One of those women is Claire Warner out of Lancashire, England, a 42-year-old mother of two young daughters. While bending over to pull up her sock, she noticed out of the corner of her eye in a mirror across the room, an indent in her breast. Like Sherrie Rhodes, she had also seen a friend post a similar image on Facebook.

After having a specialist take a look and run several tests, it was confirmed that she, too, had developed breast cancer. Luckily for Claire, she was able to catch this little-known symptom of a very common and deadly disease because of another woman, Lisa Royle, who had unfortunately noticed her dimple after she had entered stage 2 breast cancer.

Lisa, a 44-year-old Manchester, England mother of four had decided to post a photo of her breast cancer warning sign with a caption that stated taking time to “look at your boobs” could save your life. She noticed her breasts looked different while on vacation in Egypt. The photo taken by her husband has been shared more than 74,000 times!

The power of sharing

Royle has received multiple messages from women around the globe saying that because of her post, they took an extra look at their bodies and noticed similar indents on their breasts, got checked out by a medical professional, and were diagnosed and treated. Without seeing posts from women like Claire, Lisa, and Sherrie, these women might not have found the cancer in time for the treatment to save their lives.

A study conducted by the National Breast Cancer Foundation found that one out of every eight women in the United States will develop a form of invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives. According to the 2010 Census, that’s almost 20 million women. So, it is very likely that you or someone you know will be diagnosed with this disease. Do you know the signs?

Sometimes it can go completely without notice until it has metastasized, but 83% of women diagnosed with breast cancer noticed a lump before anything else, making it the most common, and most known, detection of carcinoma in the breasts. What you may not know is there are several other warnings that can lead you to discover that you have breast cancer. One woman learned of another symptom the hard way.

Lumps aren't the only symptoms

While the American Cancer Society says that lumps are the most common sign of breast cancer, they also state that there are many more, little known symptoms that every woman should check herself for on a regular basis. According to the National Cancer Research Institute in London, England, one in six breast cancer victims reported symptoms other than a lump occurring first. Some of these warnings included enlarged breasts, patches of rough or thick skin, pain in the breast or nipple area, indentions in the skin, and discharge that wasn’t breast milk. Let’s dive into what each of these are and how you can spot them.

Some types of breast cancer can block the channels that go from the inside of the breast to the surface, causing a discoloration and a change in the texture of the skin. This can cause the skin to resemble the outside of a citrus fruit such as an orange. A mass underneath the skin can cause an indentation, sometimes painful, by pulling the skin to it. This is not cause for immediate panic as it can be the result of other conditions such as fat necrosis or cellulite. It may also just be a scar that you may have forgotten about or never knew was present. Either way, you should still take any change to a medical professional and let them decide if it’s serious or not. One way to check for breast cancer is to feel for lumps, but that isn’t always enough because not all masses can be felt. Sometimes you have to take a good look and you might notice that your breasts have become enlarged or disfigured. You might also notice abnormalities in your nipples or areola such as inversion or retraction. This is yet another good sign that it might be time to talk to a doctor who specializes in breasts. Something you may notice, especially if you have breastfed a child, is discharge that isn’t milk. More often than not, this is perfectly normal and not cancerous, but if it is oozing or squirting out without you touching or squeezing your breasts, you may need to inform your primary care physician.

Many diseases and disabilities such as heart disease or diabetes have been linked to hereditary causes. Breast cancer is a mutation of cells in the breasts that are acquired throughout a person's lifetime. If there is any possibility of breast cancer being inherited, it is completely dependent upon the specific genes involved.

Cancer is believed to have been around as long as humans. 2700-year old skeletal remains of a Russian King and a 2200-year old Egyptian mummy both show signs consistent of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Breast cancer can be traced all the way back to Egypt circa 1600 BC. Breast cancer often caught the eye enough for it to be recorded because it is so visible in its most advanced state.

Numbers and statistics can be very alarming when it comes to our health and wellbeing. The three women mentioned earlier were fortunate enough to see a post on social media describing an abnormality in the skin on their breasts that most women may not have ever heard of. Taking a few extra minutes to examine your body, and knowing all the possible warning signs of breast cancer, can be the difference in being diagnosed and cured or being diagnosed and losing the battle.

Everyone knows a lump is bad news, but there are other things you should keep an eye out for. Feeling your breasts regularly is important and you should always take any abnormality seriously. If you notice a consistent change, see your doctor. Be sure to go in for regular checkups. AARP says that women ages 45 to 54 who are at average risk should get a mammogram once every year, and women 55 and older should get one every 2 years.

Reference

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/this-womans-early-warning-sign-for-breast-cancer