Health

by Dr. Maria Bell

There are many things that Cheryl Merry likes to do during her summer months. The 59-year-old woman hits the golf course, gets out her bicycle and spends hours in her garden. “I love to be outside,” Cheryl says. “That’s where you find me. In the sun and digging in the dirt.”

A summer routine

However, no matter how busy she is in the early months of summer, Cheryl always takes the time for a breast cancer screening test. Five years ago, those few minutes in her doctor’s office likely saved her life.

“If I had not had the mammogram done, if I had skipped it, those cancer cells would have had an opportunity to grow for another year or two,” says Cheryl.

Cheryl, who does a monthly self-check for breast cancer, had seen no signs of anything abnormal when she went in for her regular mammogram appointment in 2006. Afterward, she got a call that she needed to come back in for some additional views of one area of her breast.

That second appointment led to a biopsy and a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ, the earliest stage of breast cancer. Since the cancer had not yet invaded the tissue, Cheryl was able to successfully treat her cancer with six weeks of radiation treatments.

“I could have had so many more problems,” Cheryl says. “My treatment was very easy. I was still able to work every day.”

Screening for health

Screenings and routine care can help women lower their risks of many health conditions, including cancer and heart disease. Routine tests such as mammograms and pap smears can help women detect diseases early when they’re easier to treat.

Frequently, women are seen after they’ve missed an important screening. Usually most medical conditions can be picked up in an early form so that they’re much more treatable and don’t do long-term damage.

Women are often the caretakers of their husbands and children and sometimes put off taking the time they need to focus on their own health. It is important for women to focus on the disruption it will cause the entire family if they neglect their health.

When we get sick then it becomes an issue. For the entire family’s health, it’s important that women come in and be screened.

A variety of tests

Talk to your doctor about what screening tests may be appropriate for you. Women of all ages can benefit from regular checkups. Your physician can help you determine what additional tests may be necessary for maintaining you bone health, heart health, reproductive health and checking your risk for cancer, diabetes and other conditions.

The American Cancer Society recommends:

• Women 40 years and older should get a mammogram every one to two years.
• Women who have had breast cancer or other breast problems or who have a family history of breast cancer might need to start getting mammograms before age 40, or they might need to get them more often.

Sharing her story

Although she has no family history of breast cancer, Cheryl has always been careful to go in for her yearly mammograms. As a nurse who works with women regularly, she never hesitates to tell her story when encouraging them to make those appointments for routine care.

“I hate to think of what would have happened if I had waited another year or two, how those cancer cells would have had an opportunity to grow,” Cheryl says. “I spread the word and tell people, please don’t skip it!”