Must do that

Good on you for persisting although I am so sorry that you find yourself in this position.  I guess it must be so much harder for men to be diagnosed as I think the world is programmed to believe it is a 'women only' disease.  Do you mind me asking if you have a family history of BC and if you have children are they screening themselves regurarly?

I sure will Soldier Crab.  Thanks for the heads up.  I think he said none but no harm in checking again and maybe just getting a 2nd opinion. I giggled a bit at the word 'vault' because mine has been pretty much just that over the past couple of months, locked up and only I have the code.  That's a story for another post lol....Been to scared to go anywhere near the vault since my surgery in December last year...a bit sad actually cause I am still young :(

Yes...  I feel the same, but hopefully for somebody else the detection is earlier.

Guys don't get mammograms but, like me, they do get breast cancer. We are one percent of cases. And because we get diagnosed later, our prognosis is worse than for women. It took me months to persuade my GP to send me for scans and that hence I was diagnosed at Stage III.

I've now realised that we need to be responsible for our own health, because, as we all now, the medical profession is too busy to take our individual situations into account.

Hi NE 

Can I just suggest you check with your GP if you are to have vault Smears.... I do had a total hysterectomy back in 2004 have vault smears now. 

Yes we are alive and can laugh and cry about the stuff ups of the system.

Alice aka Soldier Crab

Oh I can so relate with your post on so many levels.  Undiagnosed lump for 12 months before it diagnosed.  Problem is I found it 12 months earlier and it was diagnosed as just a cyst.....12 months on and after persisting a needle biopsy confirmed my worst fears.  I also wondered was it ever cancer back then or really just a cyst? Or did I slip through the cracks.

Then, after BRCA2 diagnosis and full prophylactic hysterectomy I got my letter in the mail this week to remind me of my annual pap smear...I also giggled and joked about it to my husband but also felt a bit sad as it reminded me of the hell I have been through over the past 12 months with surgery upon surgery and all the side affects of my treatments.

And so life goes, and little things remind us, and we sigh and think "Gosh, I am so happy that I am still here, able to write this, able to laugh about that".

hugs to you Jane.  From someone who totally gets it x

Dear Jane 

I hear you I went to our Local Hospital for my mum to have some Ultrasounds... while in waiting room our local  Breastscreen lady came out and called out to me to come in .... I looked at her.... I had a double mastectomy back in 2012 and have no reconstruction I don't wear knockers or any inserts ..... I laughed and said sorry its not me next.

and commented with "I cut mine off they nearly killed me..." she was not amused. 

There was another Lady in the waiting that the appointment was for. 

Sometimes computer systems suck as they don't get updated...by humans when things change. 

keep your sense of Humour

Alice aka soldier crab