When the body is otherwise healthy, it is easy to dismiss symptoms that something might be going wrong. More than three years ago, there was a brief period of time when I noticed a wild pinching sensation in the OFB (offending body part). The pinching subsided, then came and went. Over time, I got used to it. After the cancerous tumor was removed from my breast in October 2009, the pinching disappeared. Lesson number one, listen to what your body is telling you.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has produced a booklet called What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer. In one section, the booklet notes that early breast cancer usually has no symptoms. As the tumor grows, it can change the look and feel of the breast. I’ve listed the common changes from the booklet here:
--A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
--A change in the size or shape of the breast.
--Dimpling or puckering in the skin of the breast.
--A nipple turned inward into the breast.
--Discharge (fluid) from the nipple, especially if it’s bloody.
--Scaly, red, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola (the dark area of skin at the center of the breast). The skin may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.

These symptoms are often not due to cancer, according to the booklet. Another health problem could cause them. Any of these symptoms should be evaluated by a woman’s doctor so they can be diagnosed and treated.

The NCI recommends that women in their forties and older have mammograms every one or two years.