Welcome to
Part
of a healthy lifestyle is not only prevention, but
understanding how to partner with your physician to detect
cancer at the earliest stages.
Purpose:
The purpose of Know Your Density is to save lives by
empowering women with knowledge and a guide for what they
can do to help their doctors detect cancer early,
particularly if they have dense breasts. Early detection
saves lives.
A personal mission from breast cancer survivor, Pam Schmid:
The process of detecting my
cancer taught me a lot about the process of early
detection. Part of being diagnosed was being an advocate
for myself and understanding how important my part of the
process was. As women, we need to know our bodies, trust
our intuition, and become as educated as we possibly can to
partner with our health care providers. I hope the
information that follows will be helpful and potentially
save your life or someone's you know. For more information,
my new book "101 Things You Should Know About Breast
Cancer" can be purchased here.
In my situation, four large tumors were found through a
series of steps and tests, starting with mammography.
Because I learned that mammography is just one (important)
piece of the puzzle for a woman with dense breasts in
detecting cancer early, I wanted to share what I learned
through seeking solid, research based answers. What I
learned and what I want to share with women everywhere, is
what I wish I had known.
Remember, survival rates are much higher when breast cancer
is caught in its earliest stages. At the very least, when
caught early, aggressive treatment and the long term
effects of it, may possibly be avoided. I believe that
knowledge is power and action is everything. Find out about
the things you need to do, to help your doctors with early
detection: SCRAM exams, and being
FEISTY© with your actions!
Learn about how SCRAM exams
and being FEISTY with your breast health could save your
life if you have dense breasts, by reading "What I wish I'd
known" on the Early Detection page.
Read more about breast density and your risk in a Q & A
on the Breast Cancer Facts
page. You
can also read my personal story, "Cancer Will Never Happen to
Me", a story I wrote for
Cary Magazine in 2004.
A special
thanks to Wendie Berg, MD, PhD, FACR, Breast Imaging
Consultant and Study Chair for the American
College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) Protocol
on Screening Breast Ultrasound, for reviewing the
material presented for content and
accuracy
©2006-2013 Priorities Simplified, LLC All rights reserved