There are no guarantees that you’ll never develop breast cancer. But of course, there are measures that will decrease your risk. 

You will be totes unsurprised to see the that maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and limiting alcohol intake and not smoking will all be helpful. As will regularly checking the girls!

So, if you’re over 40: 

• Maintain a healthy weight. Now this is an interesting one – did you know that fat cells create a weak version of oestrogen? As we go into menopause and the ovarian version reduces, the body relies on the fat-cell produced version to assist with all of the other activities that involve oestrogen;

• Be physically active and get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise five or more days per week;

• Eat a healthy diet with at least five servings of plant-based foods daily – try and get 30 different plant-based foods every week; limit the amount of red meat eaten and remove processed meats from your diet completely;

• Women should drink no more than one unit of alcohol daily (men should drink no more than two daily). That doesn’t mean that you can save them all up for the weekend, Mrs Arlow (yes, yes, I know);

• Reduce your exposure to chemicals such as parabens, pthalates and sulphates in cosmetics and cleaning products which are Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). They bind to oestrogen receptors and disrupt hormones. This is actually a HUGE topic. I’ve been looking at this myself recently and am totally freaked out; 

• Stop smoking (not that any of you do!).

If you’re still having periods, the best time to check the girls is just after you’ve finished your period when hormonal stimulation of the breast tissue is less apparent (breast tissue is different during the stages of the menstrual cycle- some women experience painful lumpy breasts when pre-menstrual, which settle at the onset and after their period). 

Try to get into the habit of doing this every month. You could make it part of your monthly self -care routine or whenever you set aside some me-time. 

Breast Cancer Now says that “there is no special way to examine your breasts or training required, all that’s needed is TLC:  

• Touch your breasts: can you feel anything new or unusual?

• Look for changes: does anything look different to you?

• Check any new or unusual changes with a GP

Everyone will have their own way of touching and looking for changes. 

Get used to checking regularly and be aware of anything that’s new or different for you. 

Check your whole breast area, including up to your collarbone (upper chest) and armpits.

In her book, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, Dr Christiane Northrup recommends examining your breasts like this:

• Lie on your back with one hand behind your head. This will flatten your breast tissue against your chest wall and make it easier for you to feel and appreciate your breast tissue as it lies on top of the underlying muscles and ribs;

• With your right hand, using the flat part of your fingers, mot your fingertips, explore your left breast. (Fingertips are so sensitive that they pick up all the little ductiles);

• Repeat the exercise, using your left hand to explore your right breast;

• It is initially helpful to divide your breasts into four quadrants and examine each one separately;

• Then move up to your armpit and back to your nipple so that you can feel the differences in the different breast areas. Breast tissue tends to be the densest in the upper, outer quadrants of the breasts.

She also recommends that “a good time to do an examination is immediately after you’ve had a normal examination and you know that everything is currently normal. 

This will help you to know what ‘normal’ feels like.” 

She also recommends that when you do your examination, “to do so not necessarily to find suspicious lumps but to send energies of caring and respect to this area of your body.

• A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest, or armpit – you might feel the lump but not be able to see it. This was how I found mine  - an unevenly shaped lump a bit bigger than a pea on my upper chest;

• A change to the skin, such as dimpling or puckering;

• A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed;

• A change to the nipple, for example it has become pulled in (inverted);

• A rash, crusting or changes around the nipple area;

• Any unusual liquid discharge from either nipple;

• Any changes in size or shape of the breast;

• Pain in breasts all or most of the time – on its own occasional pain is not an indication, but continuous pain can be.

The earlier that you find it and get it treated, the better your likely outcomes. 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. In the UK, a woman is diagnosed every 10 minutes. Statistics indicate that one in 7 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, with 1 in 5 cases being women under 50 years of age. 

 We all know someone who currently has or has had (err, you all know me, so there’s at least one person!) or has died from breast cancer. 

So awareness and checking yourself are both really important. 

While it’s one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers, it does have a fairly high survival rate compared to other cancers, with a 5 - year survival rate of 83.6%. 

Breast Cancer survival has doubled in the UK in the last 40 years. Survival is related to advances in treatment, detection through screening programmes and a greater awareness of the disease. 

We all know that prevention is better than cure so again, check those puppies!

A couple of pieces of advice from me on being diagnosed with breast (or other types of) cancer, which you can use or ignore as you prefer!

There were some pieces of advice that were shared with me by someone else who was going through treatment as I was diagnosed. 

I’d like to share them with you here in case you find them helpful.

Do tell those nearest and dearest to you and let them know what you need from them. 

Often, other people feel paralysed by the fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. 

Don’t be shy, say what will work for you, what doesn’t and what you need. 

Be selective who you tell. 

EVERYONE has an opinion which frankly is not always helpful to hear. 

And generally, they are just that, opinions. 

Your doctor, oncologist and surgeon will advise you of the recommended medical approach. They know what they’re talking about. Random acquaintances mostly don’t. 

Most cancer units also have Macmillan nurses attached to them – these are bloody awesome people. Do use them. 

Try not to spend too long Googling shiz. 

There’s a LOT of information out there and again, not all of it helpful, particularly for your mental health. I actually didn’t do any internet searches on the topic of breast cancer during my treatment. I figured I was frightened enough without putting more fuel on that fire.

Prioritise your own wellbeing above everything else. 

Eat well, try and get as much sleep as you can and, provided you feel up to it, try and get some movement in every week.

I’m three years in remission, taking my Tamoxifen every day and fully planning to be here for a long time! So, if you ever want to ask me any questions, please shout.