On the Coast – Over 55 Issue 29 I May/June 2019 | Page 12

What’s your
Mammogram Personality?
Do you get your screening free mammogram like a clockwork? Or are you a
mammogram dodger? Which personality type can you relate to?
Screening Superstar Mammogram Dodger
Joy Allsworth, 75 from Forresters Beach Margaret Beardslee OAM , 60
“I was diagnosed with
bilateral early breast
cancers after a routine
mammogram with the
mobile BreastScreen
van at Bateau Bay.
Mammograms and
imaging are your friends
not your enemies. You can catch something
early or rejoice if nothing is found. Either way
you’re ahead of the game.”
While breast cancer treatment has
improved significantly over recent years, early
diagnosis still leads to less invasive treatment and a
greater chance of survival. Early stage breast
cancer is less likely to require a mastectomy or
chemotherapy, and has a 5 year survival of 99 per
cent (compared with 25 per cent in late stage breast
cancer). from Killarney Vale
Screening mammogram is free for all
women aged 50 to 74 years. The risk of breast
cancer increases with age, with around 80%
of breast cancer developing in women over the
age of 50 and the average age of diagnosis is 61.
Mammogram Procrastinator Spontaneous Screener
Suzanne Grahame, 52 from Wyongah Heather Kozak, 52 from Bateau Bay
“I had just turned 50
and during the year
received three letters
urging me to get a
free mammogram.
By the time the
third one arrived, I
started asking myself
how many trees they were going to cut
down because I hadn’t done it. So, I had my
mammogram and was diagnosed with Stage
III breast cancer.” “I spontaneously
decided to have
a mammogram
when I saw the pink
BreastScreen van in
the supermarket car
park. My diagnosis
came out of the blue.
No pain, no lumps. I discovered this is fairly
typical of DCIS, which rarely produces
symptoms and is usually only picked up
through screening.”
Fact
Fact Most screening appointments take 20
to 30 minutes, with the actual mammogram
taking only a few minutes. With mobile
BreastScreen vans located at shopping
centres, you can fit in a mammogram before
your shopping!
“I had a regular visit
scheduled to the
breast bus (mobile
BreastScreen van)
and I was dodging it…
thinking nah I don’t
need it, it’s my fourth
checkup and I haven’t had any problems.
But a good friend of mine overheard the
conversation, basically stuck a finger in my
face and said ‘You get yourself down there
and it doesn’t cost you anything and what
have you got to lose?’”
Fact
Fact
Screening mammogram is for women
with no current breast symptoms. It can
pick up cancers as small as a grain of rice,
usually 2 to 3 years before a palpable lump
develops.
Research News
A recent analysis, published in
the journal Cancer, has found
that screening mammogram
along with improved breast
cancer treatment has averted
more than 483 000 deaths
from 1990 to 2015. “Recent
reviews of mammography
screening have focused
media attention on some of
the risks of mammography
screening, such as call-backs
for additional imaging and
breast biopsies, downplaying
the most important aspect of
screening — that finding and
treating breast cancer early
saves women’s lives,” says lead
author Dr Hendrick.
Mobile
BreastScreen Van
In May, the mobile
BreastScreen van
can be found in 3
locations across the
Coast. For bookings call
13 20 50 or visit
www.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au
From 07/05/19 until 05/07/19
Grounds of CWA Hall, Woy Woy
Until 17/05/19
Lake Haven Shopping Centre
From 21/05/19 until 06/09/19
Bateau Bay Square
The Central Coast Breast Cancer Compendiu
m
Ready! Set! Fight!
Personal Stories
of Breast Cancer
on the Coast
Read more about each of these women and their personal experience with breast cancer
in The Central Coast Breast Cancer Compendium. A digital copy can be downloaded
from Dr Mary Ling's website www.drmaryling.com.au. Hard copies are available from
Blooms the Chemist at Erina Fair and Brisbane Waters Private Hospital.
“I rode 60km during
chemo for my 60th”
Secret Symmetry
Dr Mary Ling is a Breast and General Surgeon who consults at Gosford & Woy Woy
www.facebook.com/drmaryling/
& 02 4321 0302 www.drmaryling.com.au
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S E N I O R S O N T H E C OA S T
The Family Curse