Something You Need To Know

Today is National Girlfriends Day! Happy day to all my girlfriends out there - esp my best girlfriend Chriss and my lil' sis Shell {even though she never reads this}. Spend some time with your girlfriend today - I wish I could! So I've been trying to remember a post that I had thought of a few days ago. I really should write these things down. I've completely forgotten what it was except for the title, something like "Is It Just Me?" Sigh. While I was browsing around I came found a blog that had information worth spreading. I think it's fitting for girlfriends day as well. Please read the following. It is from WhyMommy at Toddler Planet. You are welcomed & encouraged to share this information on your blog as well. Women need to be informed. Say a prayer for WhyMommy & her family when you think of her. And you can link to Team WhyMommy by clicking the button on my sidebar.

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We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger {twice over}

Well I was going to write this whole post in a bright pink but I don't have a bright pink available in my options so this salmony pink will have to due. Anyway, so I was first given this pink badge of honor by my pal at wornoutwoman at the end of June. I was surprised when I saw what she wrote:

A Not So Desperate Housewife A beautiful wife and mother whose blog inspires me daily that someone can have it all.

I wasn't quite sure what to think of that. I know she was giving me a compliment and being very sweet. I guess I just don't feel like I have it all. When I first read it I thought about things like - family, career, large income, and all the material things that people strive for. But after thinking about the 'someone can have it all' statement I thought about it differently. Someone can have the good & the bad and still be okay, someone can have the family & career and be happy, someone can be grounded on the truth and strive to better their life by reaching for the stars. I guess it just depends on what your idea of having it all is. Then my pal over at Wit's End presented me with the same award a few days ago and this is what she wrote:
A Not So Desperate Housewife: Becca found my blog through a comment I made on another blog and commented on mine. It was so great to know that someone actually read something I wrote. She’s a young mom with an old soul who shares some pretty deep insights.

I like the thought of being an old soul and someone thinks I'm deep? Wow. After getting two of these within two weeks I figure it's time to pass the pink along. There are no rules to this as far as I know, just that you put up your badge in a post and/or your sidebar and write a post about the award & pass it along to others if you'd like. So here's some girl bloggers that I think rock:

My Connection to the Outside World:Not cuz she's my best friend but because she is hilarious! Before I moved we'd hang out weekly and always had a great time. Now we read each other's blogs and I still have a great time. She has a wit about her and can put a funny spin on most anything, esp her sometimes hectic life with four kids, co-parenting & a crazy cat lady next door! You really should browse around her blog. {& leave some comments while you are there, she can see you} ;)

Rocks In My Dryer: Most of her stories are short & sweet but they crack me up almost every time. She is another blogger who can laugh at her life and shares her insights. Also, she hosts Works for me Wednesday which is a lot of fun & often shares links to other fun blogs to read. If you haven't been to her site you should go check it out.

Well there are a lot of other blogs that I read and love {check out the link buttons to the right} but I've run out of time to post about them so I will just have the two nominees. Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

{I want to be sure that you all know I've got a great family & love them all dearly but my life is nowhere near perfect. We have plenty of issues that we are dealing with that I don't post about because you all {& myself} would either leave here depressed or just never come back. I work out the other things in my life, just not out on the internet for all to see.}