More often than not, it is the woman herself or her partner who detects an abnormality in her breasts. It is very rare that a lump in the breast is first detected by a doctor during a routine health check up. This makes it all the more important that the woman understands how her own breasts normally look and feel like. Only then can she detect an early change in the breast tissue. Presently, only about 10-20% of breast cancers are detected in early stages. Once women become self aware of their own breasts, it would be possible to detect many more cancers at an early stage when the cost, choice and the prognosis of treatments are much better.
It is important that more and more ladies get into the habit of checking their breasts at least once every month. At I CAN WIN, we want to start a movement wherein all doctors and nurses across the country are confident they can do a proper clinical breast examination of any lady who comes to them. They should also be able to teach the technique of self examination to more and more ladies.
In view of this, Dr Natasha Das of the Delhi chapter of I CAN WIN association conducted a training session for nurses and nursing students at Kalinga Hospital, Bhubaneswar on 9th of June 2010. Other speakers at the occasion were medical oncologist, Dr Ghanashyam Biswas and oncosurgeon, Dr Dilip Kar.
Kalinga Hospital is a 228 bedded multispecialty hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Dr Biswas spoke on “Extravasation as an adverse event during infusion of chemotherapy”. Dr Kar demonstrated the use of a central line to reduce chances of extravasation. He also talked on the precautionary measures a nurse should take while a patient is being infused with chemotherapeutic agents.
Dr Natasha Das trained the nurses on how to conduct a clinical examination of the breast and how to teach other women about breast self examination. She spoke on what a pair of breasts normally looks and feels like, what changes to look for during an examination, and when to advice the woman to consult a doctor. She also spoke briefly about the various modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of breast cancers and what measures can be taken to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
The training session was attended by 65 nurses and nursing students from Kalinga Hospital. It was followed by lunch catered by Rice Bowl, Bhubaneswar.
2 comments:
Dr.Natasha is doing a wonderful job of taking breast cancer awareness to the massess.It will surely go a long way in empowering women to take care of their health.Congratulations and keep up the good work.
Thanks Anita. I owe it to you. You know why the two of us are doing this. You are doing this because your doctor friend has it. I am doing it because my doctor friend has it and she has been a pillar of inspiration for a lot of us.
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