Breast Cancer Self Exam Line Method

Video Transcript

"Hello my name is Dr. Susan Jewell and on behalf on of expert village I am going to show you how to do a breast self examination. Now in this clip I am going to show you one of the three methods that we use and this particular method is called the line method. And here we have a diagram of a female body and let's orientate ourselves with this diagram. Here we are looking at the front we're look on or at the front of the person front part of her torso. This is the right side of the body; this is the left side of the body. So here we have the right arm pit the shoulder and we've enlarged one of the breast, and of course this is the right breast and before I start showing you how to do the line method I want to remind you that use the three correct digits of your hand and that is your index finger, your middle finger and your third finger and only use the fleshy portion of those finger to do the breast manipulation. So the line method is that, you always start at the arm pit region or the axillary area in medical terms. Axillary region or the arm pit area to start your manipulation or palpation of the breast tissue. You're using the three digits of the appropriate fingers you press down on the breast tissue not too hard and not too soft and you slowly work your way down the breast to the one end of the breast and then slowly work your way all the way up to the other side of the breast like this and feeling for any irregularities any bumps or lumps as you keep doing your palpating of the tissue until you reach the other end of the breast itself. Now my recommendation is that you do this several times so repeat the process and each time noting for any irregularities and when you have done that then it's best to write it down and keep a log of the date that you did the breast examination and if you have noticed any irregularities or any lumps or bumps so that you can remind yourself and also when you go and see the doctor that this was the date that you felt that something was wrong or the first time you felt the symptoms so on and so forth. So keep a diary and a log. This is the line method one of the three methods."