Breast dimple

Antonia, show your GP the dimple, don't worry about getting the language right!

Antonia, don't wait to return to England. You need a diagnosis pronto. There are many scarier things than a mammogram. I have had mine every three years since I was 50 and a little discomfort is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Antonia, you could always ask your GP: 'Madame la medecine, regardez ma poitrine, s'il vous plait'. She can look, and see, and take appropriate action.

My BIL lives in a very rural part of western France. He too is a diabetic and has nothing but praise for the medical services in his area. He now speaks good French, but his wife doesn't.

I don't suppose the results will need much 'interpreting'. This needs further investigation! I used to run clinics where I taught women how to do breast examination and what to look for. A dimple, or any change in the skin texture, is a warning sign. Anything that wasn't there before!

I suppose it's no good asking: you DO do regular breast examination, don't you?

No, I wasn't thinking of waiting until we go back to the UK before I do anything about the breast, it was a general comment about how much easier it will be regarding medical things. Added to this, my DH doesn't speak any French at all, beyond bonjour and au revoir, and he has started having health problems recently. This means he is reliant on my indifferent language skills and imperfect translations between him and the GP every time he has to go. We have been here 16 years now, but it's only in the last couple of years that the health problems have kicked in, so that is a major factor in our decision to go back.

Somewhat at a tangent, it is a warning to other people who relocate or retire to another country without an adequate grasp of the language. I cannot imagine who your DH has been able to talk to for the last 16 years if he doesn't speak French and I imagine you must have been quite isolated from your local community if your own language skills are as "indifferent" as you say. Perhaps you are being modest though.
Many people are quick to criticise immigrants to this country for not learning and speaking English. Works both ways.
Good luck anyway Antonia, we are all rooting for you.

No, you shouldn't worry. You should get it checked out and let others do the worrying. Yes, I have had the same thing; I did worry (a lot) but ignored it. I then mentioned it, in passing, while going for something else minor. It was checked out and IT WAS FINE!! What a waste of a good worry. I should have gone earlier. So, you need to go, soon. I wouldn't wait till you return to England though. Can you take someone with you who can help with the language? They may have someone at the surgery who can do that - a nurse, maybe?
As others have said, you will have us checking up on you now - so GO, and then we'll shut up, but we will still care.

Never knew a poitrine was a breast. It sounds really dainty and pretty!

'Poitine' can be either breast or chest. Same as 'brust' in German.

Just off-topic a bit, I'd never live in any foreign country without having at least a basic grasp of the language. This has applied even for a week's holiday in Portugal, or Spain.

One of the pleasures of last summer's holiday in the Harz mountains, Germany, was being able to buy fruit in a market, filled rolls for lunch in a small bakery, visit an 'apotheke' (pharmacy) where I was mistaken for a Dutchwoman. And similar.

Roll on June and the Black Forest!

I had my regular mammogram check up 2 yrs ago and a lump was found but too small to be felt. After lumpectomy and radiotherapy for a month I was fine. Now in 2nd yr of remission and feel great. But I often think what if I hadn't gone it could have been too late and the consequences don't bear thinking about! Much better to get it checked out now and save yourself a lot of worry. Good luck

Yes, as everyone has said, get looked and and have any necessary treatment. Ignoring it won't make it less scary, and could cost you dear. These days early cancers are almost always treated successfully - neglected cancers often kill.
Anyway, hopefully it will turn out to be nothing! Best of luck and blessings to you xxx

Good for you. Better safe than sorry and a dimple is cause for getting a check up. A mammogram is no big deal.

Antonia I too live in France and my biggest fear at the moment is having to go back to UK at some point and be at the mercy of the NHS.

The French system is far, far superior. You are so fortunate to be here. I get regular mammograms, every two years, free and I am given the result 10 minutes later (as with any other investigations here in France) and so no worrying wait for results. You will not have long waits to see a consultant etc.

Don't delay. You can get a French/English Health dictionary which I used frequently when I first arrived, despite pretty good French. My GP has now got his own copy! Most French medical people have some knowledge of English and I think they are marvellous.

If you don't do anything about it and some months down the line you are in a far worse position do you think you will get sympathy and no I told you sos? Sorry to be harsh but that is the reality.

You are so fortunate to live in this day and age when so much progress has been made re breast cancer, and that you are in France. Don't diss it.

Definitely go for a mammogram. There is great treatment out there now, and early detection means a total cure can be possible.
Make yourself do it.

I agree with AnnieFr. - I find the health service great. I too have the free mammogram - they stop at about 73 or so here but when I to,d the GP my mother had late onset he wrote a letter for another mammogram and the money was reimbursed - cost €48 I think and now I am back on the regular list. I took my previous mammogram with me for comparison and as annie said I walked out with the result. By the way I found the actual procedure not as uncomfortable as in UK.

Maybe I am being modest about my language skills Mawbroon. My best friend / neighbour here is French and I get along fine with her. I used to be much more confident years ago when I taught English to French students, but since I stopped I don't get much practice. What I am talking about is when I go to the GP WITH DH and he says something like, "well, tell her it's grumbling on and off a bit lately...." and then I find it hard to explain properly. My DH isn't very sociable so I don't think he feels isolated. He never did much talking when we were in the UK either. Anniefrance, I am a bit dubious too about the NHS, but we will be relocating to a town with a good hospital. Here, it is a 45 minute journey although as you say, the care is good when you get there. I worry more for DH. He was admitted last year as an emergency and he is not able to communicate effectively with the doctors.

Like you Antonia,I really disliked having a mammogram, but I can honestly say that with the new equipment they have nowadays it isn't as uncomfortable as it was in the past. It's over in seconds - and it gave me peace of mind.

It was more the anticipation of the procedure, than the procedure itself that was worse for me. I found that once I explained to the Technician that I was a big baby about it, it broke the ice and she was very reassuring throughout.

Please ask for a mammogram (mammographie) yourself, don't wait to see if the doctor suggests it.

Hope all goes well, will come back later to see how you got on.

Best of luck at the GP this evening Antonia. I too had an inverted nipple which was investigated years ago, and last year had a lump checked out at the hospital - both were fine as is the case for the vast majority of women. Friends and acquaintances have had cancer picked up by mammograms and all of them are in remission - it is so important to act quickly if you are worried.

Please don't let this turn into yet another NHS bashing thread. The actual procedure is less uncomfortable anywhere than it was even a few years ago - the equipment is much improved. And anyone over 70 in the UK (73 in some areas) can carry on with the regular screening, simply by making a phone call and requesting it.

The issue is not French vs UK care. It's that you should of course get this checked out immediately, wherever you are. When I had a breast lump, I'd been referred, checked and reassured within the week. Don't carry on worrying about what may well be nothing to worry about. Best wishes.

my biggest fear at the moment is having to go back to UK at some point and be at the mercy of the NHS

If you were to look at a thread I started today about the 20 th anniversary of DH's liver transplant at the Royal Free Hospital London, a world leader in transplant surgery you might not need to "fear" the tender mercies of the NHS. Among his fellow patients in the unit were a gentleman who had flown from Japan for his life-saving surgery and an Italian gentleman.
It may have many faults, but don't be too quick to jump on the "let's all knock the NHS bandwagon".

Hulahoop is right, mammograms are uncomfortable but not painful. i wish you well.

Never ignore anything

In 2001 I had much the same experience as Mrsdof. I went for a routine mammogram and they found a small cancerous lump which they quickly removed, leaving a very insignificant scar. I had 6 weeks of radiotherapy and no Chemo and after a year I was told I didn't need to take Tamoxifen any more. 16 years on I am fine. Show the dimple to your doctor - all these things are much less trouble to deal with when they are small rather than hanging on and having to get it looked at eventually and finding it has got so big it is difficult to deal with.

I avoided mammograms not only for the discomfort but especially because I was terrified they could actually find something. I went for years without getting checked, that is until I detected a small lump under my right breast.

Long story short, it turned out to be early stage DCIS which is short for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ. As scary as that sounds it is the most common and least deadly type of breast cancer. After the lumpectomy, I received low dose radiation and hormones. I didn't even need chemotherapy since it was non invasive and no lymph nodes were involved. Today, with the onset of immune therapy, targeted therapies and genetics, there are even more (less aggressive) treatment options.

So, please don't be afraid to get checked out as soon as possible....it's probably a benign condition. However, if your worst fears are realized, keep in mind that in this day and age, more people are living with Cancer, than actually dying from it. Do let us know how you're doing. My fingers crossed and wishing you the best!

If you go online and type in lemon breast cancer you will get loads of pics of a dozen lemons in an egg box. Each lemon is different with signs of what to look for when examining your breasts. At least I now know what to look for, and unusual dimples are one of them. Good luck.

Coukd you not take your French friend to the doctor with you to help you explain?

I have been dealing with DH and his incurable cancer for nearly 7 years. Breast cancer, caught early, can usually be cured and I can promise you it beats the alternative of years of treatment.