Hello out there all you lovely people, how are you? I very much hope you are well and if not that you get all the support you need. 

I have started radiotherapy last Thursday and have decided to take it easy with the blogging this month. I am still just a little bit more than halfway through with my 2020 Goodreads goal. That is why I am going to read, read, read and do a little exercise to keep the tiredness at bay. And listen to lots of music. And dance like no ones watching. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month on “The Bee Writes…”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month which gave me an important topic to write about on my “Come Away With Me” posts.

So prepare for some information, some music and hopefully the motivation to check your breasts every month. And to push your healthcare providers to check you out when you find any signs of breast cancer. 

The reason I am saying this is that the only two cancer signs I had was a lump under my left arm and my left breast got slightly bigger. I told my doctors and radiologists since 2017, but all of them assured me that this is normal and nothing to worry about. Of course, I left it at that because after all, they are the ones who know. And they knew I had a family history of breast and other cancers. It didn’t seem to bother them immensely. 

Push for further Examinations if you see any signs of Breast Cancer

Well, do not let yourself be lulled into security by doctors etc. especially if you feel something is wrong. Request to be checked out properly. Push for it until they do it no matter what the outcome is. The earlier they find cancer, the less you have to deal with cancer treatments. They might not be as bad as they were when my mother had breast cancer in the late 70s and early 80s. They are still a tough challenge to deal with, though. They are invasive and take time away from what you love to do. 

I do not know how Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Chadwick Boseman were able to work while having cancer treatment. I couldn’t. I hardly had a brain to manage my typical day to day life even though other side-effects weren’t that bad. So please do not take the signs of cancer lightly. Most of those signs are something unrelated, but if they are not checked out, cancer might be missed.

 Signs of Breast Cancer

This video already mentioned everything you need to know, but I repeat the usual symptoms that indicate breast cancer:

• a lump in the breast
• thickening of the skin or tissue of the breast, or dimpling of the skin of the breast
• a lump or swelling in either armpit
• a change in the shape or size of the breast, such as swelling in all or part of the breast
• a nipple turning in (inverted nipple)
• a rash (like eczema) on the nipple
• discharge or bleeding from the nipple
• pain or discomfort in the breast that does not go away, but this is rare.

taken from the McMillan page

One of the best ways to find any signs of breast cancer is a monthly self-check about which I will write next week. However, mostly they say that a partner finds the symptoms of cancer. And many find no signs at all. So being aware of what is typical for you is very important. 

Find further information on Breast Cancer.

You can find more information about the signs of breast cancer here:

Cancer Research UK on Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Now on Breast Cancer

NHS on Breast Cancer

Mayo-Clinic on Breast Cancer

WebMD on Breast Cancer

Mcmillan on Breast Cancer

Mcmillan downloads on Breast Cancer

Unfortunately, Men can get Breast Cancer too.

And if you are a man: Unfortunately you can get it too.

Mcmillan on Breast Cancer in men

NHS on Breast Cancer in men

Cancer.org on Breast Cancer in men

I can only encourage you to stay alert when it comes to signs of breast cancer. Also, to push for further examinations when you feel that there is something wrong no matter what your health care providers say. It saves lives, you know!!!!

But now to something entirely different

😉

Come Away with Me to Slovenia. I am quite excited about this country because it is one of the European countries I haven’t had the honour to visit. Not sure I believe I ever will. First of all, I think we’ll have to deal with this virus for a very long time. And I also believe that the climate crisis will prevent us eventually from travelling as we used to do. But who knows. Maybe I am utterly wrong. 

From what I can see from the videos, Slovenia is a lovely country. A bit a mix of Bavaria, Italy and Austria: Beautiful mountains, exciting architecture, great food and a little craziness. Their independence day is December 26th! That’s crazy, ey?

But before I start to babble a lot about a country I have no knowledge about whatsoever I let you see my video playlist about Slovenia by people who can give you much better info than I 😉

Music-wise I could have gone for a lot of traditional music. They seem to like their music and food traditions. But I am not so fond of brass music or morris dancing. Therefore I checked out the Last.FM list of Slovenian musicians and found these ladies and gentlemen:

Please feel free to investigate more musicians and enjoy!

And where are we going next week?

Come Away With Me 2020 Musical Challenge Country for Monday, October 12th, 2020

I am taking a rather random route around the world, but sometimes it makes sense. Next week we venture into Croatia. Please find musicians from Croatia on the Last FM page

As for the suggestions to take part:

1. Join in! No matter where, when and with what. No matter if you have cancer or not! You missed the first week? Don’t worry. Just jump in when it suits you.
2. Send us the link! The ping-back option does not always work so please leave a link in the comments of the post on the day you take part. Or leave it at the “Come Away With Me 2020 FB page“
3. Tag your post either with ” Come Away With Me Musical Challenge”/ #CoAwWiMeMuCh” / “Come Away with Me 2020 Musical Challenge” o/“CoAwWiMe2020MuCh” / . You can also use these as hashtags for Twitter and other Social Networks to give your post more exposure. If you add #blog and #music with your hashtags it will get you more readers.
4. No matter which music or country the prompt favours you create with it whatever you please. This is supposed to be a fun challenge and no chore.
5. I post a prompt for the next week with every “Come Away With Me 2020 post” I write.
6. If you like, use this picture for your readers to find the posts.

I am fundraising for McMillan and you can donate here and download Bees McMillan Coffee Morning German Christmas Download (PDF file) (no it’s not in German but about German recipes and Christmas 😉 ) here: Please feel free to download it anyway now that the event has ended

Just one more thing before you go: The hospital that is treating me is fundraising for a dedicated breast cancer unit which would allow same-day diagnosis and better premises for patients and staff.

Thanks my dears, for staying with me until the end. I appreciate your presence. Please stay safe, stay kind and remember that you rock!