ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120100
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Health Notes
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Don't be offended if a friend calls later this month to ask if you've had a mammogram. She's probably a volunteer in the American Cancer Society's "Tell-A-Friend" program, which aims to increase the number of women who get regular X-rays of the breast.
Based on the number of women over 50 who get a mammogram and clinical breast exam every two years, Virginia can't rank much lower. It's now 48th, and volunteers with the Roanoke chapter of the cancer group met at lunch last month to discuss ways to change that.
Roanoke-area volunteers are being asked to pop the mammogram question to five or more 40-plus women they know between Friday and March 29. A month later, they will call back to the women who earlier said they had not had a mammogram and find out if they've made an appointment for one. In May, the volunteers will want to know if the appointment was kept.
It might seem like nag-nag-nag, but the intent is to increase awareness of breast health, especially among elderly, low-income and minority women.
If you aren't aware of the the American Cancer Society guidelines for breast cancer detection, here they are:
Breast self-exam every month, if you are 20 or oder.
Clinical breast exam every three years if you are 20 to 40, every year if you are over 40.
Screening mammogram by age 40.
Mammogram every one to two years if you are 40 to 49.
Mammogram every year if you are 50 and above.
If you find a problem with a breast, go to the doctor immediately
Remember to check out your insurance company's guidelines. You can check the rules for Medicare, the program for people 65 and older or persons disabled for at least two years; or for Medicaid, a program for people who need financial help, by calling (800) 552-3423.
Female talk
Female medical professionals will discuss female issues such as bladder problems, hormone therapy and breast health in a series of 90-minute talks this spring at the Lewis-Gale Foundation auditorium.
On Thursday, Jane Davis, a registered nurse, will talk about some of the treatments available for urinary incontinence. On April 18, Susan Donkers, a family nurse practitioner with the Lewis-Gale Department of Internal Medicine, will review the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy after menopause.
On May 9, mental health counselors Barbara Shores and Jackie Wilkerson will talk women through ways to quit trying to be "superwoman"; and on June 12, Dr. Carol Reichel, a plastic surgeon, will discusses how women can decrease their risk of breast cancer and what options they have if cancer is detected.
All of the sessions are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Solvay Pharmaceuticals is paying the speakers' honorariums. For more information or preregistration, call 774-4022.
Childbirth weekend
Life in the fast lane has now come to childbirth education. The traditional six-week course that prepares couples for childbirth has been condensed into a day and a half.
The first Childbirth Class Weekend is scheduled March 22 and 23 at the Ramada Inn on Franklin Road Southwest in Roanoke.
The fee for the class is $85. Reservations can be made by calling 982-1469 or 982-1674. Arrangements for lodging and meals should be made separately.
You can reach Sandra Brown Kelly at 981-3393 or through electronic mail at sandrakinfi.net
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