Helping break the taboo

A specialist breast care nurse who recently arrived in Bahrain is planning to give lectures to school children in a bid to raise awareness about the disease from an early age.

Adrienne Buck aims to break “the taboo” about talking about breasts to help cut the number of preventable deaths in the kingdom.

She has treated scores of breast cancer sufferers in her native Australia and said: “The earlier girls know about breast cancer the better.Women are encouraged to do self-breast examinations from the age of 20, but I would encourage education and awareness to start during puberty.

“Early detection is the best protection against breast cancer. Detecting it early can be the difference between life and death. I want the message to get out that you should not only to think about it but physically do something about it.” 

Adrienne, 45, of Juffair, plans to give talks to school pupils in Bahrain as well as nurses at the Bahrain Specialist Hospital.

“There is a taboo about talking about breasts but we must,” she explained.

“Ignoring your breasts is like ignoring your life. It’s so sad when you see women who have ignored a lump and only come in when the cancer has spread.”

The mother-of-three has been a nurse for 20 years. Six years ago she decided to specialise in breast cancer and secured a scholarship to undertake a rigorous training course.

“I am continuously studying because the more you know about breast cancer the more you can help,” she said.

She has worked closely with surgeons, radiologists and pathologists, and has supported sufferers from diagnosis through to recovery.

“It’s a rewarding job,” she explained, although at times it can also be harrowing. During treatment sufferers can lose their hair, nails, appetite, suffer from intense nausea, mouth ulcer infections and depression.

“They are very difficult issues to deal with as well as dealing with a life-threatening illness.  

“When I look at the patients I think that it could be me, my sister, my daughter or mother. It affects so many people and can be so devastating.” 

When Adrienne arrived in Bahrain in August she read an article about the Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and decided to get in touch with founder Jules Sprakel.

“The work that Think Pink does is fantastic,” she said, “it’s not just about thinking pink, but acting pink.

“Women can do an examination every day during a shower, making it a daily habit like brushing your teeth.”

IN recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital (AMH) is offering a discount on mammograms and ultrasound for women. 

The discount will be valid for the whole of this month. Women are encouraged not only to have breast examinations but to book an entire ‘well-woman’ screening.

 AMH offers a specialist breast clinic run by general surgeon Dr Sanjay Gupta. 

He said: “The Breast Clinic was opened to facilitate the diagnostic phase of women with possibilities of breast disease. We offer screening, consultation, treatment and referrals as necessary.

“As mammographic X-ray is the main tool in helping to diagnose breast disease we encourage women to take advantage of this special offer and have a mammogram.”

Ultrasound examination of the breast is another useful tool which gives additional information to the clinician.

Its main role is differentiating between a cystic (fluid filled) lump, which is less likely to be cancerous and a solid one. There is no radiation involved, and it uses the reflection of sound waves to determine the nature of the mass or lump in the breasts. It is safe in pregnancy and very useful in younger women who have denser breasts.

AMH has a discount price of BD45 for using both the modalities for examination of breasts. To make an appointment for ‘Well-Woman’ call 17248142, breast clinic call 17248110/121 and radiology call 17248117.