A Cause for Concern
- Actor Busy Philipps, 42, alarmed fansand her own motherwith a bikini pic on Instagram where she appeared to have swelling under her right armpit.
- Luckily the Dawson’s Creek star said there is no cause for concern, but this would not be the first time that a diagnosis or health scare was caught via posted pics.
- This is an important reminder to go get checked even if there’s not too much cause for concern, It could be a blessing in disguise for some other underlying health issue, hopefully nothing serious.
“This is 100 percent the hottest self timer pic I've ever taken,” Philipps captioned the photo of herself in a pool wearing a brown string bikini, “there's no lame comment where I try to buy back what this is: a (expletive) thirst trap. I love you.”
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Amid the hearts and fire emoji responses listed, there were also some concerned commenters noting the swelling under her right armpit. Philipps’ mother even weighed in, concerned over the “lump,” which Philipps insisted was fat, letting fans in on the followup text from her mother. “This is what I get for posting that thirst trap,” Philipps jokingly complained. “This text from my mom.”“Biz – someone commented on your insta pic about your right underarm looking swollen and it does. Please take a look at get to the Dr. If it is,” the text read.
“Stop. It’s fat,” Busy’s response read. “Seriously stop it.”
The exchange then took another motherly twist with Busy’s mom insisting she’s not fat.
Hopefully Philipps at least did a self-check just in case. It’s always best to go see a doctor just to be safe. At the age of 42, she should be getting annual mammograms regardless. Most experts urge women to start getting checked at 40, earlier with a family history.
Dr. Connie Lehman, the chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, emphasized to SurvivorNet how mammograms save lives.
"If you haven't gone through menopause yet, I think it's very important that you have a mammogram every year. We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving."
Related: When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
"After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years," says Dr. Lehman. "But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
A Mammogram is the Best Tool for Breast Cancer Screening
Health Scares and Cancer Caught on Camera
British Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas, 61, mother of top dancer Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars, also attracted comments from concerned fans watching the show who noticed lumps under her arm during a dance move.
“I’ve just done some self-check on myself, and I couldn’t feel anything except a tiny little node on the back,” Ballas said. “I’m going to go to the doctors on Tuesday, and too all the women out there please keep checking yourself and to those people who were concerned enough to send me messages they saw lumps and bumps I’m very grateful.”
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Luckily, Ballas updated followers that the “lump” wound up being nothing, however, her doctor did discover “alarming” hormone levels and they apparently are looking into it.
During a 2013 marathon of HGTV’s wildly popular Flip or Flop, registered nurse Ryan Reade noticed a lump on host Tarek El Moussa’s neck and contacted producers. It was thyroid cancer.
“I noticed that at certain angles, at certain times, it just caught my eye that Tarek had a lump on his throat,” Reade told TODAY, “and I thought it was something that needed to be brought to his attention.”
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Tarek said his message from Reade was a “lightbulb moment. He had been having problems with his throat for three years that he dismissed. Tarek, along with his doctor, had dismissed the lump as a fatty mass, since he was a smoker. Which exactly the reason that he should have been screened properly.
"A lot of people said they got tested because I shared my [thyroid cancer] story," El Moussa, who also survived testicular cancer, told PEOPLE. "I thought this was the time to come forward because it could save some lives.
Former & Current Heavy Smokers Should Get Cancer Screenings Using CT Scan, Says Leading Expert
Conservative radio personality Dan Bongino caught his cancer in the fall of 2020 thanks to a fan who happens to be an oncology nurse. She noticed a lump in the Fox News host’s neck while watching him on camera and urged him to go get checked out.
He was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, and underwent chemotherapy and radiation, along with removal of the seven-centimeter tumor. Fortunately, Bongino was given the "all-clear" in March.
Related: Radio Host Dan Bongino Given 'Clean Bill of Health' After Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Treatment
Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes. It is typically classified as either Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The distinction between the two has to do with a person's white blood cells linked to the disease. If doctors are unable to detect the Reed-Sternberg cell (a giant cell derived from B lymphocytes), then it is categorized as non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
However, if Reed-Sternberg cells are present, the lymphoma is diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, says lymphoma symptoms can be difficult to detect, and thus can lead to a late diagnosis. "The symptoms of lymphoma, especially if you have a low-grade lymphoma, often are no symptoms. People say, but I feel completely fine, and that's very normal," explains Dr. Chong.
Thankfully, Bongino took his health serious enough to go to the doctor.
If you’re worried, or if anyone around you is worried, go check in with your doctor.
Going to the Doctor Saved This Cancer Survivor’s Life
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