Breaking Barriers: The Top 3 Myths and Misconceptions in Breast Health Care

Welcome to another episode of "A Couple of Rad Techs Podcast"! In this episode titled "Breast Cancer Awareness and Overcoming Perceived Barriers," our host Chaundria Singleton is joined by guest Chalonda Jones as they dive into a series focused on breast cancer awareness during the month of October. With over 40 years of combined experience in the field, our panel of experts will be discussing various topics and debunking myths surrounding breast health and cancer. 

From advancements in technology to the importance of self-awareness, this episode aims to educate and empower listeners to prioritize their breast health. 

Breast cancer awareness takes center stage in this episode, as Chaundria and chalonda debunk the misconception that black women are more prone to breast cancer. They emphasize the crucial role of timely detection and treatment, urging everyone, regardless of gender, to prioritize their breast health and overcome any perceived barriers.

Throughout the episode, the hosts also address common misunderstandings about breast tissue, including the notion that breast lumps always signify cancer. They underscore the need for self-awareness and self-breast examinations, providing valuable insights on what to look for and why it is important to know one's own breast tissue.

The conversation expands to include the relevance of hormone fluctuations, the impact of family history and genetic factors, and even the occurrence of breast cancer in males. Chaundria and chalonda stress that taking charge of one's breast health is a responsibility for all, regardless of age or gender.

In a heartfelt moment, the hosts share personal experiences, expressing the importance of not delaying medical attention and the need for support and awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Listeners are encouraged to join the hosts in spreading awareness, scheduling mammograms, and supporting breast health initiatives. The valuable knowledge shared in this episode will empower individuals to break through barriers, dispel myths, and prioritize their well-being.

So tune in to "A Couple of Rad Techs Podcast" as Chaundria Singleton and guest chalonda bring you on an enlightening journey through breast health, technology advancements, and the importance of breaking gender-based stereotypes.

So grab your headphones and get ready for an informative and engaging conversation on breast cancer awareness, self-exams, debunking myths, and breaking barriers. Let's get started!

Transcript

0:50

There we go. Welcome everyone to our series on breast cancer awareness. This is our final series. I am so sad this is our final series, but that's okay because we are gonna keep it going and we're gonna have a good conversation. Our guest today Has been on this podcast before. And first, let me introduce myself. I am Shondria Singleton. I'm a radiologic technologist first and foremost, 21 years in the field. I'm registered and certified by the ARRT in MRI, CT, X and nationally certified in mammography. Hence, I'm wearing all this pink. And my guest today is Shalonda Jones Thomas. I'm just gonna give a brief overview and let Sholanda tell you all about her. She owns the Thomas she's the CEO of the Thomas Institute of Health Professional Professions. And I love to make sure I plug that because she has tons of experience in the field, but she's giving back to our field by helping and educating professionals in the radiology industry. She has registry prep, structure education continuing education. She is just amazing. And get this, she has a 100% pass rate, so I don't think anybody else Can say that. So, you know, if you're looking for a school to get that registry, you wanna up your game in your profession, you wanna up your paycheck, Look at the Thomas Institute of Health Professions. And, Shalonda, thank you for being here on our podcast again. Thank you, Shondrea. Yeah. I enjoy, that you have decided to do a series on breast cancer and breast cancer Awareness because that's a very important topic. I've have I did my dissertation actually on breast cancer and breast cancer screening. And so I found it, information, that it hasn't gotten out there like it should, And I try to find ways in which I personally can get out as a health care professional and spread the word and try to encourage, the public to go and get screenings. And so I didn't just say yeah. So, you know, And just things that is I found out over time, there's a lot of myths out there that have not been addressed. We address it. We're gonna get into that. We're gonna get into those myths, you guys. So I I want everybody to know who you are. So tell them just, you know, briefly Give them a little bit about your background, who you are, what it is that you do in our lovely field of radiology. Okay. I am, Shalonda Jones Thomas. I am a certified radiologic technologist. I'm also certified in CT. I'm certified in MRI. I in my field, I am currently the CEO and president of Thomas Institute professions. I've been in the field for over 25 years. I began in the clinical side, and I became the supervisor for several years for diagnostic radiography. I then went into education, And I became the assistant professor not only for the radiography program, but also I was the assistant professor and clinical director for nuclear medicine. And so I developed the first online CT MRI program, complete program through nuclear medicine. And so I am excited to to be here, and just share what I know, share my knowledge with you. Well, we are happy to have you. So you guys, if you're watching live on LinkedIn or Instagram, welcome. And if you're watching the replay, welcome as also. And let us know in the comments where you guys are chiming in from, where you're chiming in from, and what questions you may have for our professional here. Again, we have over 40 years of experience on this panel right now, and we're going to be talking about some wonderful things. So I'm gonna just briefly let you know The purpose of this series and if you haven't caught up, this is series number 4, breast cancer awareness. October is breast cancer awareness month, and it's Just a month where we don't just wear pink. We actually bring awareness. And we're gonna talk today about myths concerning breast cancer and breast cancer screening, perceived barriers, Because that is one of the things, and and she's gonna talk very passionately about that because they are perceived barriers. There are no barriers to taking care of your breast health, men and women. And thirdly, we're gonna talk about how medical imaging professionals can increase the awareness. So We hold a responsibility as well as technologists, in the field. So we're gonna talk about how we can do more For our patients and also for ourself, we set the example, right? So Shalonda, let's kinda get into that. Misconcerning breast cancer and breast cancer screenings. How would you define breast cancer and through your experience the prevalence of it? Explain the prevalence of it. So when we talk about the prevalence of breast cancer, there is a lot of myths Concerning that, one of them is the statement that we have the African American women have a higher incidence of breast cancer. That is not true. Actually, Caucasian women have a higher incidence of breast cancer. We have a higher mortality rate Mhmm. Of breast cancer. And so, that's the difference. And so Some of that comes from, what I have discovered is the perceived barriers, that I'm gonna talk about in a few, but I want To make sure that I say that, I was talking to someone on yesterday, actually, who asked the question, why do black women get breast cancer more? And I had to correct them on that because it's not that we get it, African American women get it more. Some of it have to do to do with is we arrive to get treatment or to get exams later, so it's delayed. By the time we go and get checked, it already have progressed and spread it. So that is the difference, between We talk about the incidence of breast cancer. And that's the Oh, sorry. Mortality rate. Yeah. Yeah. That's I I like how you brought that up because That is a myth that I personally had you you know, you've heard it, but I hadn't heard it that much. But I haven't worked in the in the breast memo field very long, and you have. So that's why we have you on here because some of those things and I love how you really cleared it up that it's not so much. It's just that when we finally catch it. So we're gonna talk some more about ways that you can find things earlier. Why the month of October is so important, when it comes to breast cancer screening. So when we talk about breast cancer, there are different types of breast cancers. You know? It's just not 1 breast cancer. There are different types. You know, everybody is different, but the one thing that I appreciate is the Associations that are out there. If you wanna just know some general information on breast cancer, breast cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the cells of the breast. It can occur in both men and women, more commonly in women, but it can occur in both. And We've had doctors on that says the incidence is of men having breast cancer is rising. So this is not a woman versus a man thing. It is both. And something that we should start early, helping people to understand your breast should be given just as much attention as your thyroid, As your your fibroids, as, you know, your ovaries, we have to give attention to the breast, and it's a leading cause of cancer related deaths globally. So Shalonda has talked about that. And then when you take it to, a cultural standpoint, You know, you can prevent some things by taking making awareness of them as we are doing today. So go ahead and tell us Some more myths maybe that you've heard and that you've run across in your experience. Another one, it, includes Talking about the lumps in your breast, and so of course we need to pay more attention to our breasts, become more aware of our breasts by doing self check to self breast examinations. That is Actually, one of the main things because you know you're breastfeeding more than anybody else. So I want to make clear, yes, You know if we find a new lock or anything like that, we need to take heed of it, we need to pay attention to it. Also, Pay attention to the changes in your breast tissue as well. So don't just look for a lump, pay attention to your breast tissues as well. If you see any change in colors that you should also, you know, and or lumps, you should go to the doctor and then get checked clinically. That's another myth is if you find a lump, that's breast cancer. And that's not always breast cancer. It could be benign. But, again, you still need to go and speak with your doctor and let your doctor clinically evaluate you and before, you know, you get to the point that you say, oh, okay. I I I've had I have this lump, but I'm a see how long it'll take for it to go away. Yeah. And we do that. That is not we yeah. Do that. Right? I mean, as and health care workers, I'm gonna I'm gonna call us out here. We do that as well too. We'll say, oh, it's gonna go away. It's just assist. And then assist start turning into, like, a little shrimp in the inside. It's like, wait. Now it's got 2 more little Tentacles going this way you feel you know? And and you just say, oh, it's gonna go away with my cycle. My next cycle, it'll it'll go away because sometimes maybe the last one did, But this one isn't, you know, we just ignore, oh, well, it doesn't hurt. I work in healthcare or, you know, I've had these kinda lumpy breasts all my life And some women just don't know or men don't know what their breast feel like, so it's important to do those, you know, early on. And one thing we talk about This series has been really helping people to understand what breast tissue is. So I wanna kinda zero in on what all the information you just gave us, because you gave us a lot of good information there in that that second myth. But when you talk about lump in the breast, can you remind everybody what is breast tissue? Because most people think it's just what fits in your bra cup. Right? Mhmm. But so so breast tissue is tissue that is located in your chest area. And so when we talk about breast tissue, a lot of times we bring to another myth. When you talk about men, they gotta realize they have breast tissue as well and so, your breast tissue goes all the way back towards your lymph nodes in your chest areas. So again, we just have to be careful. Your areola area, is included in your breast tissue. And so we just have to make sure that we do self, checks in our breasts. And one thing that people may may say, well, you know, I I I just don't wanna do that. But it it takes how long to do a self breast exam? It takes no time to do a self breast exam, and you can do it you can do it while you're taking a shower. You know a lot of people do go to take a shower and examine their breasts. It's if you can, you know, again, I think a lot of it comes from a lot of myths, and just to talk about men, in general, I, not too long well, 2 days ago, actually, found out a family member, A male member of my family, have breast cancer, and he waited. He delayed it, And so it have now spreaded, but, it goes back again, you know, We kind of look at our breasts and we say, oh, it's just it's just an, you know, a lump. And then you look at it and you say, you know, you hope it'll go away, And you have a history of it. He had a history of having this, and then he was going to dermatologist. But he noticed out the wild, this one did not go away. And so, again, just being aware, being self aware of your body, men and women, and realizing men's get breast cancer as well. So, actually, when you talk about men and And breast cancer, one of the things, I like to stress is although the number of men That get breast cancer is low. The American, I think it's like the American Cancer Society Say it's around, 2,000 this year, they think about 2,710 cases of male getting breast cancer of those 2,710 cases around about, 530 Deltz. Wow. So when we look at that, that's a high percent of that smaller number. So, again, a a lot of that has to do with, Males again, you know, saying, you know, I'm a male, and I'm not I don't get breast cancer or, you know, we're gonna see, Is it gonna go away? Right. And so, again, just I think, you know, we as health care professionals Need to bring greater awareness to males as well about breast cancer and breast cancer screening Because last year, I did a segment, for the community, and I had some guys to get up some males to get up and say, oh, you know, he doesn't look kinda joking, but it was serious. You know? They they're like, oh, this is for y'all ladies, and they got a bluff. We'll give her the lead. I said, no. No. No. I beg you differ. Yeah. I have information for you too. But, you know, they and they had questions because, again, they didn't realize how many males die from breast cancer just like females, and then again when we talk about the comparison of male to female, because the percentage is smaller that means that It's more serious because that mean more men's out of that population that have breast cancer now are dying Yeah. Compared to the the amount of women. So what do you think are the barriers that we talk about barriers when it comes to there are no barriers. So perceived barriers. And and it's probably different for men and women when it comes to breast cancer because men is like, oh my goodness, I got breast cancer. That's a woman's disease, you know, and they might be ashamed To go into a mammography center and schedule a yearly breast exams. Most men feel like if I got breast, oh, something's wrong with me. But a lot of men have breasts. I mean, I do 21 years, almost probably half of my patients males, Especially older and now younger, they have breasts. They have breasts. I mean, and for various reasons, some people take medications, some people just genetically have more breast tissue and in some you know, as you get older, sometimes you just have more breast. It's nothing to be ashamed of. That could be a perceived barrier. Can you think of any other perceived barriers that men may face and then maybe some we could give the women so they can get beyond that because we need to go beyond because there are no barriers when it comes to your breast health. Yes. And you brought a great point about Aging. So family history. Because, another perceived barrier is Nobody in my family, you know, have breast cancer. So, therefore, I don't have a concern to about breast cancer because we don't have a history of breast cancer, and they don't realize that sometimes, especially in males, and that's what my cousin found out, like in the male population, there's several risk factors you have to consider. One of those how to be you know, it can be inherited. We call it b c c a two, gene. We also have a syndrome called Kline filter syndrome, and it affects about 1 in a 1000 men a year, and that's when a male usually have a y chromosome plus an x, but in this case, they have 2 or more X chromosomes. And so, just a genetic makeup, Guys can go and get when they another risk factor is, like, when guys have, Prostate cancer. Mhmm. And getting radiation for prostate cancer. So that could increase their risk as as well. Perceived barriers. Insurance. So the perceived barrier with insurance, people say, you know I can't go and get screening because I don't have the insurance, and so there's a lot of Free exams, mammograms, companies that will come out. A lot of time they come in a mobile vehicle, mobile van and can do the mammograms for free. But I think awareness again need to be there that these services do exist. So that's a perceived barrier. Another perceived barrier that I have, come across is the perceived barrier that, you know, don't I just don't wanna get the mammogram because the mammogram hurt. So I, you know, I had it one time, this coming from my research. I had the mammogram one time. I'm never gonna do it again. Yep. And I'm like, okay, why you're not gonna do it again? I don't want to do it again because it scared me. It hurt, and that's where we can come in as professionals, you know, and explain it to them. And actually my I had a mammogram and that I always tell them my experience, you know. So for example, Now the mammogram's compressions are not as tight as they used to be because our technology has advanced. And so the last time I had it, which was 2 weeks ago, I was I was like, that's it? You know? Because It was a little it wasn't tight tight pressure like it usually be, because I had three d. They did three d mammogram on me. So, just kind of educating them. Another one I just heard, I want to speak somewhere was, Well, my breast is too big for me to have a mammogram, and so, My question was why did you think why do you think your breast is too big? She's like, because the last time I had a mammogram, they, when they did my mammogram, They had to do several images, and she said that, all her breasts couldn't fit on the plate. But do it in. We do it in quadrants. Yeah. We do it in quadrants. And so I'm I'm I was my I told her, you know, Again, it's important that you get mammograms done. We can we we are specialists. So we we, by you not getting it done is where you put yourself at risk Yeah. About not getting the mammogram done. Well, did not interrupt you, but we got Instagram comments coming in here. We got people saying they were surprised as well that it wasn't as painful when they got it done. Vivian w s 38 said that. And this is a young single mom. She was like, I was surprised as well that it didn't it wasn't painful. So just to what you just said, people are are realizing, hey. It's not like what people scared me to think, so I can go back for the next one. Exactly. Another perceived barrier has been distance. So before my research, I learned that distance is not really a barrier. Yeah. And because my the population I did rule a rural population versus Urban population. So the although the rural population, they had to travel, they say, anywhere from 30 30 minutes to 45 minutes to get their mammogram done. What I found out, it really wasn't a perceived barrier. It really wasn't a barrier because, What was happening is they had mammogram. They had, transportation to pick them up and carry them to a facility to get their exams done. The problem was they did not participate in the mammogram. Oh. So that so I heard that a lot of this like you know, it's not that's not a problem with us. The problem is not that We don't have a way to get to get our mammograms. The problem is people are not participating in the mammograms. When you say not participating, what do you mean? Not they're not going to get it. That's what I thought you were like. Yeah. Well, they said that so what it is, a larger, institution, had got a grant. And so they had drivers to come to the rural area, pick them up. They they said probably 4 or 5 people participated in the whole month, but they said that they'll come They was there stationed to pick them up and then carry them back, back home after the mammograms. Some people said so they was aware of it because it came up in my interview. The problem was that some people said that, you know, they came too early. It was too early in the morning. We got back too late at night, and so they didn't participate. You know? And so, Again, that was a perceived barrier, I thought, you know, and so, it proved me incorrect. So I learned also with the urban women, in my study that they actually said that they just didn't go. You know? It might be 8 minutes. It it could be 8 minutes away. You know it was the shortest distance between the mammogram and their resident was like 8 minutes, and you still had people not going to get their mammograms. One thing they said was, myth as well, was mammograms causes breast cancer. Yeah. Touch on that, but then we got a comment, on Instagram. Someone said a myth that they heard is that If you don't have any pain or issues, it must mean all as well when it comes to the lump. I'm That came up too. Yeah. What do you what would you say By that, thank you, Vivia w s for that 38 for that quote that, myth. Yes. That's a that I've heard I heard that myth, several times. They're like well, they have the attitude it was like the attitude of if I if I don't feel anything, Nothing going on. I don't have nothing to worry about. So they they relate it to if I don't have any pain, I'm okay. Yeah. Even if you have this big lump growing. Yes. And we've seen it. We've seen it, you guys. I mean, I I have had patients that literally had a whole another breast coming in. They were like, well, it doesn't hurt. Exactly. And it's like, that's not that's a problem, You know, so But I think it's fear. I think it's fear. That's just what I was gonna say. Because you you said to yourself, I can't have breast cancer. It it got to be something else going on. I can't have breast cancer. So I think it's a lot with the fear of saying to yourself, I it's growing, but It may be just you you know, it can be cancerous because this can't happen to me. My mama didn't have it. My family didn't have it. So I it I can't have it. And Vivius says something here too. The myth is you you you can be too young to get breast cancer. People think they're too young, but had patients as young as 19 with breast cancer. So and and that came up in the research too, was I had a lady, that child was 14, and she had breast cancer. The child came to her and told her that, she was, have have a leakage from her breast, And so she went to the doctor, and the doctors told her that couldn't have breast cancer because she's too young to have breast cancer. This is actually what the doctor told her, but that parent were more persistent. Like, no. It is a African American child. She's like, no. This is not normal. My child shouldn't be leaking. You know? Right. And so she's like, you know, after going back and forth with this doctor, she was like, I'm a go and get an you know, get a second opinion and go. And she because he say the doctor didn't even Exam. Do any kind of exam. Right? So she's like, she went to another doctor. Of course, she had breast cancer. But it was calling time Because now she is 40 some years old. I love it. I love it. With 2 children. So Yeah. But yeah. I had personally, I faced, pushback, from a doctor. And I'm, well, in my forties. Almost 50. Oh, yeah. And I had a doctor to ask me, so I asked him. I said, told him, I said, I wanna get my, mammogram. So I had changed doctors. I was like, I I need to get my mammogram. And he said, why? Because I said so. No. But my answer, I guess, was so high up. He asked me why a doc was her a dog? Right? Because I gave him stats. I'm like, do you know African American women? I don't know with that with him. But you asked me why, and I was, like, concerned. I'm like, but this is sad Because everybody do not advocate Mhmm. For themselves. Yeah. And so they kinda do what the doctor says. And a lot of time, if you don't know That you should really start if you're not having any problems before then, but at least at 40, you know, start getting your mammograms. Yeah. I think it's in a 30. I I had a I had a doctor on last week, and she was you had to go back and look, but even younger than that, they're recommending. You know? Of course, doing your own breast exams and being cognizant of your breast, just like that 14 year old girl was cognizant enough of The how her breast what they do and what they don't do on a regular basis. Everybody should know. You know? Your your son should know. Your your daughter should know as a young age That they should be looking over themselves to make sure things don't change because things do change as you get older. You know, things start to look a little different as you get older. But if you're not aware, You know, estrogen hormones change stuff, like life changes you. So you you really have to be aware and You're worth it. And I wanna talk more to the technology because that's what we are. As a technologist, I get the exams done Myself, you talked about the research you've done in the field, urban and rural, city research has been done and everybody has fear. Don't care if you live in a rural, if you live in the city, the urban, you're fearful of, if I go get this test done, they might find something. Everybody has that fear. Very few people are like, yep. I'm gonna go and it's got you always have something in the back of your head that's like, If they find something, how am I gonna live with it? How am I gonna deal with it? I might have little small children at home. I'm taking care of my parents. I can't afford to be sick right now. I've just bought a new house. Like, all of those things go through people's mind. Like, I got a trip planned. Let me go on this cruise first, and then I'll go ahead and get my my mammogram done. You know? All of those things are not reasons to put off your breast exam. The month of October is here to bring awareness. If you have to do every October, that is the time that you get your breast exam done. Go ahead and do it, book them up. It's enough places out there that, You know, make them not have any appointments in October, you guys. And I think as technologists, we can do a better job at the facilities that I'm that I've worked at personally of bringing awareness leading up to that month and even after that month with our patients that we know are breast cancer survivors. You know, really rallying them to come back to the facility, to maybe give a seminar that month at the facility, Maybe holding a big potluck or, you know, having having somebody cater food trucks in a parking lot or something with pink balloons really around the month of October, one day in October, just to kinda thank your patients for coming in and getting their yearly mammograms. You know, offer it's just we can do more. And when the patients come in as technologists, Really calling our family up and saying, hey. Do y'all know what the month October is? Have you gotten your mammogram? You know, have you done your breast self breast exam? Let's go as women in the family and let's go have a mammogram party. You know, something like that. What are some tips that technologists in your, opinion can do to really bring awareness? I, some some things I have done, and continues to do, every year. I have a community event. So I actually do it, through my church. Mhmm. And so I have a community event, where I, do a big to do, basically. Encourage people to come out. I have, different health care facilities to participate in the community, and we have a mammogram truck out there, where they can go and get their mammograms done. So I kinda as a Imaging professional. I go and I talk to the I talk about mammography, talk about breast cancer, breast cancer screening, What it looks like, breast cancer. And so we kinda talk about that, and then, you know, the truck is out there. The van is out there for them to go and get their exams done. Another thing you can do as imaging professionals, Wear this pink. So when I went to get my exam done, I had my pink shirt on, I had my Pink shoes on, and I went in there. I had a lot of conversations From my shoes, they started. We gotta see those shoes. Are they blinged out? Yeah. They there's another thing. But yeah. So, So the everybody like, I love those shoes. I love those shoes. And then I'm like, oh, yeah. I'm gonna get my mammogram today. And then we that's how we start the conversation. And so just bringing awareness to the community, that is another way. I know a lot of time we say that The community at large don't understand what we do. Yeah. And one of the ways we as technologists Can approve that is there's so many, awareness that we could be involved in and spreading the word because we are very intelligent Mhmm. Group of people, and so it's a profession. So we can always go out there. We can encourage people, for February, for example, You know, we're talking about the heart. You know, we have cardiologists car you know, people work in cardiac. Yeah. So there are so many ways that we can bring information to the community. We don't have to wait till until the community become a patient. Yeah. That's a good can do it be you can be preactive. Say that again. We don't have to wait to Say that say that one more time because that went by me kinda quick. We do not have to wait Until our community become our patient. Well, Vivian just said amen to that. I agree. That is that's it's it's very simple, but it's very profound. Because we see people over and over and over. I have similar patients come in for a MRI, for a CT, but, I mean, like, they live in there. And it, you know, it breaks your heart. It breaks your heart, but, like, you just made really good points. Radiology is in every facet of health care, cardiology. I mean, any problem you have, you probably gonna have to come to some kind of imaging modality to get it diagnosed, get better detail, A follow through you you're always gonna come to imaging. So we do play a vital role, and people really listen to us. I find my patients really, They really do listen to they might still think we're the nurses, but they really what's even when they figure out we're not Actually, They call me doctor at my church. Oh, girl. Yeah. They're like, no. I don't I'm not a medical doctor. Right. Yes. Always putting you in the head. Don't don't tell people you work in health care at your at your bible study nothing because you're gonna be the 1 doing the CPR classes you're gonna be doing. I do. Not to think that's why, but I love it. I I I prefer them to get the information. We just had a, one we just had a, conference. And so I had a lot of participants from the church to come, and so the speaker came from the university, and she was speaking. And they was answering the questions. She's like, wow. You all are so knowledgeable. Yeah. And they're, like, doctor over there told us about it. No. I'm not. Talk to this. Talk to the doctor. Oh, yeah. Girl, people who call they they gonna call you whatever they want to once they have it in their mind. But it shows the, the people you know, we We do more than push buttons. We see a lot, because everything has to come to radiology. Literally, everything has to come to us. If if Sholanda and Sholanda and I could probably sit down, we would blow y'all mind at some of the facilities we've worked at, some of the things we've been a part of From research to, you know, litigation to education to, you know, To regular outpatient cancer centers. There are so many things that we are involved in in radiology, and I would dare to say experts in. Oh, You have PAs out there. We have radiology assist radiologist assistants. They're just like PAs. You know? So Exactly. We are and many of us, the doctors standing beside us doing, Procedures and going, hey. Do you think I needed this French or that French, or should I go a little further in? You know, like and I just had a radiologist on and she's like, you know, we Really train our technologist to be our eyes. And I worked at musculoskeletal for years and literally sat the reading room with radiologists. Those old school radiologists, they're gonna train you to like, I don't know about the new ones because I don't really work getting health care like that anymore like I used to. But back in the day, those old radiologists, you're in a dark room in the in the reading room with them. They're explaining to you how they read and how they want you to understand how they read, because then you can give better quality imaging If you understand their process of reading, and there is a process to it. Like, radiology is just so fascinating to me. I'm grateful I got into the field And Me too. It has allowed me to really get up and close with patients. And I'm not we're not hands off. We're not just there Pushing people along. We really so we want you guys to ask any questions, really reach out to your technologist. The next time you go get any imaging service done, talk with them. You'll be surprised at all the information we can help you with, some questions that we can legally answer for you. But, Sholanda, what I I wanna end off with this because we always have a good conversation. Sholanda and I can go on and talk and talk and talk. So we're gonna do a whole big panel one day. We just need to do a whole big panel conversation because we could just talk. But what would you say in closing Will be some key takeaways for our guest today in and out this month because the month of October is Closing out, but we don't want it to close out on breast health. What are some takeaways people can remember? Key things. Just to Take time. Know your body. You're not too busy. Mhmm. A lot of times we say we're too busy to go and take care of our own selves, and we are not too busy to take care of ourselves. We need to schedule out like we schedule out anything else and take care of ourselves. Take care not only of ourselves but the people around us. Spread awareness about breast cancer, also just basic things. You know, people feel like, they have no control over getting cancer, period. Not only breast cancer, this cancer, period, Period. And one of the things I tell them, you know, you can take time to love yourself, and some things you can do is eat healthier, It's watch your weight, your diet, or whatever. Exercise. You know, go out and take a 30 minute walk. It's hard for me to. Yeah. Because I get up every morning, like, I don't feel like going, but take a 30 minute walk. And actually not only good for your for your body, it's good for your mental as well. Yeah. And try to decrease, of course, if you're drinking a lot of alcohol, decrease that as well. It's nothing wrong, but we're having fun every once in a while, but just kinda limit what you're putting into your body and be more mindful of what you put into your body. And that stress. Manage that stress as best as possible. Yeah. Manage that stress. Any walking exercise actually reduces stress. It helps. Yeah. I I'm not a morning exerciser, but, I I would do it, but I don't like to get out of bed. So just to get out of bed is my exercise, but I will exercise it later on. I I just love the conversations, especially as women that we have. I do want to thank you so much for being so willing to be a guest on the podcast and share all of your experiences, your knowledge, And just being down to earth and having regular conversations with people because my Instagram is lighting up, and they're really enjoying just a regular conversation. And I think that's some of what we can do as technologists and medical professions. I was gonna say that too. Yeah. And a lot of times, I've had I've had the community Tell me, like, you explained it. I didn't understand it, but you explained it very plain. Yeah. And we don't wanna talk to above people head. We wanna make sure because not no. Talking big words and speaking big words, That's not doing nothing but satisfying me. Yep. You know? But, actually, my satisfaction come from helping actually helping people, make sure they understand and getting the what they need to better their health. So, again, I'm just Me. Yep. And that's the best way to be. So the audience loved it. And thank you again, and thank you all for your comments in the chat for the live video. And thank you for everyone listening to the replay of the podcast and the live. We appreciate your time and Take the time for yourself if you have not already to go ahead and schedule your mammogram, your breast ultrasound, your breast MRI, whatever it is your doctor has told you to And if they haven't told you go ahead and set an appointment with a breast doctor, your family doctor, They can even do exams on you just to kinda get you started. You don't have to have a breast doctor, but that is one of the, I think you should have a breast doctor, in my opinion. It's like not having a cardiologist and you got a heart problem. You know? Exactly. I mean, that's just how I look at it. It was the best thing I could've done getting a breast doctor. I was like, woah. This is a whole new world up in here. Yeah. I mean, the experience of the mammogram was just out of this world. I'm like coffee, tea, Croissants? Oh my goodness. But it's just, you should be pampered during that time. And then when you make your appointment, Grab a friend, grab a family member, grab a coworker, grab a neighbor. There may be a older lady on your street that lives alone. When was the last time she had a mammogram? Go knock on our door and ask. There may be some lady you see at the grocery store, a man you see at the grocery store at a time, Take the time to share this month of October and spread breast health awareness. We all can do it. And, We're gonna close out with that. And thank you again, and until next time, you guys. Have a good evening.