Some women's nipples are sorta of pushed in, naturally.
But not Chrissy Verdin's. She says she looked at her breasts one day and "the nipple was gone." It was going in, not out.
She's learned this advice: if you have an inverted nipple and it's a new thing for you, call a doctor.
Verdin says at first she wanted to ignore it. But, after following Buddy Check for years, she knew that was a bad idea. Plus, her daughter, Ashley, urged her mom to call the doctor.
Now she's is grateful she took action. She says Buddy Check saved her life.
Dr. Cathryn Johnson, a breast surgical oncologist at Baptist/MD Anderson, says an inverted nipple can be a sign of cancer. She says if it's a change for you that your nipple is going in, rather than out, call your doctor.
Why would cancer cause a nipple to be inverted?
"As a cancer grows, it can pull on ligaments in the breast and also cause changes in the skin," Johnson said.
She says a cancer inside could be tugging at your breast and cause a dimpled appearance. Also something to report.
Verdin had a double mastectomy. She says a lot of prayers from family and friends helped her through.
"I believe in the Lord, that's for sure," she said.
Now she's working at a nonprofit, In the Pink, at the Beaches to help other women find the perfect post-mastectomy bra and the prosthesis they like.
"We're going to fix you up, make you beautiful. And we do," she says.
Founder of In the Pink, Jeri Millard, is a multiple-time cancer survivor herself. She says she wouldn't know what to do without Verdin. The two women work to get wigs and scarves to women or compressions sleeves for lymphedema.
She says, "Many of those items are covered by insurance and a lot of people have never been told that."
Verdin guides women through the process of life after breast cancer surgery. She understands because she's been through it. She says some women enter In the Pink with tears and leave with smiles.
Her best advice, "Do it!" She's talking about doing a self exam every 12th of the month on Buddy Check Day.
