By The New York Times Special Features
If you've just had a mammogram, expect notification of the
results, written in layman's terms, within a month. It's your right
under the newly amended Mammography Quality Standards Act.
It's recommend that you discuss the results of your mammogram
with the radiologist immediately following the examination. If your
doctor ordered the mammogram after finding a lump in your breast,
you should speak with the radiologist about the findings, says Dr.
Barbara Monsees, chief of breast imaging at the Mallinckrodt
Institute of Radiology at Washington University Medical Center in
St. Louis. But if you're undergoing a routine, annual screening
mammogram and the radiologist is not available on the spot, you
should receive notification of the results directly from the
facility within 30 days.
The Food and Drug Administration says that all facilities should
strive to get reports to women with abnormal mammograms within one
week, according to Monsees.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW REQUIREMENT
Ask your radiologist how the institution notifies its patients.
Some facilities may jot the results on a piece of paper and hand it
to you before you leave the office. Others may send it in the mail.
Call the facility if you haven't received your report within 30
days. And don't hesitate to call your physician with questions
after you've received your results. Reports documenting abnormal
mammogram results should instruct you about your next step.
However, you may want to speak with your physician.
DRINK UP TO LOWER YOUR ODDS OF BLADDER CANCER
In a 10-year study of nearly 48,000 men, those who drank six
8-ounce glasses of water daily were half as likely to develop
bladder cancer as those who drank just a glass a day (New England
Journal of Medicine, May 6, 1999).
``And those found to be at the least risk drank 10 or more
8-ounce glasses of fluids a day,'' says Dominique Michaud, a
research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and the
study's lead author.
Other drinks -- milk, tea, juice, beer and the like -- also seemed
to have a protective effect, but to a lesser degree than water.
Though the study included only men (who run a higher risk of
bladder cancer than women), drinking plenty of water and other
fluids may well protect both sexes, Michaud says.
These guideline a help you stay well hydrated:
+ Drink eight or more 8-ounce glasses of fluids a day.
+ Count a cup of coffee, tea or cola as half a glass, since the
caffeine in these drinks acts as a diuretic.
+ Drink an additional glass of water for every alcoholic
beverage that you consume, since alcohol has a significant diuretic
effect.
DRINKING MORE FLUIDS MAY LESSEN BLADDER CANCER RISK IN TWO WAYS:
+ By increasing the frequency of urination, speeding potential
carcinogens in your urine through the bladder.
+ By further diluting the urine, lowering the odds that
carcinogens will come in contact with the bladder wall.
GET YOUR NEXT WASH LOAD CLEAN ... AND SAFE
Doing the wash isn't what it used to be: Today, we use less
water (especially hot water) and less bleach than 10 years ago, in
an effort to minimize environmental damage. But the downside to
this approach is that it's easier than ever for illness-causing
germs such as Escherichia coli and the hepatitis A virus to survive
your washing machine and spread, according to Elizabeth Scott, a
consultant in food and environmental hygiene in Newton, Ma.
Should you worry?
For most healthy people, the answer is no. But there are times
when you'll want to take extra precautions Here's what to do:
+ Wash your hands after loading and unloading your machine.
+ Wash potentially bacteria-laden items such as underwear,
bathroom towels and kitchen linens as separate loads. Don't mix
them with the rest of your laundry.
+ Use the dryer when possible.
The heat (the higher the setting, the better) can kill bacteria
that survive washing.
+ If a fabric has been soiled by blood, vomit or feces, presoak
it in a tub of hot water with one cup of chlorine bleach or a
sanitizing detergent for half an hour. Then wash it alone
+ If a family member has a skin infection or an illness that
causes vomiting or diarrhea, wash his clothing separately with
liquid bleach or a sanitizing detergent for nonbleach items. And if
members of your household are susceptible to infection, such as
children under 4, people over 65 and those with lowered immunity,
wash all the laundry in this manner.
