October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month , but breast cancer awareness and prevention — don't forget your monthly self-exams ! — are essential year-round. After all, being mindful about your body and when something isn't normal can be what allows you to catch cancer early on, or even before it's developed.

So when a Reddit user asked others about their breast cancer symptoms, plenty of people shared stories about "the first sign that something wasn't right." Here are some of their stories below:

A note for those with medical anxiety like me: Many of these symptoms can also be caused by other, more benign causes, so please don't panic if you've experienced any of these signs. Don't run to Dr. Google either; if you have a genuine concern, contact your GP instead!

1.

"For me, every night when I went to bed, I noticed a burning pain in the same place in my breast. I remember thinking, 'Haha! Probably cancer!' It was a while later that I got it checked out, and yep.…