Here’s a tip for those who must have this lovely experience: Don’t. She’s taking six views, and every one will be slap-your-mama painful. When the machine opens, it’s like a breath of fresh air. She leaves me to push the button and take the picture, with the admonition “Don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe.” Not sure if I could anyway, what with my lungs scurrying away for fear of being next on the hit list. Then she gives this helpful advice: “Now don’t move.” As If I Could! What, like I’m going try to back away, leaving my ta-ta clenched in the machine? My breasts aren’t taffy - believe me, I ain’t movin’. Once I’m properly sandwiched between the two plates that hold you in place, she turns the dial to tighten the grip. Which means that tech is willing to grab, yank, and squish my body into that machine with all the force of a pro-wrestler. Once they’ve seen something on the film, they are determined to get a super-great shot of your breast. right up until “just drop the shawl off your shoulder.” Then IT began.
Not so with the follow-up! I walked into the room, wearing the usual pink shawl, and listened to the mammo tech explain what they’d seen and what pictures she’d take for the radiologist. While I think screening mammograms are uncomfortable, I’ve never found them particularly painful. I’ll spoil the ending right here and say that everything is absolutely fine. There are many more false positives than real reasons to worry, but I still found myself thinking What if…? I made my appointment for early the next morning and told myself to ignore the anxiety humming in my chest for the rest of the day. I had my screening last week, and for the first time ever got a follow-up call asking me to come back for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound because the radiologist had seen something suspicious on the film. With cancer in my family and having lost a close friend to breast cancer, I’m a believer in early detection. I diligently get annual mammogram screenings. Meanwhile, let me share in my hyperbolic, humorous way about my own recent mammogram. They are uncomfortable, but believe me, early detection can prevent far more painful experiences. Note: I encourage women to get regular mammogram screenings.
0 kommentar(er)
