Ladies only: Routine Mammogram tomorrow!

Well I scheduled a routine mammogram for Tuesday, mid morning. Nothing big except that it's been 12 years. I wish they would quit changing how often we need certain tests. Anyway, the reason I quit getting them was the pain. The last one was just too painful. But I was suffering badly from PMDD at the time so that might have made it worse.

And I'm on Coumadin, so I bleed and bruise a little easier. I told her this and she said that they have a new technology that means they don't have to squish the "girls" as much. I told her I don't want to have purple girls. :love:

Just to put a humorous spin on the event, I might wear all purple tomorrow. I have purple everything but shoes. Need to get those. :D

Wish me luck. I'm not anticipating any major problems. Just decided to quit playing around and take advantage of insurance while I have it. :D

Good for you for getting it done! I get mine every year, and think of the breast cancer survivors and those who didn't survive while I am enduring the squish-o-gram itself.

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Originally Posted by Karen

Good for you for getting it done! I get mine every year, and think of the breast cancer survivors and those who didn't survive while I am enduring the squish-o-gram itself.

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Squish-o-gram. :D I like that! I'll have to use that tomorrow! :D

best of luck, yes i know it can be very painful for some women, i luckily don't have too much trouble,but honestly it is worth a few minutes of pain for the peace of mind it will give you, my mother had been having them regularly for years and at 68 she was just saying think i have had enough of these, and yes you guessed it the last one showed she had breast cancer, but because she had been so diligent for many years, it was picked up very early and she has made a complete recovery, breasts still in tact and that was ten years ago, so please don't give up, you just never know, i wish you a pain free mammogram as possible, be thinking of you.

Hey, lotsa luck honey, I get the ol' mammograms, hate'em. I swear they squish my breasts harder and flatter every single time :( I am not a wimp and have small breasts but I do question if it is always a good idea, what if there is a cancerous tumor and it breaks open and metastises. I guess it is a personal decision whether to get one or not but off I trot and get one every year or so. I do self breast exams as well, just can't figure out if mammo's are the safest choice for us woman, all the best sweetheart :love:

you know what a lot of it has to do with the technician who is doing it, if they are really good ,it should not be too painful, well not unbearable, when they do the side views is the worst i find,the one my mum had her cancer removed is always much more painful than the other, not nice, i can imagine it would be.

Anyhow hope it went well and all is good.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts. Carole, I leave shortly for the mammogram. Hopefully results by tomorrow. :D

I usually concentrate on something really sweet and nice.

There is new technology, digitalgrams, I do believe. I have no idea what they are called, but it is no longer the old xray routine. I, too, think the person doing the set up etc. has lots to do with how uncomfortable you are during the major squeeze.

I go once a year, as I am a breast cancer survivor - 25 years now! I still have two. I can no longer see any scars. Early detection does work!

Ladies, please go as often as you can. Once a year should be fine. Early on, I was going 3 months, then 6 months. Now one a year.

Yea ladies!

I HATE mammograms!!! Because I have fibrocystic disease, I have one done every two years. The last time I got one done, the tech was EXCELLENT!! It wasn't half as painful has the last time AI got it.

Good luck!!

Wishing you a quick and relatively painless mammogram today! I do hope they don't bruise you.

I look at it as short term pain for long term gain. Peace of mind is everything.:love::love::love:

I had a base line mammogram done last year (I am almost 40). It didn't hurt and the tech was very nice. We talked about vacations and cruises the whole time. They sent me a notice to get one this year, but I refused. I got the base line and I'll start going every year after I turn 40........thank you. :) A few of my doctors sounded surprised I'd even had the first one done at my age. I don't know........my regular physician sent me to do it. But my grandmother did have breast cancer, so that is probably why.
Bruce's mother is also a breast cancer survivor. So I will not have a problem having it done each year. :)

I have it done every 2 years! But I really hate it!! I'm glad it onlt takes a few minutes, because it is very painful for me...:eek:

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Originally Posted by sasvermont

I usually concentrate on something really sweet and nice.

There is new technology, digitalgrams, I do believe. I have no idea what they are called, but it is no longer the old xray routine. I, too, think the person doing the set up etc. has lots to do with how uncomfortable you are during the major squeeze.

I go once a year, as I am a breast cancer survivor - 25 years now! I still have two. I can no longer see any scars. Early detection does work!

Ladies, please go as often as you can. Once a year should be fine. Early on, I was going 3 months, then 6 months. Now one a year.

Yea ladies!

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You and me both!!!!! I'm a survivor of 27 years .. diagnosis on April 1, 1985 (I asked the doctor, "This isn't an April Fool's joke, is it?") and mastectomy on May 13. I still have two also, but one is made out of silicone.

And yes indeed, early detection DOES work. Mine was caught before it had started to spread, and in all this time I've had no recurrence.

So I agree: Ladies, please go as often as you can. Yes, the squish can be uncomfortable, but it's over before you know it. And the technology and equipment and techniques have improved.

Aside from which, breast cancer surgery is not without its own uncomfortable moments!

God bless, all!

Love from Pat (and cats) :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

Thanks for all your encouragement! I really appreciate it.

I understand your points. I waited because I am tired of medicine. I annoyed doctors for years about endometriosis and PMDD and it nearly killed me before anything was done. Same with cataracts and thyroid. You just get tired of complaining. The only doctors I see regularly are the optometrist and the dentist. The specialists are all about money, so I stick with the ones that I like. Of course, I see the family doctor. Need to get rid of these sinus infections and have someone manage my health.

Okay, that was quick, slightly uncomfortable, and only a little pain from a slight yeast infection under one breast. The only real difficulties were my large mass making it difficult to lean into the machine. Really need to work on that. Sigh!

The technology has really changed. Not as much squishing. 15 to 30 second image. And only 4 shots. Wow! The last time I had one, the machine was huge, my much smaller breasts were practically flattened and I was about to hit someone.

With all of our capabilities, we can't invent a machine to examine our breasts without all of this squishing and pain?

We women should invent a similar machine to investigate prostate and testicular cancer in men! I wonder how fast science will advance then?


The tech said the doc might get the results Thursday or as late as next week.

I started getting mammogram's a few years before I turned 40 because my mom is a breast cancer survivor. I have very small dense breasts so it's hard for the technician to position them accurately sometimes. I remember one time I had to get squished an extra 3-4 times. I was so sore and red afterwards. Since it is very painful, one of the technicians told me to take some acetomenophine before my appt. I've now done this a few times and it does help with the pain. I hope that you receive good results. Good luck.:)

My doctor calls me at home if I don't go in every year....and seriously the techs that I get have zero sense of humor....its already embarrasing and I try to joke and they always look at me like I'm crazy.

There are other tests, but they are not yet as accurate. It is all a trade-off. Still I'd rather endure a few moments of pain for a year of not worrying!

These people were all business, but with a slight sense of humor. I'm not sure they understood my concerns about bruising. The technological improvements to the process means that I will go back next year.

It was more awkward than painful.

Haven't heard from doctor so no news is good news as far as I am concerned.

The clinic I go to has good technicians, and I didn't think the procedure was that painful. Uncomfortable? Sure...but beats the alternative!

What age are you supposed to start getting mammograms? I know I have a while to go, but I was just curious.

Bri, it depends. If there is not history of breast cancer in your family, you usually go for your first, "baseline" mammogram at age 40. It depends on other risk factors as well, smoking, other family cancer history, etc., but if it's all clear, 40 is the age you start.

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Originally Posted by mrspunkysmom

These people were all business, but with a slight sense of humor. I'm not sure they understood my concerns about bruising. The technological improvements to the process means that I will go back next year.

It was more awkward than painful.

Haven't heard from doctor so no news is good news as far as I am concerned.

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Sounds good! :)

I have no cancer in the family but I am a Kaiser member and they wanted the baseline at 35, after 40 they wanted a mammogram every year.