I’m in my mid 30s (right on the “mid”, if you need to know) and I believe it is time for my first (drum roll please) mammogram!
I understand things have improved since having the ladies squeezed unmercifully between two cold plates of metal. But when I make the appointment, I’d like to know what to expect from the exam. (Yes, I know, I can ask my doctor, but you guys are quicker and more fun. ;))
There’s no history of breast cancer on my mother’s side, but my father’s sister died of breast cancer. Whether or not that will have any impact on me, I don’t know.
How was your mammogram? I believe the first one is used as a baseline, to compare subsequent ones to find any abnormalities.
Have any lumps been found as a result of your mammogram? How often should women have them? Any other advice or tips?
Damn. Just hit the wrong button and erased an eloquent, informative, yet witty post.
My sister, god bless her, screwed up my family history by getting breast cancer in '94 (she’s fine now), so I started having them done annually then, when I was 39 – which is probably when we would have started doing them annually anyway. (IIRC, some experts now recommend starting annual mammograms at 35?) Discuss it with your doctor – but if your insurance covers it, I’d say go ahead and go for the more frequent ones.
They don’t hurt – they do have to press your breast between two plates of glass, but it’s more uncomfortable than painful. (The angle you have to stand at, etc.). I, uh, have a fair amount of breast tissue – I don’t know if you’d have more or less discomfort with less to squish. The place I go to specializes in mammograms, and the techs are efficient and friendly, so it’s in and out, no big deal. (Only tip is to not wear antiperspirant that day, something about the aluminum in it – so I try to schedule for first thing in the morning.)
They’ve never found anything – thankgodknockonwood – but if there were to be something, I’d want it found as soon as possible, since I tend to be pretty cavalier about the monthly self-exam thing.
Ladies – get 'em done!
(which, of course, reminds me – gotta call tomorrow and schedule mine – honest, last week was just nuts.)
It wasn’t as bad as I’d heard it would be. The machine they used on me was the squeezing type, uncomfortable but not painful. The worse part was the pulling, it’s amazing how stretchy skin is.
You should get one a year until you’re 40, then every 6 months.
My chances of getting breast cancer are pretty high. Both Grandmothers died from it and my sister had it, so I’m supposed to get one every 6 months.
My sister was diagnosed early because of a mammogram, if she had waited until she actually felt the lump, it would’ve been much worse.
Every six months? Maybe with a family history like you have, but I’ve been getting them annually since I turned 40 (following the baseline at 35) They’ve ranged from uncomfortable to uncomfortable to UNCOMFORTABLE but the total time for all four shots comes to less than a minute. I do have a fair amount of tissue to be squished, and for me, the worst part is the cold. My annual physical is Tuesday, so I’ll be getting scheduled for my annual tit-squishing shortly thereafter. Small price to pay to detect a deadly disease.
Just had my first one - not too bad but got really sore under my arms from the pulling
But the machine wasn’t all metal - the top squish plate was clear plastic. That’s right - got to see my boobie get icky squished and just KNOWING it was gonna stay that way. (it didn’t but it was weird to see it)
Well, over here, if you are under 60 I believe, you only get one if you find something untoward - there isn’t regular screening here unless you have a family history of breast cancer, or like I said, you are at a certain age, whereby you are called every three years.
I had to have one last year (the first one ever and I’m 33) and it hurt like a bitch. I have a high pain tolerance but it made me actually cry. I’d done all the background reading beforehand about what to expect etc and was geared up for some discomfort, but was not prepared for what happened, or for the bruising under my arm which occurred. Would I have it done again? I would be extremely reluctant. Not wanting to put you off or anything, but you did ask.
I remember the first time. I had imagined it would be sort of like an X-ray, some kind of camera aimed at you and then it was all over with. Instead, I got my small little breast squished unmercifully between two plates of glass – OUCH!!! And then they squish the plates tighter and tighter and tighter, until you think your tit is going to fall off. And they’re saying, “Don’t move, or we’ll have to do it over!” And when that breast is done, they DO THE OTHER ONE!!!
Fortunately, it doesn’t take too long. Fortunately, it’s only once per year. Although I must say, after a couple of years of that, I put off going to the GYN for 3 years because I didn’t want to have to get a mammogram.
They never found anything bad, but once they decided to re-do it at a different clinic, I guess they wanted to doublecheck something… That was a bit weird, wondering if they thought I had cancer. But I didn’t.
I got my first at 40 and it hurt like Hell. I had a pacemaker put in a month before and the tissue had not healed yet. The next two have not been painful.
I lost a sweet funny friend who was only 31 to breast cancer, and feel that a little pain is worth the gain.
Count me in the “uncomfortable but not painful” crowd. I had my baseline done year before last. I was expecting it to be a lot worse, based on stories I’d heard. It was really no big deal. Someone told me it’s more painful if you’re smaller (I’m a 38D), so I asked friends of mine with a variance in size, and they also said no big deal. There’s no history of breast cancer in my family, so an annual one apparently isn’t needed until I hit 40.
Had my first one last year, at 40. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but not painful (and I don’t have a high pain tolerance). What I really liked was that the center I got it at, gives results right away, so there’s no waiting involved. They found two spots that they thought might be questionable, so they immediately did a sonogram of the area, and found nothing abnormal. I have a maternal aunt who died of breast cancer, and a strong history of cancer in general in my family (though they’ve all been smokers, and I’m not, so that’s probably part of it), so I’m not gonna slack. I’m going to get one every year.
I’m not a doctor and also have no experience with mammograms. However, I do think I should point out that it is not at all clear that women with no family history of BC should undergo annual mammograms at age 40, let alone earlier. (They may be ineffective and lead to false positives). There have been all sorts of studies purporting to show one way or the other, and the idea is controversial in the medical community.
The other bad news is that the efficiency of self-examinations has also been called into question, the result of a recent study in China.
IOW, it’s not clear that there’s anything one can do at all…
I had to get one in my early 20’s when I was in the Navy as a precaution. I hate getting my breasts squashed, squished, and smashed. I am not looking forward to getting it done, I am now in my early thirties.
I am a male and also had a mammagram . Uncomfortable but not really painful, despite small breast tissue. However, I also had a core biopsy of the breast, and that was quite painful !!! Thank God the nurse was there to hold my hand.
I had a mammogram last year. I was 40. My mother and an aunt had both had breast cancer, and one sister had some questionable films. It was uncomfortable, but not terribly painful. What was worse is they had to do one particular angle several different times because it kept coming out not quite right. Then in a couple days I had to go back because of a suspicious spot. They did a sonogram and had a doctor come in to look at the sonogram as it was being done. They wanted me back in six months to keep an eye on it. I haven’t been back yet, though.
For me the worst part was the whole bare breast thing. I’m tremendously modest, and didn’t like that even when the techs were women. It was that much worse when the doctor reviewing the sonogram was a man.
Sometimes I think men should have tender parts of their anatomy squashed for cancer research purposes…honestly, can’t they come up with a less uncomfortable way to screen for this?
I’d also heard the self-exam wasn’t too effective either…something about if the lump was big enough to feel, you were in trouble.
I lost my mom to breast cancer 5 years ago and my sister to the same horrid disease just two months ago. I’m a faithful mammogrammer and go twice a year. It’s not something I find comfortable and in fact, most times I find it quite painful, but if it may save me in the long run, it’s definitely worth it.
Two years ago they found a spot on my right breast and after an ultrasound it turned out to be just a pocket of water cysts, but I’m at least glad to know that they do a thorough job.
