Mammograms...your experiences, please

In My Humble Opinion
21

I had my first at 39 for a baseline, then yearly. It is uncomfortable but not Painful I make sure I schedule when I am not PSMy because of breast tenderness.

Short anecdote…During one of my mammogram procedures, I was pulled and stretched into position. The machine was cranked down and the technician said ‘Do Not move’ , she ran around me to get behind the screen to take the X ray. She proceeded to trip over my gown(it was dragging on the floor) yanked me out of position. She lie there stunned, I could not help her because I was still caught as it were. She recovered and took the X-ray. She told me to wait and see if everything was ok(meaning the pictures are ok) She came back and said, “You Moved!!!” Duh you yanked me out!. So again pushed, pulled, clamped. I was sore after that one and surprised the one side wasn’t longer.:smiley:

22

I had mine done when I was 25. It was very very painful, but as soon as they unscrewed the plates, the pain was gone. (unlike if you get pinched on the arm or something, and the pain lingers after the pinch) They did a side-to-side squish and top-to-bottom squish for each breast, and they all hurt very much. If it matters, I’m a C cup. I have heard it hurts more for smaller chests, and I have also heard it hurst more for bigger chests, so who knows. Have fun.

23

Well as someone else posted above… i am also a male who has had a mamogram…
I have gynochomastia(sp?) or as I call it… “lump in my cheast”

anywho… I had to go in and get a mamogram to make sure it wasn’t cancer… now, for some strange reason, they decide to do my other side… but the problem was that there was nothing there to squeez… I was a very skinny kid… so they pulled my boob accross, and then squshed it… IT FUCKING HURT…
seriously… what the hell is wrong with you women… you need to complain… there has to be a better way to get this done…

anywho… I didn’t have the $5000 to have the surgery to take the stupid thing out… so I started getting into weightlifting… now I have 2 boobs… : )
My right one is a little bigger than my left, but it doesn’t look nearly as bad as it did when I only had 1 boob…

24

One way to keep the discomfort to a minimum is to schedule your test the first week after the end of your period, if possible. I’m on birth control pills so that’s easy for me to do. My breasts get very sore the week before my period is due so there’s no way I’d want it done then.

I went last year when I turned 40. Had to go back a second time when they said there was a dense area on one side they couldn’t read. The second squishing was more intense than the first because they wanted a clear shot of that specific area. Uncomfortable but not genuinely painful. And I belong to the itty bitty titty committee, FWIW.

Make sure your insurance covers this, BTW. I have crappy insurance that only allows $150 in wellness benefits per year, and after a regular physical that’s all shot to hell and gone. So I had to pay $110 for the initial mammo and then they wanted $800 for the second one! It didn’t take any longer than the first one, and was for only one boob to boot. Fortunately my insurance company jumped in there for me and had the charge reduced. At that price there’s no way I could afford to have one done every year.

25

I do mammograms all day every day. So here’s my two cents.

It all depends on the person and their outlook. For one, go in with a positive mind. Not with an attitude like this is worse than childbirth. Come on, yearly paps are much, much worse than mammograms. Size doesn’t matter as far a discomfort. (unless you are 5’10", wiegh about 150 and have an A cup, those body types are like metal to bone when we do the test)

Caffeine:

This substances severely aggravates fibrocystic breast condition and up to 40% of the female population have this. So, with it being that common, I would suggest staying away from it for about a week prior to the test. (yes, this include chocolate) Vitamin E is also said to help this condition.

Deodorant:

Contains zinc oxide, which will show up. Alot of women “cake” it on also making it worse. Mammography film is extremely sensitive and this substance shows up like little white dots on film. Calcifications can also show up like little white dots on film. They can be the first sign of a problem, depending on how they cluster. I have seen many breast cancer patients whose first indication was a small cluster of suspicious calcifications. (However, some calcifications mean nothing so don’t get worried if the tech tells you she sees some) So don’t risk it. Deodorant can look like the beginning of a problem, when there’s really nothing to worry about.

Frequency of a mammogram:

Depends. Our facility does screening mammograms on women over 35 (not a day before). After that, some women come every year after 40, some come every two years until age 50. At age 50, it is recommended to come every year. However, anytime there is a problem (pain, lump, discharge) they can be ordered diagnostic and can be done more frequently. When a doctor orders a screening mammogram or a diagnostic mammogram, it is the same initial 4 pictures. After that, diagnostics are different, depending on what is seen or not seen. Sometimes, additional views or an ultrasound is ordered because of what can’t be seen. Not because something is seen.

Breast self exams:

You have your breasts every day, check them monthly. The doctor does this once a year, he cannot possibly know them as well as you do. And you will grow accustomed to the feel of your breasts and what is normal for you. It gets easier, stick with it. Alot of hospitals and clinics offer classes, take one. They will have lifelike models and teach you how to do it and what to look for.

Last piece of advice:

Please, please let us position you. If you were supposed to know what to do, or how to do it, they wouldn’t need us. And we can get much better pictures if you relax and let us drape you across the machine so that we get the maximum amount of breast tissue. We get good pictures, and you get the most tissue reviewed. And, if there’s a problem, talk to your doctor. Don’t talk yourself out of it by saying, I think I feel something but I just had a mammogram and it came back alright, so I must be O.K. No, no, no…unless you freak out about everything, listen to your body and pay attention.

If there is a particulr question, ask away or email me.

Good Luck,
Lyra

26

I just saw this.

Very, very true.

Alot of hospitals and clinics have specials in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We did screenings for $35 at our facility. That included everything. Many other places near here did them for $60 or less. So watch the paper in late September, or call the facility to see if there is any special. You don’t always have to file with your insurance for a screening mammo.