Mammograms

[PrettySquareGal]

I am curious about your experiences with a mammogram! I just had my first one today and it hurt more than I expected!

 

[crwritt]

I guess its just one of those things we don't look forward to. I take a couple ibuprophen beforehand and try to stay as still as possible so they don't have to retake. Its not the most comfortable thing in the world, and its over very quickly. Pain just reminds you you're alive.

 

[Josephine]

I'll have to come back to this after I get my first done in a few weeks. They did tell me not to get one right before my period, the hormones make your breasts more tender. I will take a few ibuprophen though, thanks crwritt.

 

[Lola Getz]

Thinking of my body parts in a vice grip kind of prepared me for the pain but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I mean, it's hurt during but not really after. That gin & tonic afterwards probably helped some.

I know they're not foolproof but I was glad to get mine done and over with!

 

[pigeon toe]

I'm only 20, so not yet for me. At what age do they recommend you start getting them?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I'm only 20, so not yet for me. At what age do they recommend you start getting them?

At age 40. You have a long time.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

{I'm probably soooooo in trouble for jumping in here...}

Ladies, I truly feel for you. My mom had a stroke that left her paralyzed in the left arm & leg about a dozen years before she died. That left her non-ambulatory and in need of a lot of care, and I made the decision to work at home so I could look after her. Part of that was taking her in for her annual mammogram...

Mom would always tell them at the desk "This is my son, Mike. You might as well have him come back now because your nurses will never be able to get me on my feet and hold me in place while you tighten the vice and snap the x-ray. He cares for me 24/7, he has to put me on the shower seat & help me bathe - he's not going to see anything he hasn't seen before."

The first couple of years, they'd insist they could handle it, and I'd sit in the waiting room about 15 minutes and then they'd have to call me in. After that, it was "Oh good - Grace brought Mike along - why don't you just come on back and save us all some time?"

That said...jeez Louise! The first time, I thought she was making a joke when she said "tighten the vice" at the front desk. Holy mole!

After one particularly tough shot (Mom weighed about 180 at 5'10 - I'm 190 at 6'4 and holding her up so that my hands or arms or head and her head weren't in the way was a challenge at times) which had us all huffing and panting from holding her up, moving her around, getting her pushed forward, but out of the way of the apparatus, etc. I said after I sat her down, "I guarantee you that if they used a similar machine on men to check for testicular cancer annually, they'd find a more effective, more humane way to do this," and the three nurses in the room whooped & clapped and a woman in the room next door pounded on the wall and yelled "Here, here! Whoever you are, sir!"

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Mike, I really appreciate you sharing that story! I think it's more painful for some then others, but regardless, I think there needs to be a more humane way to do this! This sounds promising:

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/new_research/20061128.jsp

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've been putting it off for years now because of (1) costs and (2) I dread the pain. I'm quite small up top, and they tell me the smaller you are the more it hurts. But I am determined to deal with it this year, one way or another. We showed a documentary film at the theatre last fall, "The Breast Cancer Diaries," and it really forced me to think about the issue and resolve to stop making excuses.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Lizzie, check this out: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/bohdcfh/bcp/

Also I sometimes see them advertised as free at some clinics for limited periods of time.

 

[Teekay44]

Sorry to post here but...

Ladies.
Please get one and do your self exam. My wife is a breast cancer survivor for a year now. She was 37 when she found it. She is fine now. Was the treatment scary? Yes. But it is very survivable disease.
I can only imagine how the mammogram hurts but early detection is a god-sent for this. Please we want to read all of your charming posts for many, many years to come.

TK

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Teekay, thank you!

Please, men are welcome to add informative posts like the ones above! I love hearing about this from others!

 

[epr25]

I am not of the age yet to require one of these. My grandmother died from breast cancer so I will be going pain or not. I did go with my mom when I was about 17. I was curious about the whole process. I could not believe it. I am small busted maybe a b at my largest. I don't understand how they do this to someone my size. Is anyone else small that has had one?

 

[~*Red*~]

It's not time for me to get one yet, but I of course plan to go when I reach the age. Fortunately, no one in my family has had it.(there's been many other kinds of cancer, but never breast cancer) Nonetheless, I religiously do self exams, and my yearly one at the doc. The way I figure it, I'd rather be viced than go through the pap anytime. Lucky me they ALWAYS screw up the results so I get 2 paps every year... I almost count on it. It SUCKS being a girl sometimes.

 

[BonnieJean]

I am not of the age yet to require one of these. My grandmother died from breast cancer so I will be going pain or not. I did go with my mom when I was about 17. I was curious about the whole process. I could not believe it. I am small busted maybe a b at my largest. I don't understand how they do this to someone my size. Is anyone else small that has had one?

epr25, I'm about a 'B' size too and have had several mammograms in my lifetime. Its kind of amazing how they can squeeze my 'B's in that machine. As for the pain/discomfort, it all depends on the technician. I've had some mammos that were more uncomfortable than others. A good technician will talk you through it all and try to be as gentle as possible. Some of the "poses" you have to do makes you feel somewhat like a contortionist, but I'd soon rather have the brief discomfort of the mammo than go through the breast cancer. My grandmother had breast cancer and so I know the importance of catching it early. (They didn't have mammograms widely available when my grandmother was diagnosed.) And when you have your first mammogram depends on your dr. and your family history. I'm pushing 50, but you younger gals are so fortunate that there are a lot preventive tests that they can do nowadays. I'm forever grateful for the pap test (although I detest it), but it saved my life as I was diagnosed several years ago with early cervical cancer. They were able to stop it before it had spread.

So, gals, get your yearly mammograms and paps! (According to your dr.'s schedule, of course.)

 

[Lady Day]

Its better than a pap smear.

My mother died of breast cancer in summer 05, and the reason she didnt go get tested was cost. Screw cost, go. There are plenty of free programs out there. Dont let something like this sneak up on you.

LD

 

[Laughing Magpie]

I've have both mammograms and breast MRI - the mammogram was much more comfortable!

After all the hype, I was surprised how easily the mammogram went for me. It was over with very quickly. I am lucky though - I'm able to relax (physically) and I have good mobility. It can be harder than what I experienced.

The MRI, though, was over an hour in a tiny noisy tunnel with my neck in a vice. Ugh.

Jen

 

[imoldfashioned]

"I guarantee you that if they used a similar machine on men to check for testicular cancer annually, they'd find a more effective, more humane way to do this,"

Damn straight they would!

I have to go for my first one sometime in the coming year. Not looking forward to it but it must be done. I've known a frightening number of young women who've had breast cancer, among other types.

As far as paps go, the right person makes all the difference. My nurse is a godsend and since I've been seeing her for over 10 years she knows my body really well. She gets homemade cookies every holiday season!

I can't help but say what an awful experience that must have been for you. You're really a good son Mike.

 

[ohairas]

I haven't had one yet. I always wonder how squishing the daylights out of tissue could NOT harm the tissue and perhaps cause other issues in the long run. I wish they'd come up with something new. Alas, I will still go when it's time, which isn't long now as I'm 36.
Nikki

 

[Idledame]

I think I was an A the first few times I had one and it felt like they were trying to pull the skin from my back around to the front just to have something to put in the vice! It does vary according to the technician. Some tighten the vice just one more notch than others. Almost all of the technicians are very sympathetic and try to get it over with quickly. The whole thing (both sides) is over in just a few minutes. So, yes it hurts, but just for several seconds at a time and not enough to make you cry. Yes you have to go!