Yearly Mammogram?

[Kathy]

If you haven't had a mammogram in over a year (and you are over 40), its time to make that appointment.

:D

Don't put it off any longer. Yes, its an inconvenience. Yes, its not a comfortable exam.

But its very important.

I have two friends who are battling breast cancer right now. Two other friends who are recovered from their chemo and radiation.

Put on a pink ribbon and make that appointment.

:bliss:

[Marian Paroo]

And don't forget a regular professional breast check - here it's done by a surgeon, not your gyn.

I go twice a year. Have to pay a really minimal fee of what comes to something like $2.50.

[clogaholic]

Thanks for the reminder. The time for my yearly "well woman" exam is goming up soon.

[Luvmabug]

Yes, these are very important! I had a mammogram that showed microcalcifications. In this case there isn't a lump that can be felt.
The area was removed and biopsied, and it was found benign. But some are not, so please be sure to get your mammogram done.
Take care.

[QuiltAngel]

Mine is due and scheduled in June.

Yes, they are a bit uncomfortable, but it seems the technicians have gotten better or the machines have gotten better. They aren't as uncomfortable is when I first started getting them in the mid 90's It is so worth it though.

[YellowRoseTex]

Thanks for the reminder! :kiss: I am overdue for mine. I haven't missed in over six years and now I am late. :duh: I will call next week and make that appointment!

[FaithfulBeliever]

{{{Kathy }}}

I agree they are very important. I have a dear friend who is fighting breast cancer, she had to have one breast removed last year...(She wasn't having regular mammograms) by time they found out, the cancer had spread and her breast could not be saved.

Thanks for the reminder !Mines is due this year.

[Carmen]

It's been almost three years for me, because I have not yet overcome the traumatic experience I had last time:

I went to a Mobile Mammogram Unit (set up in a mini-RV) that comes to my community every 2 weeks, because I was too lazy to drive to the Breast Center, located in a major hospital about a forty-minute drive away, at which I had previously undergone a non-torturous mammogram.

The very young woman who performed my mammogram was obviously a "trainee" because afterwards, she needed to check with a supervisor before telling me to get dressed and leave. I am not blaming anyone for what happened. Everyone is "new" at a job at one time in their life. I am sure that I, too, made mistakes during the first few days of any new job I held.

The mammogram was so extremely painful that I nearly passed out. I cannot imagine that a session in a torture chamber would be any less painful. When I arrived home and changed clothes, I glanced in the mirror and saw red streaks across my chest. The experience was so awful I can barely stand to remember it.

I have concluded that the new employee did not "stop" the vise-like squishing machine when she should have, and consequently my pathetic little breasts were compressed to the thickness of a postage stamp. So, before I have a mammogram ever again, I will have to "give the third degree" to the scheduler and be sure I have a technician with many, many years of experience. I really hate to be such a high-maintenance "Dragon Lady" but it's the only way I can ever do this again.

[OrahDeb]

Had my 2nd mammogram ever only last year. I have NOT liked either one: ick, bleck and yuck. I do NOT have dense breasts and have never had cysts or anything. However, I will definitely have my yearly again this year. I have read up on the breast cancer risks and how it increases each year. Even women like me who are at extremely low risk of breast cancer (breastfed 5 children for a year each; non-fibrous breasts; no family history) increase in risk each year. Also, most women who get breast cancer each year have no family members with breast cancer. Do most women realize that? I hear my friends talking about it and most of them seem to dismiss their chances of getting it because they say, "Oh, no one in my family has ever had breast cancer." I tell them that most women who get breast cancer have NO family members who have ever had the disease so they shouldn't feel so secure. It's amazing. I've repented of my previous attitude and am trying to set a good example. :) I do despise doing it, though. You think they'd come up with something better than squishing us unmercifully in their nasty machines. :(

[jasper]

I've had a few over the year even though I'm not 40 till this August.
Having a grandmother with breast cancer has made me vigilant of checking my breasts and seeing my Dr even if it turns out to be nothing. It doesn't hurt to be cautious.

[Kate]

It's been almost three years for me, because I have not yet overcome the traumatic experience I had last time:

I went to a Mobile Mammogram Unit (set up in a mini-RV) that comes to my community every 2 weeks, because I was too lazy to drive to the Breast Center, located in a major hospital about a forty-minute drive away, at which I had previously undergone a non-torturous mammogram.
.


Hey Carmen, sorry to hear that you had a bad experience! You should probably go to the hospital to have it done next time. I work in the mammogram center of a local hospital. But hopefully the hospital will have more 'qualified' technicians and a better experience for you. You might also want to check around and see if any places have digital mammograms. They are less painful! :)

[Kathy]

Aww, Carmen. I'm sorry you were hurt. I can encouarge you though, that every mammogram I've ever had has me wait while they check the film. I've gone to the mammogram mobile unit, the hospital, a radiology clinic..... They do a quick check to make sure the film is processed and there isn't a mess up. Its normal practice...and in some cases, they pass it by the radiologist (if available) to take a peek and see if they need another view.

[MaggieSt]

I always schedule my yearly mammogram around October, as a 'birthday gift' to myself. That way I can always remember when I have to have the next one done.

[danigirl]

I was due to have my yearly mammogram last May. Never made the appt. I am just so sick and tired of tests and doctors. That was the first time in a long time that I didn't go.
I will,however, go this year.

[Marian Paroo]

I always schedule my yearly mammogram around October, as a 'birthday gift' to myself. That way I can always remember when I have to have the next one done.

Here the HMOs are required by law to provide free mammograms every two years for women over fifty.

And some women still don't go to have them...

[Sophia]

I've had my share of these things, being a six year breast cancer survivor. Not only can it save your life, it can also warn of precancerous calcifications. I suggest taking a Motrin or Aleve before going, it helps with the discomfort and reduces the chance of bruising. Get a good technician and don't make them stop before full compression-that dreaded squishing is necessary for a good "reading". Also, remove any traces of powder, lotion or deodorant before the test. And don't forget to keep up your monthly self-exams.

[crunchies0313]

I have a question. They say that you do not really need a mammogram until your at least 40 right? But if you look, the age of women being diagnosed with breast cancer seem to sometimes be a lot younger than 40. I know that they do a "breast check" with your yearly well woman exam, but are they really able to detect something by that? I am just curious.

[txgurl]

Yes, I agree, get your mammogram and check your breasts manually every month.

I have a friend who has had a masectomy, chemo, radiation, now taking Herceptin and has had a very hard time.
She had not had a mammogram in 2 or 3 years and one day found a lump. It ended up that she had a stage III almost a IV and it was spread to one or two lymph nodes ,and if she had caught it early, she would have not had to go through such radical treatments and such trauma.

I have a mammogram every year with my well woman and check my breasts monthly.

[Kyleigh]

Jessica, I had my first mammogram at age 35. The doctor I had at the time lost both his mother and mother-in-law to breast cancer so he was very pro-mammogram.

Annual breast checks by a doctor are important, as are monthly self exams. Mammograms can detect problems much earlier than they can be felt.

I schedule to have a mammogram done early in June each year. I don't exactly look forward to going, but it's tolerable and I do like getting another "all clear" proclamation. :)

[magandab]

I just joined GGG, but wanted to add my 2 cents worth here. I make the call to schedule my yearly mammogram on my birthday as a gift to myself. This year, something showed up and i had a second "small paddle" mammo and last Monday a biopsy. I'm waiting for the results, but at least I know if it's anything bad, it will have been caught soon. Don't count on the exam by your doctor, you need both. Mine is a 'non palpable" area, so the doctor wouldn't have found it!

[Poppie]

:hellowave Hi, I have gone for a mammogram every year since I turned 40, I am now 45. I had a very painful mammogram 2 years ago, I also think the technician was new, she mashed my breasts so hard that when I got home I had red marks, she would tell me hold your breath don't breathe, she didn't have to worry about that because each time that she mashed them she took my :eek: breath away, I wanted to cry. When I scheduled my mammogram this last year, I was glad to see that she wasn't there anymore. I get a call back every year to go for a ultrasound, as I have fibrous breast. You should always have a breast exam by your dr, he said that sometimes that is how cancer is found. Magandab, I hope everthing comes out alright, please let us know what you find out. :hug: Carol

[Mori]

I'm going for my first Mamogram ever on February 20th!

[Sophia]

If you have a family history, do it sooner. Young women's breasts are very dense, making it difficult for anything to show on a mammogram. But do not fail to examine them yourself every month, and annually have a doctor do so. I found my lump myself, and had three doctors fail to feel it and say it was nothing. Fortunately, they sent me to a specialist who felt the same thing I had, and later it showed on the mammo. Getting it early is the key. You'll know the difference, it doesn't feel like a cyst or fibrocystic mass, it is much harder, like a piece of gravel or glass.

[Aussie Friend]

Ok I'm late and I've even had the referral since late October but I then was sick for about 6 weeks. That was my excuse then but not for the past 2 months so tomorrow while I'm in Orange I'll make an appointment.

[Always Over Pack]

I am 40 and Over Due! Last time she hurt me so bad I got dizzy and had to sit down to recover. :eek: No excuse, as my mother is a survivor. Again, thankyou for the push. I will make an appointment tomorow.

[Banjos]

Oddly, even though I have a low pain tolerance, am not the stoic type and have dense breasts--I have never been particularly uncomfortable during any of my many mammograms over the years. Maybe I just had good techs because I know some women who find them quite uncomfortable.