My health insurance provider is bugging me for not having had a mammagram and has gone so far as to contact my PCP to get me to have one. I really don't want to get one....I just don't feel like having my (big) boobs on display and/or squished in some machine.

I have a real high threshold for pain....so it's not really the pain....it's just having my boobs out there that bothers me...

Have any of you had mammagrams? Could someone describe what happens and how bad it is? Is this something I really ought to do?


cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Yes you REALLY SHOULD get one. The sooner breast cancer is detected the better the course of treatment. I have had 2 mamograms and 1 breast ultrasound. It is done very much with respect to your privacy. A regular mamogram is not at all painful, at least that's me. The diagnostic ones are more extensive and I found more uncomfortable. It is definately easier than giving birth and WAY more private!!! Get it done!

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Yes, if you are over 40. With a family history of breast cancer, I wasted no time scheduling the first mammogram. It doesn't take long and while there is pressure, there should not be any pain. The paperwork takes longer than the exam and every tech I've had has been extremely professional and courteous. Do not be surprised if they ask for a second screening. Calcium deposits frequently show and it's best to have things double checked. That happened to me on my first two mammograms and it was scary to be told they wanted additional images. Everything is fine, though.

Please do not delay. I can still vividly recall the terrible days of my aunt before she passed away. This was a woman who was always dressed to the nines with full makeup every single day. To see her in hospice with no hair and unable to feed herself was more than I could handle.

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I will agree that you really should get one.

To answer your question, when I go to the facility that does my mammo (not my PCP), you are assigned a "room", basically the size of a changing room at a store with hangers for your shirt. You replace your shirt with a sort-of poncho. It velcros in the front, and covers everything, so you aren't on display. You go straight from the changing area to the exam room where the technician will only uncover one breast at a time to do the mammo. It is uncomfortable, but kind of like waxing your legs, it's only for a few seconds then it's done. You wait in the changing area until you get the all clear (after a doctor does a basic a scan of your mammo results). Then you're done. At the place I go it is only for women and only does mammos and bone density scans, so everyone there is in the same boat (and the same ponchos).

I'm sure they'll tell you when you schedule yours that you cannot wear lotion, powder, perfume or deodorant on the day of your mammo because it may show up on your scan.

Renee

OP get it done please! Yes it is a bit uncomfortable but nothing compared to childbirth and the benefits greatly outweigh the minor pain you might have. I am generally healthy, and have no family history of it but it turned out I had lumps that I couldn't feel or see that showed up after I had a mammo..didn't know if they were cancerous or not til they were removed with surgery - thank goodness they were not.

I got the newer digital kind and it wasn't too bad. I am a larger person also so I was scared but the tech said the flat chested women have it worse. They really have to pull and squish them. She also said the new digital machines were much more gentle than the old analog and they make better images.

I am scheduled for one in a couple of weeks - my first also (been putting it off)

I am also having the sonogram/ultrasound (whichever it is) - how is that? I am sure there is no privacy there...lol

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Oh, CJ!! I'm so glad you asked!

Unlike you, I am a complete baby. I have NO tolerance for pain, and I am also very self-conscious about my "parts" being out there on display. To underscore what a wimp I truly am, I have signed waivers saying that I was unable to go through with the "puff" test that checks for glaucoma, and I am so overdue for my latest dental appointment, that you'd probably choke if you heard how long it's been.

However, a mammogram is actually one of the procedures that I don't even lose a minute's sleep over the night before my appointment.

The biggest thing I stress about before a mam is writing myself a note to forgo the deodorant the morning of my appointment! Really.

What the other posters mentioned above is all true. The gown has the opening in the front, and you only flash one boob at a time. The technician then instructs you to place your breast on this cold glass square plate. I never do it right, and she has to come over and reposition it for me. My biggest complaints would be that the plate is so darned cold. Then this other plate comes toward my breast, and sandwiches my breast between these plates. You can't even believe that your breast can be so squeezed, but it is not at all painful - just incredibly awkward (and - did I mention - cold?). Then she says "Don't breathe!!" and they take the shot. They take about 3 or 4 more shots of the same breast (at least they do at mine). Then it's onto the next breast.

You will be so proud of yourself once you do it, CJ. And I guarantee you that you'll be nothing more than annoyed about subsequent mammograms. That's all they turn out to be, after the first one. Annoying.

But do them anyway! I hope you come back on here soon and post about having done it! You are a super strong lady, CJ! And you won't even feel embarrassed, you'll feel too cold and awkward to do it.

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Relax, they don't hurt

Well said... It's so worth it CJ!

It depends where on your body the sonogram is going to be. I had a vaginal one done - I was draped and inserted it myself. No biggie,
As for mammogram ... try to find an office with a digital machine. They're not even uncomfortable.

I was talking about the breast - I had a vaginal one done

I know there won't be pain with it, I was just wondering about the privacy part

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HOn no matter the pain or embrassment, nothing compares to being told you may have breast cancer. Its just a test that does hurt just a bid for a few minutes, but those few minutes of pain , could save you your life forever, do not walk run to the doctors and get it done. You will feel so much better after , trust me. I do not like it and I do not have a family history either, but why take a chance with your life. Peace. Catherine

Breast sonograms are not a big deal. They have you lay on a table, with a gown on, with the opening in the front. They have you take your shoulder out, so one breast is exposed at a time. They put warmed gel on your breast, and go over your breast, up to your armpit, with some kind of tool. They keep their eyes on a tv type screen, measuring any lumps that they may see. Do not be alarmed at the measuring, because there are all kinds of things that may show up, calcium deposits, etc. It does not hurt at all, and is not embarrassing. When one breast is finished, you switch sides and the tech repeats the procedure with the other breast. When you are finished you are given a towel to clean yourself up (wipe off any remaining gel) Then you wait a few minutes in the event that they would want to recheck anything, and you are done.

A few other things to remember:

You should schedule your mammogram a short time after your period. If you have it done before, it could be a little painful because your breasts may be swollen.
Also, you should avoid caffeine completely for 3 days before your mammogram, so if you are addicted to caffeine like I am, wean yourself off, so you don't end up with a killer headache.

A paper cut, biting your tongue, poking yourself in the eye with your mascara wand (not that I've ever done that ), your cat scratching you, stubbing your toe, hitting your funny bone. All things far more painful than a mammo.

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Alright little missy, time to Cowgirl Up!

Really, the only uncomfortable part is the "thought' of being on display. When the reality is that you don't have nothin' they haven't seen before. And it really does go quickly. You will spend more time getting into and out of the cape/poncho thingy than you will getting the images taken.

And the peace of mind is priceless.

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You should go there is nothing to be afraid of, these are professionals they have saw all kinds of things
Im sure your breasts arent going to be the topic of the day , its certainly not "painful" maybe uncomfortable
for a matter of 10 seconds.

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I don't know if you've had children or not, but if you can go through childbirth, you can certainly get a mammo. Please get one...it is so important. I don't think it hurts at all...maybe just a tiny pinch. It really depends on who is doing the mammo. For the most part I've had great technicians who know what they are doing. One time I went I had to have it done FOUR times. When you are younger, your breast tissue if very dense. They thought they saw a mass, but it wasn't. They just wanted to be sure. I had a beneign cyst on my right breast about fifteen years ago when I was only in my 30's. I had to have surgery to have it removed. DH was just freaking out as his first wife died from breast cancer at age 35. From that point on, I had to get a mammo every single year. As NIKE says, JUST DO IT. You'll be glad that you did. Good luck. ~Lisa

Just remind yourself that they are looking at boobs all day long and there's really nothing to be uncomfortable about. Usually the techs that perform the mammo are women, they go through the same thing you do when they have to have one done! You really are only exposed for a short time, the gown covers you and you just need to be exposed for a few seconds on each side, you will still be covered on the left while the right is being xrayed and vice versa. It did not hurt at all for me and after I had the first boob done I was laughing with the tech about how nervous I had been and didn't need to be! They really try hard to make you as comfortable as possible!
Now go get those girls mammo'd!!!
Amy

To me the most uncomfortable part is taking off the nipple marking tape.

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Mary

hmmm...never had to have this done? I have never had a problem with having my mamo done. I am very flat chested and I am always amazed that they can actually get me in the machine.

To answer your question: Not too bad.

It is really very simple. It is painless and I have big boobs! The tech is standing a ways from you but at first does have to situate your boob for the "picture" contact is minimal though. If you can stand a pap smear this is no where near the embaressment level!
Have not heard of nipple marking tape....

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"Cougars for Cook"

Yup, not so easy when there's not much to put on the plate. they have to pull it from your armpits and anywhere else they can- I think I had skin from my belly up there last time!

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Jackie

Music is what feelings sound like._ ~Author Unknown

Thats what I'm worried about. I keep telling my DH that when I have to go for one they are going to have to play tug-of-war with them just to get a scan. I'm really dreading it!!!

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Please do not keep putting it off. I did that for too long. Then 2 years ago I found a lump... Yes it was cancer - which could have been caught much earlier. I am ok right now, but live with the constant fear of it returning.

Please put away your fears of having a stranger seeing you - you will never see them again right? Besides, a few moment of showing some skin which, really, is not stared at , versus late findings of a lump is so much easier to take. In my opinion.

Good Luck!

Report back after you have it done and let us know how it went.

katamasmom

If it bothers you that it might be a man, I don't think you have to worry about that. I've never heard of a man who does routine mammograms.

I'm flat-chested. It is a little pinchy but not bad at all.

Ok.....what is nipple marking tape? This sounds to me a little like the "Friends" episode with Joey's tailor..... NEVER have had or seen them use nipple marking tape????

When I have had it done, the tech always covers the nipples with a small, for lack of a better word, band-aid with a small bb like thing in the middle. On me they also mark a mole that I have on the side of my breast. It's a way of marking known "blips" on the film.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Please don't put it off, it's very important for all women to have one no matter what their age if cancer runs in their family.

While I will not lie to you it hurt like hell ! When I had mine done ( I swear the tech was trying to see if mine could touch the floor ) I'm glad I had it done.

Good luck.

Sunset, I am so glad you spoke up, cuz I did not want to be the first! Yep, I have, shall we say, ample breasts (runs in the family). These tests hurt like he!! to me to, so it might have to do with breast size. Now, I have had benign cysts in both of my breasts removed. I found both of the lumps myself with self breast exams. So, for me, these are a necessity--hurt or not. I have also had ultrasound breast exams and WISH WISH WISH they could all be totally painless ultrasound exams. But, insurance will not pay for that on a general basis. I will go through pain once a year to try to keep on top of any possible problems. The pain is fleeting....not going for the exam could be a life changing decision. Please tough it up and take care of yourself!

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"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

I know this may not help, but I received it in my e-mail today and since it goes with the theme I thought I'd add it here. Just a little fun.

Many women are anxious about mammograms, but there is no need to worry.

By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test and best of all, you can do these simple exercises right in and around your home.

EXERCISE ONE:
Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast in door. Shut the door as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

EXERCISE TWO:
Visit your garage at 3AM when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat with the other breast.

EXERCISE THREE:
Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set up an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

YOU ARE NOW TOTALLY PREPARED!


Renee

[quote=Reneelaufer;3040993]I know this may not help, but I received it in my e-mail today and since it goes with the theme I thought I'd add it here. Just a little fun.[quote]



Now you've done it. I debated on whether or not to post this, but now I can't resist! This did not happen to me; just an e-mail passed among friends and I found it quite funny.






I actually kept my mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into this room right hereee, strip to the waist, thennnn slip on this gown. Everything clearrrr?"

I'm thinking, "Belinda, try decaf. This ain't rocket science."

Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors.

Call me crazy, but I suspect a man invented this machine. It takes a perfectly healthy cup size of 36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice.... it's Spandex. We can be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square glass and still pop back into shape.

With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally!) to the left and said, '"mmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?"

Fine, I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off?

My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob wedged between those two 4' pieces of square glass) when we heard, then felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off!


"What?" I yelled.

"Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for the door.

"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I shouted.

Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ... the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights. I'll be righttttt backkkk."

Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared.


And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire, found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other part smashed between glass!

After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going?" type greetings, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off.

Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as possible. "Uh, yes, yes I did. Thanks."

"You bet, take care", Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store.

Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said, "Oh I am soooo sorry! The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?"

"And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps.”

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I want to keep ALL of my paycheck and eliminate the pyramid scheme known as Social Security (there is no lockbox ). Do you want the same thing? www.fairtax.org

Holy cow deerekid, I didnt see the part you said you was sent to you. I thought this was a post of your horror story. Figured it out when it was said this is how her head was placed between the clamps

I need some coffee and a pair of good reading glasses

Less than 10 seconds and NOT painful. Stub your toe maybe but does not hurt. And all females working generally.

Another vote for "no biggie". I, too, am a real baby when it comes to medical stuff ... just being IN dr. offices/hospitals can make me light-headed, and I hate needles, etc. I was very nervous for my first mam (I'm 43 so have had 3 or 4), but was shocked at how "nothing" it was.

I don't think I have a very high pain threshhold ... I breastfed 3 kids so maybe that "toughened up" my breasts , but honestly when it was done I wondered what the big deal was. I didn't find it painful or even uncomfortable. A bit embarassing, yes, but less so (to me) than a pap smear.

I've heard some people say they take a motrin etc. a few hours before ... you might try that just in case (might calm you some if nothing else). Good luck! This is one medical procedure I really don't mind.

i just had one this past thursday and its the first one that every hurt me! but its the first time a lady from India did it. i suppose she didnt realize just how rough she was. almost made me not wanna get another one done!

CJ, update us!

Did you make the call?

If so, make another call, and schedule a massage or something to have to reward yourself after. You'll have something to really look forward to!

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Not yet, d, not yet. Been busy.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Busy, my butt. Bwuk bwuk bwuk bwagak. *Chicken clucking.

__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Stop putting it off! I did that and ended up waiting 5 years. I would always say, "Oh, I have to take care of that," and then get busy and forget all about it. (I did the same thing with my pap smears!) Finally, DH got tired of it and made the appointments for me. Fortunately, everything was OK, but after 5 years, I was kind of worried that I had let something go way too long.

It is not painful at all! It is not embarassing at all (at least not to me). It's a trained technician who does it all day. I've only had women doing mine, and I'm sure she is really not paying any attention to your boobs, other than making sure they are in the correct position for a good image. PLEASE, call and schedule that appointment.

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Linda

Hey, I figure that I've put it off for 9 years, what's a few more weeks? I'll make the appt this week....I promise!

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

they're not bad at all for me, I need to get one soon too~

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Smile and the world smiles with you!

Tami ~*~

Up here they put a bandaid thing over you nipple and on large moles like cashchick said. It is very sticky and hurts like hell to pull it off!

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Mary

I've had several. I thought I had a lump a few years ago and had to have the mammo & ultrasound. It turned out to be just a density spot, nothing serious. I've had them every year since.

I've never had any tape. But the rest is pretty much the same. No deo or perfume, put on the smock. I've always had women. I've never felt uncomfortable - just ready to be done. They take 4 shots - squeeze from the side on each one, then squeeze from the top on each one. I've had 4 done on one angle before because they couldn't get it to turn out the way they wanted. That was fun.

My office recently switched to digital. I didn't notice much difference from my perspecitve. For me, I wouldn't say it hurts. It is quite uncomfortable almost to the point of pain, but not quite.

Do it. Like I tell my kids, "Sometimes in life you have to do things you don't want to!"

Lisa

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It's wanting what you've got"

Hope I can help. I was a mammogram/x-ray tech for 24 years before going into MRI 6 years ago. A mammo can be uncomfortable but should not be unbearable. If you have dense breasts (not necessarily large) there can be more pressure with the compression used. Most people have no pain at all. Also make your appointment during the first two weeks of your menstrual cycle. Breasts are more tender/sensitive during the last 2 weeks causing more pain. You can also take a tylenol/advil before hand also if you are worried about pain. You can't possibly guess how many women I have x-rayed that had cancers show on mammograms before a lump is even started. I also have had many mammograms. I never had any pain (some discomfort when I was younger as I was dense and had "cystic breasts"). But as other posters have said, the alternative can be death. I have never met a male mammographer and most of the females are that are doing mammo's are there because they want to. They are more sensitive to your modesty and tend to be very concerned about women's health (at least in my experience). Please also be aware that most screening mammos are just that. At most hospitals/clinics routine 2 views are done and the techs check the films for proper technique etc. The radiologist will read the films and may recall a patient if he/she sees anything suspicious or needs additional views. DO NOT get overly anxious (easier said than done) as most of these end up being nothing. At a call back you may get spot compression or other extra views to better visualize the area. Finally I did have to have a biopsy based on a mammogram and fortunately it was a benign fibroadenoma but my SIL was not so lucky. She had waited, not wanting to go for her 1st mammo and finally I talked he into at 45. She had calcifications (small punctate, not the large benign ones). At the time of her lumpectomy only one lymph node was also cancerous so she still was lucky. 3 years later after yearly mammos another area of calicifications were seen in a differecnt area. She had a biopsy which was also cancer. She is fine 3 years later but I hate to think what would have happened if she had waited any longer for her first mammo. PLEASE LADIES GET THOSE MAMMO'S. Let me know if I can help further.

On Friday, 9/5/08, I finished 2 years of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation because of breast cancer. I put off my first mammo because I was "busy" ......for 3 years. I thought it was going to hurt, it didn't hurt at all, compared to 3 surgeries, being poked with needles countless times, and radiation burns. I was very lucky that my cancer was slow growing. I met alot of people that weren't as lucky along my journey.

Please, please get a mammogram. If you arent going to do it for yourself then do it for your family, because they are the ones who are going to have to stop their lives to take care of you when you can't take care of yourself. It takes less than 10 minutes. It may save your life.

::::getting off soapbox now::::::

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Mudpuppy

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain

Lynn226 and Mudpuppy pushed me over the line. The appointment is made.
Thanks you all for your help, information, and encouragement.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I am glad that you made the decision to go.
Just remember it just takes a few seconds to snap an xray .

I had one last Thursday.

Good for you Cj...Let us know how it went.

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Mudpuppy

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain

CJ, that's awesome!!

Please update us!!! I'm actually smiling about this - a hard thing for me at 6:39am.

D

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Glad the appt. is made. Your health is never anything to fool around with!


Thread is now closed due to the number of replies...........

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Nicole