Mammogram
I have what they are calling a 'sensitive tumor.' The tumor sits on my chest wall and has nerve endings running through it. The location makes treatment and taking pictures difficult. It also means that it hurts like h*ll.
This is a mixed blessing really. The pain is ever present so I can never forget that I have a tumor, but the pain is why I went to a doctor. I have not been to a doctor since 1997 mostly because I really didn't like my doctor. Why I didn't like her is actually a third blog waiting to happen, but returning to see her seemed impossible.
My diagnostic mammorgram was on June 3rd. It was very painful. As mentioned on my real blog, they took the standard four pictures, two of each breast. The right breast was not happy at being squished. The tumor didn't take kindly to this at all.
The next set of pictures hurt even more. Since they were trying to get pictures of something on my chest wall, it was neccessary to push the breast more forward than I thought humanly possible, and then flatten it completely. The technician needed to do this four times at different angles.
And so there I stood, in a hospital gown, clinging to this large machine with tears running down my face. The technician, whose name I don't recall, said soothing things which I don't remember. She was very supportive, but she had her job to do. I have to admit when she had to reshoot one of the more painful angles, I wasn't sure I could manage it again.
Instead of sending me back to the waiting room, she let me sit in the mammogram room for a few moments to compose myself. When the radiologist called to say that she had the shots she needed, only then did I go through the waiting room again to put my street clothes back on.
Some of you reading this haven't had your baseline 40-year old mammograms yet. Or any others. My experience is the worse it can get and I did it. So can you. Please!!!! Make your appointment today. I will come with you if you want and hold your hand.
This is a mixed blessing really. The pain is ever present so I can never forget that I have a tumor, but the pain is why I went to a doctor. I have not been to a doctor since 1997 mostly because I really didn't like my doctor. Why I didn't like her is actually a third blog waiting to happen, but returning to see her seemed impossible.
My diagnostic mammorgram was on June 3rd. It was very painful. As mentioned on my real blog, they took the standard four pictures, two of each breast. The right breast was not happy at being squished. The tumor didn't take kindly to this at all.
The next set of pictures hurt even more. Since they were trying to get pictures of something on my chest wall, it was neccessary to push the breast more forward than I thought humanly possible, and then flatten it completely. The technician needed to do this four times at different angles.
And so there I stood, in a hospital gown, clinging to this large machine with tears running down my face. The technician, whose name I don't recall, said soothing things which I don't remember. She was very supportive, but she had her job to do. I have to admit when she had to reshoot one of the more painful angles, I wasn't sure I could manage it again.
Instead of sending me back to the waiting room, she let me sit in the mammogram room for a few moments to compose myself. When the radiologist called to say that she had the shots she needed, only then did I go through the waiting room again to put my street clothes back on.
Some of you reading this haven't had your baseline 40-year old mammograms yet. Or any others. My experience is the worse it can get and I did it. So can you. Please!!!! Make your appointment today. I will come with you if you want and hold your hand.
posted by *susan* at
2:27 PM
1 Comments:
Oh, Susan, I'm sorry this was so awful for you... it really does sound terrible.
I would like to point out, to back up what you have said, that pain in a mammoggram is usually not the case. I had my first (and only) mammogram at the age of 35, on the day I got my period (which is not advised, due to breast sensitivity, but I had a lump and HAD to do it), and it was a bit uncomfortable but not at ALL painful (and I had breast tumors/cancer, too, for the reference of anyone reading this). Really, it wasn't a bad experience for me, and it usually isn't. I second what Susan has said - run, don't walk, to get a mammogram if you are due for one!
- Kristina
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Kristina, at 5:41 PM
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