Boobie Smash Time...my First Mammogram
By: LaLacia Kane
****Disclaimer I am not a doctor, and this is not a medical advice post just my experience. ****
October is fast approaching and in just 11 days it is not just Halloween Season but also Breast Cancer Awareness month. According to the website www.breastcancer.org, in 2024 there will be approximately 310,000 women and 2,800 men diagnosed with breast cancer. I was told that at the age of 40 was the year to get my mammogram. Sometimes a doctor may recommend for a patient to get their annual screenings earlier then the age of 40 if they have certain risks for breast cancer. Early detection is the key to helping prevent breast cancer.
This is why I knew I had to get this done, while there are no risks in my family, I turned 41 this year and knew I could not prolong the inevitable, my first mammogram. Scared, terrified and disappointed that modern medicine has not come up with any alternatives for women's health care, I received the call from the medical center to set up my appointment and wrote a little poem and drawing that is attached at the bottom. A picture and poem were necessary to ease my fears and add some humor to my boobies' becoming pancakes.
The day of the appointment arrived, and I told my daughter "My body might stink today, but that doesn't mean my breath has too," as I plopped a glob of toothpaste on my toothbrush, I was told not to wear perfume, deodorant or anything that might cause the breast to slip from the machine. Apparently, that was hilarious to my 13-year-old and will be on my gravestone.
I arrived at the hospital, checked in and my nerves were on high alert. How bad was this going to hurt? I have had multiple surgeries and tattoos; I can handle pain but the thought of my boobies getting smashed like pancakes sent me into a cold sweat. The nice mammogram tech arrived took me back to the room, I changed into a gown, and she came in and explained the process to me and such a matter of fact and calm manner, my nerves were put at ease a little bit. The machine in the middle of the room was intimidating and still could not help but think there has to be a better way for women's health care. Why do we get a cold speculum shoved up our vaginas once a year? Why do we have to have our boobs flattened like crepes to detect cancer? Seriously there has to be a better way forward for women's health care.
However, the time had come, luckily, she would only need four pictures (maybe more), and I should be done in 10 to 15 minutes. If you have questions about the process, please feel free to email me and I will expand on my experience. The thing with a mammogram is everyone is different and pain tolerance levels vary.
Overall, though I was in and out in 12 minutes, and while she needed six pictures, not four, the whole process and the thought of how painful it would be was blown way out of proportion in my overactive imagination. What I will tell you is that my mammogram was uncomfortable, but not painful. I just felt pressure, so I urge you to go get checked out and do not let the fear of a procedure stop possible early detection. According to the site www.nationalbreastcancer.org "When caught in its earliest, localized stages, the 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 99%." The sites www.nationalbreastcancer.org has various resources and free guides that expand on early detection, signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
I personally would rather be uncomfortable for 15 minutes with a 99 percent survival rate and get my annual checkups, then have the horrible alternative happen. Cancer sucks for the victim and their families. Early detection can help!
Комментарии