I'm going for my first mamogram tomorrow. Any words of advice? Wanna come hold my

[imeverywoman]

hand? I'm pretty scared.:(

[Scarlett]

Why are you scared? Are you high risk?

My Mom was diagnosed in 03 with bc, and so every time I go in I am a little 'undone', but the actual mm is no big deal to me. Ok, well, it CAN pinch a bit, but that is pretty much necessary to ensure they are viewing all the tissue they need to view.

(((hugs))) though....I wish you weren't scared.

[Crissy]

Don't be scared!
I had my first at age 34. It's not bad. Really!
The most uncomfortable part is having to hold one position for what seems like so very long.

You can do it! http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/cheerleader2.gif (http://www.millan.net)

[Ria]

There's really nothing to it. It's pretty quick, and contrary to what you might have heard, it's not excrutiatingly painful or anything. The worst part is the embarassment factor (having someone else handle your boobs...well...it's a bit different, lol). Good luck. You'll do just fine.

Ria

[Michelle in MO]

nervousness, but it really doesn't hurt that much, and I'll pray for you for a clean bill of health! God bless!

:)

[Grace is Sufficient]

No words of advice... you're braver than I am! I haven't yet managed to bring myself to do it, though I've come close a few times!

[Julie in CA]

I can't say the mammogram didn't hurt at all. During the mammogram it was merely "uncomfortable", but the next day I did have a little of what I'd actually consider pain. I had quite a bit of bruising under my arms for a couple of days. Perhaps I just ran into an over-enthusiastic technician, or something. It was totally endurable, and I just took a bit of Tylenol. It sounds (from the other responses) like my experience was a bit of a fluke. I'm sure you will be just fine! (But if I were you I'd still treat myself to an ice cream or something afterwards, just for being such a good girl! :D)
~Julie~

[mcconnellboys]

It takes probably less than 5 minutes and the bit about it hurting is highly overacted, I think. If you have tender breasts already for any reason, then of course it is going to be uncomfortable to have pressure placed on them, but it's for a very short period of time if you stand still. If you do not already have tenderness, a short squeeze is not going to undo you. There are a ton of other ways you can hurt yourself on a daily basis that would leave more long lasting pain than this..... I regularly run into things and that's a lot more painful (and longlasting) than a mammorgram....

Regena the clumsy.....

[sdWTMer]

The only hard part for me was when the lady told me to hold my breath. For some reason, that was sooooo hard for me to do! :confused:

Good for you for going! :)

[lynn]

Really not as bad as I thought. My technician lady was very kind and made me feel as comfortable as possible. It's a good thing you are doing for yourself.

[Tracy in Ky]

Please, don't be scared. It will be fine!

I've had several mamograms done, and they really are not a big deal at all. It is just a little discomfort, and it is only for a few seconds! You may be a bit sore the next day or two, but it isn't that bad.

In fact, I like my annual mammogram appointment day because I get to go to the city alone and treat myself to a fancy lunch! lol

Please feel better, and try not to worry.

HUGS!!

[Amy in TX]

If they call you afterword and tell you to come in for "more images" or for an ultrasound, don't worry about that either! It's very common and almost always nothing, but they won't tell you that on the phone!

Relax...

:o)

[Cindyg]

No need to be scared! It's just one of many medical unpleasantries necessary in life. It's not a horrible experience. I would say it's nothing compared to being tube wormed, which horses endure up to 4 times a year. Sorry, I just can't resist bringing horses into every conversation. Really, a mammogram is no big deal.

[sclisa]

If they call you afterword and tell you to come in for "more images" or for an ultrasound, don't worry about that either! It's very common and almost always nothing, but they won't tell you that on the phone!

Relax...

:o)

When I had mine, it wasn't painful, and it was over quickly. *However*, as I was getting dressed, the technician stuck her head in the door and asked me to return to the imaging room. I think my heart stopped momentarily. I had no idea that this could just be "routine." She was very kind and explained that one of the images was unclear and simply needed to be re-taken. So, I just wanted to chime in to let you know that, as Amy stated, this is fairly common and usually means nothing.

As others have said, this is a very good thing that you're doing for yourself. :)

Lisa

[imeverywoman]

I especially appreciate the heads up on the "c'mon back for more images" bit. I would truly wee myself if they asked this of me without first knowing that this happens regularly.

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. :rolleyes:

For now, I'm off to prepare the girls for their debut! :p

[Chris in VA]

I use humor to help. As I was laying my substantial you know what on the glass plate, and allowing the tech to help me do so, I casually asked her, "So, how exactly did you decide that you wanted to enter this line of work?"
I mean, really, the job description must be hilarious--I'm sure many of you could write one that would send me into fits.
Hang in there--oops, that's an unfortunate choice of words.

[BizyPenguin]

Like Julie, I was sore the day after my mammograms, but that's because both times I went I had a lump so they had to take quite a few extra pictures and I had to have the ultrasound too. In other words, there was a lot of extra poking and prodding. It can be scary, I know, but you'll do fine. Fortunately my results were normal. I'll say an extra prayer for you tonight and try not to worry. All the best!