Well I did it.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month Hanes has teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation and I have successfully scheduled and completed my first mammogram appointment!
You know how in the old days housewives would bake beautiful pies and set them on the windowsill to cool?
This process was pretty much exactly like that! Except instead of pies on windowsills it’s actually your boob you’re putting on a tray and then imagine just sort of shutting the window on top of the boob a bit.
Not so much pressure that it’s painful, but just enough for them to get the job done. I would compare the discomfort level to those machines in the grocery store that you stick your arm in for a pulse and blood pressure reading. In fact, I’ll go ahead and take that a step further and say I think those arm machines squeeze tighter than a mammogram machine squeezes.
I was lucky enough to find a mobile bus location close by that was really convenient. It was like a rock star’s tour bus. It had all the bells and whistles of a real office, small office at the front of the bus for checking in and a little lobby area to wait in. The women who helped me were so lovely. After checking in I was escorted to a bathroom where I was asked to disrobe my top and put on a gown.
After that I entered the mammogram room and the equipment in there looked very similar to this:
I let the technician know when I was ready, she got me situated, explained each step exactly, snapped a few x-rays and I was on my way! The whole thing from start to finish took about 20 minutes. Not bad at all. The women were really comfortable to be around and they didn’t give me any opportunity to feel uncomfortable because it was just business as usual for them.
And if you’re nervous about pressure or squeezing or pushing boobs onto trays attached to machines, I will add that ALL of that is a whole lot more comfortable than radiation, chemotherapy, and/or a mastectomy.
Definitely worth making the appointment and of course there are other ways to be proactive about early detection. Being aware of symptoms and signs, self-examinations, and clinical breast exams are all important as well!
I received my clean bill of health and it feels really good to have completed that. Now that I know what to expect I definitely won’t feel as anxious going into my second appointment when the time comes.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hanes. The opinions and text are all mine.
Southern Angel says
I am a big chicken. As a big busted woman I have heard it is more painful for us because they have to press the breast so hard to see all the way through them.. I am not a pain freak at all.. Kudos for you for biting the bullet and just doing it and so glad you got a clean bill of health!
Lou says
I had my first one a year ago and had pretty much the exact experience … except without the bus (why am I picturing the Rock of Love Bus?). SO not the awful experience I imagined. Oh and I have a healthy sized chest, I actually have heard the opposite, that it hurts more for smaller women. Who Knows.
Andrea says
Way to go! Getting over that first mammogram is a hurdle. I hate the inconvenience of mammograms, but like you I had great techs who went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I love how you put the pain factor into perspective that a mammogram is definitely less painful than chemo, radiation, or an operation. Glad you are all clear!
Lynnie says
I am SOOOOO glad you posted this. I have my first mammogram next week and I am acting a little freaked out about it. Thanks for calming me and my boobies down a bit.
Erin white says
I love the way you discribed thiis.. Perfect.. I have been going for 10 years because I have fibroid cysts which is no big deal but are better looked at then felt. Hope that makes since … By point.. Oh yeah, to the reader who said she feared them because she was big busted.. It’s just not a problem.. Really.. I promise!
Tracy P. says
Good for you. And your pies. (Surely you have a more colorful version of this post in your head! ;-D) They can’t be too traumatizing, or I wouldn’t keep going back year after year. Worth. It.
kelley says
I did OK on my first mammogram. The second one the tech got me all clamped in and then there was some kind of alarm in the hospital. She started the machine and said I’ll be right back. About an hour later some janitor guy wandered in. Well he was as surprised as I was embarrassed He excused himself and hurried from the room. A few minutes later a very embarrassed tech arrived to release me from my prison. That was about 5 years ago and I just haven’t been able to talk myself into going in for another one.
Mama Kat says
Please tell me I am reading that incorrectly and that you were NOT clamped into that machine for AN HOUR…no. Tell me that did not happen.
Dyanne @ I Want Backsies says
See? I told you so! Glad it went well!
Mama Kat says
Yes you were right! Definitely worth the peace of mind and not bad at all!
Gigi says
I think the women that work at the local breast clinics are angels – I’ve never met one that wasn’t amazing and kind. Good for you!
Wendy says
I’m so glad you went and I’m so glad you’re sharing with your readers that it’s not that bad. Because you’re right…chemo, rads and surgery is no picnic.
pattisj says
Good for you!