Mammograms

I am late posting today because I was over at Piedmont getting my annual mammogram. Mammograms are one of the more unpleasant experiences for women. It’s right up there with colonoscopy and perhaps teeth cleaning for some people. I personally love having clean teeth so that doesn’t bother me. I don’t like the scraping, but I love the final product. And the colonoscopy pre-work is the dreadful part. Luckily they knock you completely out and you don’t remember a thing about the actual procedure…but the preparation and its effect made me cry. Still that is only once every 5-10 years, which brings us back to the mammogram.

Every year I say the same darn thing to the technicians…which is that there is no way that any guy would tolerate the compression, the squeezing, the pinching on their private part that women tolerate on their breasts. I love how this complete stranger is pushing my boobs into place and then screwing down the top piece of plastic…tight enough so that the tissue won’t move. ‘Feet face the machine. Now turn your face to me.’ squeeze squeeze squeeze some more. Then ‘Don’t move and don’t breathe’. Centuries from now archeologists will come across the mammography x-ray machine and presume this was some sort of torture device for women who misbehaved.

…which brings me today’s gratitude challenge – can you be thankful for a medical test/procedure?

While I’m a little cranky this afternoon, I’m thankful that I live in a time when I have access to 2D and 3D imaging. I’m grateful to live in Atlanta, where I have easy access to get my annual mammogram. And while I don’t have breast cancer, my mother did, so I’m at risk. Monthly self-checks and mammograms help find cancer early. And Breast cancer, if caught early, is treatable. I am incredibly grateful to the staff at Piedmont Hospital – Howell Mill who are friendly and professional and helped make an unpleasant experience tolerable.

And action for my women readers – schedule your annual mammogram!