Yes, this blog is titled "get smashed!" I am not talking about getting drunk, I am talking about getting your mammogram. Today, I had my boobs smashed! That is right, it was time for my yearly mammogram and I thought since this blog is "All Things nursing...," I would take a short minute to write about the mammogram. I am a big proponent of the mammogram. The five year survivor rate from early detection of breast cancer is almost 100%. According to the centers for disease control, the number of women age 40 and over who have a mammogram is only 66%. That is a staggering number considering how really easy the mammogram is and how effective it is at detecting breast cancer. I had my mammogram at the Christ hospital in Cincinnati. I had the new 3D imaging mammogram. I did this because I read that it is more accurate, and it can detect breast cancer up to 15 months earlier. And it has less false positives. I am going to walk you through my experience. I am going to tell you that I have been having mammograms since I was 35 years old. I have what they call lumpy breasts, and because of that, I have been very regularly having yearly mammograms. The first time, I was nervous. The procedure can be somewhat uncomfortable. Once, while having a mammogram, I became a little nauseated from the pain. "Has anyone ever thrown up on this thing?" I asked the technician.
"No, but I did have someone almost faint once!" She replied. (Yikes, can you imagine!)
The receptionist was very nice. She had me fill out a quick questionnaire. The questions were things like, do you have a family history of breast cancer? Do you have any breast lumps at this time and where are they. Then a technician takes me back to the changing room. This is what the changing room looks like. She asks if I have on any deodorant or powder. I do not. They ask you not to wear any deodorant or powder because it can cause false positives. Now, at Christ hospital they do 2 things that I love. 1- They give you a feminine, fitting gown from a warmer. So it isn't just a hospital gown that you're supposed to wear backwards, that doesn't fit and makes you feel uncomfortable. Plus, it is warm, from the warmer. 2- After you change, you wait in the privacy of the changing room, behind a curtain, in private, until they are ready for you. Now I know this seems normal, but it is actual not the norm. The two other hospitals, one in Cincinnati and the other in Northern Ky, that I have had mammograms at, make you sit in a crowded waiting room dressed in a backwards, ill fitting hospital gown. It is akward and uncomfortable, and I personally don't like it. I also can't believe anyone thinks this is ok. Maybe I am just a prude.
My technician leads me down a short hall in my cute purplish, well fitted and warm mammogram top to the 3D mammogram machine. It honestly doesn't look or work any different than the regular mammogram machine as far as the smashing is concerned. It is the same amount of smashing. I was told that it is extremely sensitive to movement so I had to breath and hold my breath when I was told too. Not going to lie, this was tricky. I almost hyperventilated. Then, another time, I found myself mid breath when she told me to hold my breath. Tricky! She showed me the image on the screen. Here is the interesting part. The 3D mammogram makes a more dense breast easier to read. If your breasts are fatty, then on the image, they are darker and the lumps are easier to detect. If your breast is dense then the image is whiter and the lumps are not so easy to detect. The 3D mammogram takes pictures in slices, so it can be examined in greater detail. So while you are standing there very still with your boob in a vice, and your are holding your breath, you can hear the machine taking multiple pictures. So now you know what to expect when you get your boobs smashed. Don't worry, you probably won't throw up, or faint, and you'll feel better when you get the word that your breasts are all clear!
Now go get smashed!
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