Just had a mammogram

lostlantern

I just had my first mammogram today and I can honestly say it wasn't fun. I quickly went from feeling just fine to being very worried.

I felt a lump last month and now it is gone. My doctor said it is probably just a cyst, reduce your caffeine and we'll do an ultrasound to be safe. I went in fully expecting an ultrasound only to be told, "Nope, your 31, gotta have the mammo." Ok, I can deal with that, but OUCH Then they say wait here and we'll have the doctor look at the film. So I wait and when she returns she says the Doctor decided we need an ultrasound too. So now I am worried. I am shuffled back to the waiting room with all of the other worried ladies and my worried spirit is getting more worried all of the time. The ultrasound tech seems to spend extra time taking pictures and then asks me to wait. When she returns she is smiling and says, 'You did great, they'll send a report to your Doctor and he'll follow up, not to worry." Ok, I am worried because I don't know if this is all routine. Wouldn't they tell me right then if something was wrong? I called my husband just to hear his voice and he said they would surely tell me then if they saw something, that made me feel better. Does anyone know, will they tell you right away if something is wrong?

I think I'll have a glass of wine and chill, I am sure all is well. (positive thinking, that's the ticket)

Leolaia

I will have one next week. My doctor is pretty strict about me having them since cancer is a huge problem in my family. I didn't like it at all the last time I went. Very cold, impersonal technician staff, and had me waiting a lot too.

jgnat

THERE ARE SOME ADVANTAGES to being older and letting gravity do it's work. By the time I had my first mammogram, my mammaries just POURED on the plate. The staff were efficient and practiced, in and out. It didn't hurt me a bit.

Going for the test and living with a couple of days' anxiety is far better than what my fifty year old neighbour did. She scared herself so bad, waiting for the results on her first test, she's never been back. Getting tested and living with a few days of worry is far better than the alternative - dying in ignorance.

wednesday

hugs from one woman to another.

yes the mamo is upsetting. I have fibrocystic breasts (thnaks to taking estrogen) and have gone through exactly what you just went through. The sono was done however, by the radiologist and yes I got the result right away.

Sounds like it is ok however. One thing you can do for the fibrocystic stuff, take omega 3 fat oil. It really helps. also evening primrose oil or flaxsed il. and yes cutting down caffeine, and taking some B6 will help.

at your age that is the most common cause of lumps that come and go. remember, breast cancer never just goes away, so if you have lumps that go away, itis almost for sure fibrocystic stuff. It is due to your hormones being unbalanced. too much estrogen as opposed to progesterone. Some young women have gotten relief by also using the progesterone creams several days a month. Type in PMS , of progesterone cream, or fibrocystic and see what comes up.

weds

SWALKER

Usually a technition sends the pics to a dr. They will contact you with results. I would think that had the tech noticed a very obvious problem a dr would have been called immediately. The best thing that you can do is NOT worry and realize that it's likely NOT a problem.

Enjoy your wine....

Swalker

lostlantern

Feel better already

Thanks everyone, I feel much calmer.

Lady Lee

A JW friend of mine had a lump. It was quite large by the time she told me about it and she was terrified. I was able to talk her into going to a doctor. Within minutes he had her downstairs for mammo and ultrasound. Within 3 days he had he in the hospital for an biopsy. They wasted no time. In her case it was cancer. I'm not telling you this to scare you but rather to let know know when they are that suspicious they move fast.

I've had 4 so far. All negative phew. If they saw a cyst on the mammo I suspect they sent you for the ultrasound to check on the cyst. From what I understand the density is different. If they sent you home and said the dR will be in touch with you I wouldn't worry at all about it

Yea I know hard to do

cruzanheart

A tip someone gave me: take Motrin or Tylenol 45 minutes before the mammogram and it won't hurt as much.

Nina

tweety

I just had mine yesterday....yea, your right...ouch! But, to be on the safe side you sould keep up with having them.

You were worried b/c the nurse came out and said that the test results would be sent to your doctor? That is routine and they don't discuss anything with you, all results are sent to your doctor. That is normal.

As a side note: I asked the nurse, 'do you have the machine squeeze your breasts that tight when you have breast implants?' She explained that they push the breast implant back and they try to pull as much of the breast tissue forward to do the mammo. Now that sounds painful!

She told me that after seeing some of the breast implants and the results....she would never have any breast implants.

Tweety

MsMcDucket

I know what you mean by "ouch"! I'm not small breasted by any means. When that machine pressed my breast between it, it hurt. I'm a black person,and I my skin was red from the pressure of the procedure. I had a lump, and the radiologist did an ultrasound and said that it was "fatty tissue". I was scared to death because I have two sisters that have had breast cancer. One had a lumpectomy and the other had a radical mastectomy. The one that had the radical mastectomy had to have additional surgery with chemo after cancer reappeared in the scar tissue.

I know that this doesn't make sense, but I haven't been to see a OB/GYN in about 5 years. Haven't had a mammogram in all that time. I'm supposed to have them more often because of my family history, but I was so freaked out by it, at first, that I was getting to the point of paranoia/psychosis. Now, I'm at the other extreme...apathetic/suicidal (maybe). I just don't want to go in.

Anyway, I think that they would have told you something right then if they thought something was suspicious. When I had the sonogram for my kidney stone, they told me right then and there that I had a stone. When I had the sonogram for a goiter, they told me right then and there that I had a multinodular goiter and that I would need further testing.

So, I'm thinking that they would have, at least, told you if you needed further testing if they thought that the lump looked suspicious.

Hoping for the best!

Melinda

Just had a mammogram

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