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Entry bubble Is it Mammogram Time?

By: Joanne | October 21, 2008 | Category: Health

a pink ribbon, symbol of breast cancer awarenessI hope you enjoyed the long National Mammogram Day weekend! OK, I guess National Mammogram Day just can’t compete with the 4th of July or Labor Day. No parades, no fireworks, no backyard barbecues. Mammogram Day isn’t a really exciting day (maybe they can make it more like Mardi Gras?) but when you consider it, early breast cancer detection just might save your life and that’s certainly worth celebrating.

Even though I try to do self exams monthly, my doctor recommended that I start having regular mammograms when I turned 40. I was a little afraid because I heard that the test is awful and uncomfortable and hurts. Sure, it was uncomfortable and I can think of a long list of things that I would rather be doing. Of course, my friends battling breast cancer can tell you that the momentary discomfort of a mammogram is nothing compared to having breast cancer.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Breast cancer kills tens of thousands of women in the U.S. each year, and a mammogram is currently the best method to detect breast cancer. With that in mind, get the facts and talk to your doctor about when it’s time for you to have your mammogram. The government funds local mammography programs, so if you don’t have the money for the test, look for free or low-cost mammograms in your area.

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: breast   cancer   joanne   mammogram  

Comments (4):

blue comment bubble Posted by Kimashmom2 on October 21, 2008 at 01:43 PM EDT

I just had my first mammogram yesterday and it wasnt that bad. I am 35 and had a breast reduction done in college. That is why so young. I am in the media and had a chance to see a little behind the scenes, too. It was amazing. I got to see the x-ray my breasts on a big computer monitor. It was amazing. Here in Montgomery, AL, we have the Baptist Breast Health Center, where 2 doctors review your results. I feel very fortunate that we have a state of the art facility here. I have been talking about it NOT hurting and so worth it. We are have a first ever Breast Cancer Awareness Health Fair at the Breast Health Center next week. This is so wonderful and so important to keeping women healthy! Take it from me, if you can go to the dentist and have those little plastic pieces in your mouth from the dentist and handle that, then a mammogram is a piece of cake!

Get your mammogram TODAY!

Leanne Thompson
Montgomery, AL
WMXS-FM Mix 103

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blue comment bubble Posted by Room4Improvement on October 21, 2008 at 05:06 PM EDT

I don't want to discourage people from having mammograms, but this diagnostic tool is flawed. The pain factor may depend somewhat on size and density and the skill of the technician. I had my first in my 30s because of a family history. They took at least 20 films. I'm a healthy person, but got scraped up to the point of mild bleeding and bruising. More troubling: how does this exposure to radiation affect us in the long run? How does that trauma to the breast affect us? My aunt discovered a sizeable, invasive lump not long after she'd had a mammogram with a normal reading. I would strongly urge that resources be dedicated to developing a more effective and less damaging diagnostic tool.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joanne on October 22, 2008 at 01:30 PM EDT

I agree with you Room4Improvement. I hope a more comfortable, safe and reliable test is coming our way soon...in the meantime, it's the best diagnostic tool we've got so I'm going to stick with it.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Dantes on October 27, 2008 at 04:03 PM EDT

Dr. Helen Zorbas, director of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, Sidney, Australia said that the mammographic screening is not effective in women under 40 age.

"Early detection for breast cancer in young women relies almost completely on young women themselves, knowing their own bodies and picking up the early signs of the disease," she said.

Dr Zorbas highlighted that young women must be encouraged to check themselves regularly for lumps without the use of any special technique.

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