Today I got the first mammogram I've had in ... three years? Five? It was not so long ago I don't remember how mammograms were.
In the past, the technician would say, "Let me know if it gets to be too painful." I would take this as a personal challenge and I would never say uncle, no matter how much it hurt and how splayed my breast would be.
They don't give that warning anymore. They don't give you an out. The tech today positioned me, told me not to breathe, and cranked it up to 11.
"Oh! Damn that hurt!" I said after the first flattening.
She said, "That's because you tensed up your shoulder." So I became floppy drunk Ellen, dangling by the boob off the mammo machine. Relax. "Don't breathe." Squish. "Now you can breathe."
"No, I was relaxed, that still hurt." But I let it go, because I figure it's my fault for letting my breasts get too large. I suppose no matter your breast size, they have to roll them to a uniform thickness, so a DDD is going to be under more pressure than a AA.
That's a good diet motivation. If I lose weight, mammograms won't hurt as much.
Or am I taking too much blame? Perhaps mammograms just do hurt more than they did five years ago. Has anyone else noticed a difference?
It still hurts whether you're big or small. Still, it's time for me to go get one since it's been, like, five years or more.
Posted by: Becs | August 13, 2013 at 04:48 AM
Do you go to the Mercy Van? Maybe my boobs are numb? I just never thought it hurt. It's not something I'd go do for fun, but it's mildly uncomfortable. For the record mine are DD so I don't think its size. However, walking out of the van in the work parking lot is very uncomfortable; like everyone knows I was just topless in there!
Posted by: Amy in StL | August 13, 2013 at 01:00 PM
They don't hurt me at all and I weigh in at 46DDD. I have heard a number of complaints from the itty-bitty titty committee who say it is painful.
I think pain is different for each individual, and I mean all pain not just a mammygram.
Posted by: Zayrina | August 13, 2013 at 01:09 PM
I had mine last week and did not experience one bit of pain. Mine are C. In the past I've had more pain, same size. I feel like some of it depends on the technique of the technician. A lot of finesse involved, I think.
Posted by: Kristie | August 13, 2013 at 07:22 PM
Yes, lots to do with the technician skills and empathy!
I've never liked having them but couldn't really say it hurt loads (a pap smear is infinitely worse)but my most recent one was a doddle. I moved to northern Italy and was called for the routine checks, done every 3 years or so, and turned up for the mammogram at my local hospital. To be greeted by a male radiographer - a first for me but very common here, women don't go in for the training I gather. Afterwards we had a long chat about different cultures and techniques and he told me the machines were brand new (with pink decorations!) and because the images obtained were far superior to the old ones they could get away with less pressure. The "squeezers" were see-through plastic boxes without sharp edges and didn't hurt at all. For the record I'm a 32FF ;-)
Posted by: Eileen | August 14, 2013 at 04:07 AM
Becs - Yep, it seems like it was yesterday but it has been years.
Amy in StL - That would be so awkward. I know someone who showered at work and I couldn't imagine how she let that get around.
Zayrina - It depends on what hurts, too. I find that pain to my shoulder or hand gets a reduced reaction compared to breast or gyno exam pain. I'm quite a baby about that.
Kristie - I've read since that it also depends on which time of the month it is. My breasts just haven't wanted ANY attention at all lately. SIgn of menopause? Yes.
Eileen - (Hi Eileen!) That is a perfect description of the machine I had. My husband performed mammograms in his twenties when he was an orderly at a hospital here in St. Louis. That would never fly now, of course.
Posted by: TheQueen | August 14, 2013 at 11:03 PM
I imagine it must be horrendous for American ladies who get hospitalised in much of mainland Europe as there is a high rate of male nurses, especially here in Italy on medical units! The units are mixed although each room is either male or female and on the medical unit especially, the strength of the men is required to deal with post-stroke patients. But they do EVERYTHING.
Personally I can't see there is a difference between men being cared for by female nurses and vice versa but you do need to get used to it. The locals have never known anything different of course.
Posted by: Eileen Harrison | August 20, 2013 at 07:21 AM
Eileen - my first nurse during my first hospital stay was a make nurse. He wrote me a poem. I have it somewhere.
Posted by: TheQueen | August 21, 2013 at 10:52 PM