Husband seeking advice about wife injured during Mammogram

Life after a breast cancer diagnosis Recovering from treatment
1

Hi All

Firslty I’m not sure if this site is the right place to be posting this, but I desperatelyt need some advice that might help my wife.

 

Just over 3 years ago my wife went for a routine Mammogram at one of the mobile screening units in Cornwall.

After the screening she told me that while she was having her left side done she was in extreme pain, and was yelling for the operator to stop, but she caried on regardless.

 

Now since that day my wife has been in a lot of pain around one of her ribs. The pain is mainly concentrated at the sternum and where the rib meets the spine. You can also see a deformation around the rib, which has been explained to us as displaced cartiledge from the Mammogram.

 

My wife was a teacher before her Mammogram, and hasn’t been able to work since. We have to sleep in seperate beds now due to her restless nights, and pain waking her up at night.

 

We have been to see various doctors who just seem to think it is in her imagination, but i know my wife, and she is most definatley suffering.

 

I am at my wits end as to what to do to help her, and it is breaking my heart to watch her suffer. Especially when it was caused by somehting that is meant to help.

 

I should point out that my wife is very slightly built and doesnt have a lot of fat tissue on her body.

 

Does anybody know of anyone who has suffered from these Mammograms, and perhaps still is?

 

We desperately need some help with this, but the doctors seem to think that this couldnt have happened due to a Mammogram, but I know it did.

 

We have lodged a complaint, and have someone looking into this for us, but 3 years later and the pain contiunues.

I would appreciate any help or advice on this matter.

 

Kind Regards

 

Keith

2

Hi Keith
I’m sorry I can’t help as I haven’t experienced anything similar but I’m commenting so your post moves back up to the top of the board so people see it. You could also try posting on the Ask Our Nurses board.
I hope you get some help soon
Cassie

3

Hello Keith, It is early morning here and I felt the need to report my findings here. My last Mammogram was 6 years ago and was extremely painful. I am a 12 DD size, 55 kg and 5 feet 2 inches tall. Usually very very well and fit. I am booked in for a Mastectomy in 5 days time because I have been advised that I have Cancer in right breast and it has been there a long time and is now aggressive. I have suffered hot, itchy breasts on many nights and sweating with a feeling of swollen breasts and tingling as if I am breast feeding. They are both tender and sore but one has developed a lump which a biopsy has confirmed to be Cancer. I believe whole-heartedly, that my Cancer has been caused by my squashed breasts. I have had many Mammograms over the years, but my last one in 2016 was very very painful compared to any others. I believe that a larger cup size means of course, that you will be squashed more. The cancer is above the aereola and where I felt most of the pressure and pain,p during the Mammogram and I can take a lot of pain too. My other breast is tingling and tender too, but an MIR scan has not shown anything so far. Larger Cup sizes are at risk here, but we all are at risk from the person doing the Mammography. Checks of breast health after final Mammaography should be mandate. I am 75 and normally fit and healthy, but for what is ahead of me now… I take no medications and my GP said that I have the blood pressure of a 20 year old. So sad now, but I do hope your wife has checks for swollen ducts and gets some help for her breast problem. It is not ok to be suffering so much and slowly, after a painful Mammogram. We deserve better.

4

I had a mammogram in November 2023. I was asked if I was standing on my tippy toes (I’m tall, 6’). I told the tech no. She told me to bend down and used her hand on my back to maneuver me into a bent over position. When she closed the plates, that were placed in a vertical position, on my left breast the plate grabbed my sternum and moved it to the left. I felt it but was in shock so I didn’t say anything. Then I had shooting pain in my left arm and pain in my chest and underarm. I’ve seen every type of doctor. I racked up 20k in bills. No one knew what to do. Then today I finally saw an experienced physical therapist who knew of this injury. She moved my top two left ribs back into place as they were pushing up against my clavicle. It took 2 1/2 months to find the right person. I’m still hurting but am hopeful that this may just correct the structural issues and horrific chronic pain I have had. I hope you find or found someone to help your wife.

1 Like
5

I’m so glad that you found some relief and hope that everyone else who iwas suffering is now feeling better . It’s a good thing to know about as we all have to have these things . Some staff are definitely better at helping position patients than others . I now tell them not to grab or move me as I had an exacerbation of a pre - existing shoulder injury after a mammogram on one occasion. Luckily I already had an appointment with my Osteopath who was able to ease it quite quickly .

Hope you can claim some of that money back and that you can inform every health care professional who did not believe you or couldn’t help that this is an issue. Xx

6

I found this post a few months ago after a similar experience. I experienced acute pain during my mammogram. I called my doctor who said we should wait for the results which were normal. I was on a lot of pain which was worse when I took a deep breath rolled over in bed, etc. I also had shooting pains through my breast down my arm and tingling/ numbness in some of my fingers. After 3 1/2 months and 6 visits to 3 doctors… doctor #4 ordered a chest xray which showed a fractured rib.
Throughout the whole ordeal I heard over and over again that it must just be a bruise - no one’s ever been injured by a mammogram- so much gaslighting!
You know your body best- I’m glad I didn’t stop looking for help. If you think something is wrong don’t give up!

1 Like