I recently had a mammogram which I was dreading, and cancelled 3 times before booking a different screening venue. The radiographer knew that I was extremely anxious and insisted on questioning me about why, while I had to stand half naked with a mutilated breast, feeling more and more intimidated. She was brutal with me, and I’m wondering if their training includes having empathy for patients who have had breast cancer. Is this a common experience?
Hi Magster
Sounds about right to me, sadly. Mammograms became something I dreaded, not because I feared they’d find something, but because they hurt so much. I swear if men had to routinely have their testicles squeezed between 2 metal plates, technology would have much improved. My first mammogram, in my 20s, was almost painless so I was taken by surprise when my first negative experience came. I’d not had lunch, I’d nipped out of school to have it done, and for the one and only time in my life, I fainted, briefly. I came round to a room full of staff, at least 6, alarms ringing - yet no one had thought to detach me from those bloody plates - I dangled there in agony! You can imagine that, after that, mammograms were fraught and I do recall skipping one. But my mum had breast cancer twice in her life so I did the sensible thing.
I had a clear mammogram in 2018, yet three months later was diagnosed with Stage 3 bc, two tumours (one of each - I covered all bases!) overlooked by the mammographer (?). It was my own alertness over two freckles that popped up on my areola that got me diagnosed. After all my treatments, I got the all clear and then was called for my annual mammogram. I thought, with only one boob, it must be easier but I still explained to the radiographer than I was always anxious. When the inevitable pain came, I suddenly heard uncontrolled laughter - the radiographer just said “You should see your face!” Somewhat heartless I thought. Needless to say, when my oncologist ruled out further mammograms once I had a secondary diagnosis, that was a highlight of my treatment plan. No more mammograms. It’s not a resolution I’d recommend though.
I don’t know what the solution is. I have had reasonably comfortable mammograms and the replacement of the metal plates with Perspex makes a difference. But my overwhelming experience has been negative. Maybe a radiographer could explain why some hurt and some are ok? But it’s not conducive to good breast health to regard them with dread, is it? Xx
I thought the mammograms I had in East Sussex were less painful than the ones I had in 2003, but I am not convinced that they work. A Cochrane Review of mammograms found they find the less dangerous cancers more often than the more dangerous fast growing ones, maybe due to the programme being only every three years. Why is cancer going to wait that long to pop up? I would rather be breast aware. Not that I was that breast aware when I got breast cancer again in 2022 or maybe the year before. I thought my breast looked better, as the dent made by my previous op had been filled by new tissue, shame it was a tumour and a cancer filled lymph node that were doing the filling. Once I had found it, the mammograms were done, but so were two core biopsies. Maybe they directed them better due to the mammograms, but it was the core biopsies that established the pathology of the cells. Which proved to be breast cancer.
Hi Magster
Sorry to hear you’ve had a bad experience but it concurs with my own at my last mammogram. A pair of nasty women who refused to heighten the machine after the last patient, she was about six inches shorter than me. Not even a chat or a nice word on entering the room, then when I made a few ouch noises under my breath, said “we don’t deliberately try and hurt you” whilst physically stretching my post op breast to fit in the machine, hey after 2 surgeries and radiotherapy it’s all still pretty sore there, oddly enough! One of them even pushed my stomach hard to get it out of the way of the plates, I have bloating and digestive issues following the treatment, despite being slim, she could have asked me to breathe in but no.
It was a thoroughly vile experience and I was angry and upset by it, I couldn’t believe the way they treated me or that they thought it was OK to treat someone like that.
That’s been my experience sadly. Diagnosed triple neg breast cancer 6 month after normal screening mammogram. Even on the 3D mammogram at the hospital after my diagnosis they had difficulty seeing the tumour. Shows much better on ultrasound, which I’ve insisted on for at least my 1st follow up.
I checked the efficacy of the routine screening program, and it’s 85%.
I’ve worked around screening all my professional life but played that game we all do where we play the statistics game.
I had my mammogram and put a tick in the box, job done, how little I knew !!!