Mammograms

Hi Magsie hope your not too sore they are positively barbaric obviously invented my a man

I have had two now and I think its one of the necessary but uncomfortable things we have to do in life for ourselves and our families.

I couldnt agree more I lost my best friend to breast cancer so it makes me all the more vigilant

I hate having things like that; I'm a wreck waiting for the letter to arrive and positively shake when I open it. The first one I had done I was sitting in a room full of other women and they told them to go but called me back in. If only, as they did so, they had explained that the x ray hadn't worked out properly and they needed to do another! I would never not have one done, but I do hate them.

I think the 'process' is, shall we say, more difficult for those who are well endowed! Probably those who aren't will disagree!

I am the opposite of well-endowed so it can be quite a struggle to get enough to x-ray!

Had my mammagram 3 weeks ago and got the letter back saying everything is ok, I am very lucky.

That's how I am, Magsie! They really struggled first time I had one. Have put weight on since then, so there's a bit more to work with now. Good news, any. I suppose having these tests makes us not take our health for granted.

I am not well endowed and find them painful so I pity the people who have quite alot.
On the funny side, last time I went I was giving up smoking and had a nicotine patch on one of my boobs(I used to keep changing the site).The lady working the machine said I could leave it on but she had never seen one on there before.You live and learn.

Like everyone else I hate them, but it's just one of those things we women have to put up with. It's such a relief when the letter comes and everything is OK.

My dear Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer at around the age I am now, had a lumpectomy and fully recovered, living until she was 88. So I am very grateful for the mamagram, even though it is one of the most uncomfortable things we have to endure. I guess we all feel like this.

I too am most grateful for my mammograms.

I had them regularly every three years with negative results, up to the age of 65. The next year I was not expecting to be called for another, as 65 was the upper age limit at that time. but surprise, surprise - it was extended to 70.

I turned up to get the pressed beef treatment, and though no more about it until I read the letter with the result - called back for a rescan! Then surgery for a small tumour which had been found. Six years later and negative results every time since.

Every so often we read reports that regular mammograms are not cost-effective in finding cancer. Well for me they were.

Totally agree that it is vital to go along when asked - but I've got fairly big boobs (E/F) and find them agony. Always seem to get a sadistic nurse who makes the machine squash really hard .

Has anyone else been offered the bowel cancer check that you do yourself at home? Thought it would be disgusting to do, but wasn't that bad. What most surprised me was that OH at first didn't want to do it at all 'in case it showed something'. Told him I thought he was mad and personally I'd rather know than hide head in sand.

Still, always a big relief when anything comes back ok.

It is one of the really good things about living in France. You go to the specialist x-ray centre which is in every small town. You have the x-ray taken (just as uncomfortable as in the UK), then a specialist doctor looks at the x-rays, comes in and does a physical exam and tells you straight way if everything is OK or if they need to do any more tests. The results go off to be double checked and you then get a letter. The check is done every two years.

Replying to Mrs JamJam

Yes, the FOB test is rather gross to do, but better than bpwel cancer. I just wish my DH had received his when I did. Mine was clear, a year later he did his and it was definitely not. Half his bowel was removed, then a CT scan showed it had spread to his liver and lungs. Two lots of chemo later the tumours are getting bigger all the time. Average survival time for his combination when he was diagnosed was two and a half years. Two years on he is now trying to build up his weight and strength for a third blast of chemo, it is a race against the b*****s expanding, and the chemo will probably make no difference.

The earlier the little s**s are caught the better. Don't ever put off the test "in case they find something"

I was a bit like eligran, I knew that the mamogram would be my last because i would be turned 70 before next one was due. Letter asked me to visit hospital and I had a lumpectomy straight away. Was told it was cancer and best treatment was mastectomy. That was a Monday and I was going on holiday on the Saturday. I want on my holiday, and yes I did enjoy it because i was with 3 wonderful friends who made sure i did.
Two weeks later I had my operation, that was five years ago this coming October. So fingers crossed i will be given the all clear.

So far so good.....

Don't know how it is in your area but here we can go on requesting mammograms even if we are past the stipulated age. It simply means you don't get the automatic recall, but keep track of your dates and it is still available.

Thanks to a routine mammogram I was discovered to have breast cancer .It would never have been detected by feel at all so very grateful to have been diagnosed early. My son was on the point of going to live and work in America so that made it difficult as I did not want him to know before he left at the same time it was our 40th wedding anniversary. Mt daughter asked if we would just come to her and her partners house for a small party with just them, my son and her partner's children on the day itself. I almost cancelled as I had not told them either but we got dressed up as requested went to their house and her partner asked at what time we had got married. I replied at 2 pm so he said well that's a coincidence as we are getting married at 2 to-day as well. They had it all arranged to marry in their house the service conducted by a Salvation Army captain with whom my daughter had done some work . you should have seen the expression on his children's faces they were gobsmacked but it was all lovely .
I just had my routine mammogram to-day five years later after a lumpectomy and a moth of radiotherapy .

forgot to say that here in Scotland anyway 71 is the cut off age to be recalled for a screening but anyone over that age can ask to be screened and will be done so keep going.

I had a false positive. Horrible and very scary. So I don't feel great about mammograms. But I suppose I'll carry on going.

Ten years ago I had a routine mammogram and they found a lump which was removed and I had radiotheraphy. I have a mammogram every year and so far so good.

I've now done two FOB tests and both have been clear so far. It's not particularly nice but better to know.

I'm 65 years old.

I had a really helpful and informative radiographer last m-gram (it was clear thanks!). Has anyone heard of having other types of investigation for a routine check - like MRI or such? Asking around it seems our three year gap is pretty long. My standard is: how often does the Queen have it done?
(As in - Mr Dentist what would you do if this tooth belonged to Julia Roberts??)

If enough of us press for an alternative to mammograms, maybe some bright spark will invent a new pain-free procedure although I think it probably already exists but is deemed too expensive. Mammograms have been around for the last 40-50 years so are relatively archaic and if we can regularly send astronauts up to the Space Station, we can surely find a more civilised, less barbaric way of screening for breast cancer in 2011. Men would not put up with this sort of "routine" procedure. It's a personal choice and a sensitive subject of course but if anyone is interested, I have set up a page on FaceBook entitled:

"Find an alternative to mammograms"

There are some interesting articles on the page and any helpful comments are welcome of course.

My mother died of breast cancer so I, too, now say thank God for them. I don't find them particularly painful (am a size E). Here as well you can go on having them after the age of 70. We have a special unit which comes to our village every three years; if you are "over age", that's when you pop in and ask them to send you an invitation. A friend of mine in her 80s does this - about five years ago they discovered that she had got a small lump, so it's obviously well worth doing.

I have also done the Bowel Cancer test - I would say twice, but in fact several times. My husband and I received invitations when we were 60 and again when we were 62. Both times I have had to repeat the wretched things "not sure the first time, clear the second time and let's do it again just to be on the safe side!"

I also know people who have ignored the invitations.