Health screening

katek I go for the breast screening and just adopt a "whatever" approach. I understand that it can be frightening, this sense of "failing the test" is well described by people like Dr Margaret McCartney who wrote a book about over-emphasis on screening.

A few years ago I had a call back on my mammogram and at that stage skipped blithely to the appointment, on my own, despite being told in the letter that I may want to bring someone with me. I had an ultrasound and then was led into a room with a table and two chairs and two people waiting there for me, gave me the fright of my life. But it turned out they were there to offer reassurance that nothing was wrong. I apparently had reported "symptoms" (told the radiographer that I was experiencing breast pain in one breast only - that stopped when I came off HRT) - so all in all they were doing their best for me.

So after all that - I take whatever screening is on offer but I don't fret about the possible outcome until I know what that is! I hate the system here though - all that waiting weeks for a letter to come through the post is not ideal.

I take part in all screening offered to me... but if ever given a positive result I may well ask for a second opinion before embarking on any treatment options offered.

I tend to opt for going to the screening on the grounds that it might be a good thing. I have been presented with apparently positive breast screening results which were then studied in more detail and I was given the all clear, so I always assume that things will be looked into in more depth if required.