There are a couple of milestones to becoming a woman. Obviously there is your first period complete with tears, mattress sized pads, and a complete fear of any boy finding out. Then there is your first love, the one you swear you know is "the one" even if you are only 16. Skip down the road a bit and there is childbirth which is just WHOA, on a whole other level. Then fun things like mole checks, wrinkles, and a little process I'd like to refer to as the boobie pancake. Yesterday I was introduced to the mammogram machine and he is no joke!
The word cancer is a part of everyday vocabulary it seems now and everyone knows someone who has had it, maybe even yourself. I felt a lump a couple of months ago and since it has not gone away on its own my doctor suggested I go for a mammogram. Better safe than sorry he said. I have to say that I really wasn't that worried about it, mainly because I didn't even have time to think about it. This was a blessing for me because I am usually the type who has already walked myself through chemotherapy, how I will say goodbye to my children, and what I will look like bald before I ever get to the appointment. I wanted to tell you about my appointment because I figure a lot of you haven't had one yet and I want you to know what to expect.
First and foremost, it is not that bad!! I am not, uh well-endowed so I thought it would be really painful but it was bearable. You basically walk your boob up to a platform where they tell you to relax your shoulder, bend your left knee, butt out, chest in, head up, hair back, and don't move. Reminded me a lot of those awkward school portraits. Next they manhandle your breast between two clear plastic slides and start turning a compression knob. My nurse was very considerate, asking me constantly if I was ok and to let her know when it was as tight as I could handle. The overall sensation was less painful than breast feeding with sore nipples and was over within seconds.
The doctor confirmed that the lump was just breast tissue and I had nothing to worry about. I feel so fortunate to have received good news because I know there are so many women who do not. I encourage all of you to schedule your mammogram if you are over 30 and also to make an appointment with a dermatologist for a skin check. I also did this in the last couple of weeks and I feel so much better knowing that I am staying on top of my health. If only I had cared about it when I was baking away on the beach during my youth. This video sums up that sentiment perfectly....
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