Fight Like A Girl is one of the themes of Breast Cancer Awareness month. I hope you are keeping your mammogram up to date. I have been a "qualifier" since before age 40, so it is safe to say that I have had more than my fair share of them. There is absolutely no good reason women should not annually have this procedure done. Too painful? Uhm, no. Try again. Time constraints? I've spent more time in the waiting room with a cold. Have to travel? So...? We travel for lots of things. Just get yours done. The procedure itself has changed over the years, and it is less painful (if at all). Man up, -- well, Woman Up -- and get it done.
I borrowed this picture from a person who no longer has a blog, but I link to it on the picture. What I want to say about the mammogram machine, is that if you haven't seen a piece of equipment this modern, you are behind. Way behind. This may not even be the latest and greatest. I'm telling you. It's no big deal.
Some people qualify for additional testing. I'm referring to density, here. I'm referring to mammogram results. I'm referring to family history. Sonograms (ultrasounds), thermograms and biopsies are some of these other types of tests. Nothing to freak out about... Just follow your doctor's orders. :)
This is a sonogram picture. An ultrasound uses a sound wave and its echo to provide a 3-D sonogram by calculating the depth and the density of the tissue.
The doctor clicks with the cursor, and she moves all around looking over and under every possible place with the linear array transducer -- sounds like Star Trek, but I didn't want to use another word that sounds icky. Zero pain. It's actually pretty interesting. Dozens of clicks and lots of pictures.
Looks like a big mass or problem, huh? Nope. Story of my life. For me personally, this is almost protocol.
It's tiny. But they measure it and keep tabs on it, anyway. That's what they do.
They measure from every direction. Their pictures are much clearer than mine.
I'm not going to post a picture, but here's a visual for you. Imagine me, laying on the exam table, having this ultrasound done, and I am holding my phone up taking pictures while it is happening. Hope that made you laugh. Honestly, some of these pictures were taken off the screen after the images were saved.
I have this theory that while a doctor is doing an exam or performing a test on you, and you don't have to stay perfectly still, they ask questions about you. Here are the things I always say, what my husband does, what my kids do and where they are, and that I really like to travel. Usually, something spurs on a deeper conversation about any one of those subjects, and *presto* you are relaxing and not thinking about what the doctor is doing. Multi-tasking at its finest for a doctor, because I doubt I could do more than one thing at a time anymore. And my super cute doctor who is close to my age, asks me about my blog since I have been taking pictures to post. I tell her a little about it, but that it's just kind of everyday stuff. Then she tells me SHE has a blog. Whaaaaaaatttt???? She is happy to share it with me, and it is very well done. If you want to know about it, ask me. And if I get permission from her, I will share it here. She rocks.
If one person is motivated to get their mammogram, please let me know. Just curious. I'm in the clear for another six months. ;)
