First Mammogram--scared

K.:

Do not worry about WHAT IF's...you will worry yourself sick if you do. Do not stress over this. It CAN be a tad uncomfortable - but it's something that needs to be done. Especially knowing you have a family history.

Take it one day at a time. One step at a time.

You've stopped BF for long enough it shouldn't be an issue. If you feel it's an issue - tell them.

Take a deep breath - now let it out. Do it again - there you go. Stress does not do your body good. Instead of stressing over it - think of all the good things that will come of this - you have a good marker...IF you have anything - you will catch it earlier...but this again - you are counting chickens before you have them. DO NOT stress over it.!!!

had mine last month. it was fine! YOU CAN DO THIS!

1 mom found this helpful

Don't be scared, even if they do find something chances are it is very early and you just take care of it. My mom died @ 50 of breast cancer and I too recently had my first mammogram @ 36 post 2 babies. I wasn't scared until my OBGYN called the next ____@____.com turned out to be a benign tumor and I had it removed...which is very common. You just have to take control of your health and know you are taking care of yourself and being a good mom by getting your mammogram.

I have had several mammograms and they are not comfortable, but not especially painful either. I like to look at these tests like any other medical test designed not to "find" something but rather to "rule out" something. The best outcome is the reassurance that your breasts are just fine and you have nothing to worry about at this time. Just enjoy that baby!!

Not only have mammograms improved over the years,but also treatments for breast cancer. So if they do discover some indication early, then treatment can take care of it early too.

I know it is a worry, and unlikely that you will get a radiologist to look at the pictures and give a diagnosis the same day, but just be grateful we have this technology and some wonderful ways to allay fears and to take action if necessary.

Blessings and good luck this Saturday!!
N.

My mother was diagnosed with BC at 45 and passed away at 59 with her second reoccurence. My aunt passed away from pancreatic cancer last summer. I had my first mammogram this fall at the age of 37. I've been pregnant or nursing for the last 4 years so I had to delay until I was down to nursing 1-2 times in 24 hrs. Shouldn't be an issue since you stopped 10 mths ago. Mine was clear but I found myself very anxious in the waiting room and turning the exam and I don't usually get anxious at dr appts. I think that is normal and do what works for you to relax a little. I think this is just due to our history and for me it was the memories of going with my mother for hers.

To get some results quicker and due to your immediate history, ask your OB to request an ultrasound and a mammogram. They are sensitive to different densities and the great part is you get immediate feedback on the ultrasound.

I think it is normal for us to be nervous with our history. But starting early is a good idea and I'm glad your OB is aware of that (my previous OB was oddly unconcerned and didn't think I needed one before 40 despite history and universal recommendations). It will be done and clear :)

Hello K.. The first thing, do not have any caffien (?) type products for 24 hours before. It will make the mammogram less painful & clearer results. I have had mammo's since about your age. Once again, no coffee, star bucks (if you like starbucks), chocolates of any sort. It does help.
Blessings
A.
san jose, ca

I've been having mammos for a few years now. Last year I was called to come back the next day for a follow-up. There was something they wanted to get a better look at. I was terrified and of course very worried, but I was able to calm myself down by telling myself that there's no sense in worrying about something that's not there... yet. It turned out to be fiberous tissue and not cancer or a tumor or anything. You should try not to use your energy worrying about what *might* happen. Go in with the assumption that it's going to be ok. My biggest piece of advise is to do your monthly self exams in between mammos. Good luck!

I highly recommend Thermograms. The readings are based on how increased blood flow to an area can indicate inflammation and the propensity for an area to grow a tumor in the future whereas a mammogram only detects a tumor after it has already formed.
Personally, I had developed a suspicious mole over my left breast and a Thermogram indicated increased activity on that side. I made a concerted effort to alkalinize my diet (since cancer grows in an acidic PH) and within a few months the mole disappeared and a new Thermogram read a lower safer reading.

You can check on the internet to see who gives them in your area. Unfortunately, they aren’t usually covered under insurance plans and run from $150-200 in the Bay Area. However, I feel the peace of mind and being able to positively redirect my health is worth being self-insured for this test.

One more note, we need to take care of our liver to be able to fight off cancer. This important organ has to cleanse all pollutants from our system including sugar, refined flour, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, fast foods, preservatives and alcohol.

Hi K.,

Please do not stress yourself. I just had my 4th one done on Saturday. I am 44 and have a history of breast cancer in my family. While uncomfortable, it's manageable. Just know that the technicians WILL NOT given you any information because they are not doctors and it is against the law. Your doctor can request to get the result right away, but you won't know that same day. The best thing you can do is keep yourself occupied with things to do. Often this is just preventative. I'm sure you will be okay.

In our center you do not get an immediate reading. The technician can tell if the digital photo needs to be retaken if fuzzy, but a radiologist needs to read the photo. They may have one on staff to do an immediate check but then a 2nd radiologist reads it again. Even if you get a call to come back for more pictures like I did, it was just that a certain under arm area had some dots which turned out to be calcium deposits and not the start of cancer. I would certainly let them know when you stopped nursing. That fact will make the squeezing of your breasts between plates easier. For me there is no real pain, just some seconds of discomfort when you have to stand still with the plates clamped onto your breast - no fun, very uncomfortable, but do-able. Good for you to get started and be prepared.

I was sent for a mamogram 3 weeks after I stopped nursing by my soon to be ex idiot OBGYN (male) who told me my milk should have dried up in 3 days. Meanwhile my breasts were still leaking...DUH!
The technician told me 4-6 months to completely dry out the milk so they can get a clear image. SO, you are fine as far as the milk issue goes.
BC is no longer a death sentence, stay calm and try not to freak out until you have something to worry about.
Cross the bridge when you get to it is a good mantra for you.
hang in there - I'm not looking forward to mine either - I have to wait until August.

Hi,

I have a couple of comments. First, have you considered thermography instead of a mammogram? There is no radiation involved in thermography unlike a mammogram. Here is more info:

http://naturalhealthcenter.mercola.com/services/Thermogra...

Also, you can take steps to prevent cancer. You want to be consuming lots of antioxidants or foods/supplements with high ORAC scores. There are nutritional supplements and foods that can help you do this. If you want to find out more about nutritional supplement with high ORAC scores, email me and I'd be happy to help you.

And, now you can also check the antioxidant level in your body using a biophotonic scanner. I just had this done a few months ago. Here is a link:

https://www.nuskin.com/content/nuskin/en_US/products/phar...

This was featured on the Dr. OZ show. Here is a link:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/cancer-fighting-antioxidan...

Good luck!

Hi K.,

There are things you can do to protect your breast health. Omega 3 6 is one great supplement. I get it in a vegan form. Let me know if you would like to learn more. I suggest you become proactive and not reacitive.

Don"t worry just take action.

Have a great day.

N. Marie
____@____.com

Hi first timer,
I want you to make sure you ask for the throat guard from the radiation to protect your thyroid gland. They will not offer it and just we ready for the press and squeeze. Be calm!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a baseline done when I turned 36.
This means they will compare future readings to the first one to track changes in your breasts.
I didn't find it to be difficult or painful at all, but a lot depends on how sensitive your breasts are.
They do this so they can catch things early and the earlier the better.
I'm coming up on my 50th birthday and I've never been called back for a repeat nor have I ever had abnormal results.
Giving birth and breast feeding was more complicated than this.
You'll be fine!

Nobody is a worse patient or more chicken than me. What I do is just keep telling myselfover and over in my head " doing this for Holly, I must stay healthy for my daughter she needs me, healthy living and early detection is the best way to to take care of myself so that I can take care of my daughter".
I know that it must be stressful, but remember being proactive and early detection is your best defense against something bad happening! Good luck, I hope this helps!

I had my first one last year. It's not that big of a deal. They did warn me it was likely I'd get a call for a second one, but not to worry too much about it because it almost always has to do with not getting clear enough images. I never did get a call, just an email to check my online results, which were fine. I didn't think I would get a call because the technician showed me the images she took and they looked pretty easy to see.

The thing is you can worry about every doctor's visit. Have a sore throat? What if it's throat cancer? Getting a pap test? Cancer possibility there, too. The vast majority of the time, results are just fine. And if they aren't, you're getting early detection, which means there's so much more they can do to deal with the problem at hand.

Good luck!

I had an early mammogram to check out a benign cyst. It was fine. I hope it goes swiftly and you have no discomfort (mine was very mild, not bad at all) and they don't find anything of concern. I think as long as you are not now nursing then it's not a factor.

Hi K.,

I just had my first mammogram 6 months ago and I, too, was petrified. In fact, I worked myself up so much that I fainted in the middle of the procedure. That wasn't fun. So start to relax yourself now as much as you can. It's really not bad. It turns out, I actually didn't find it to be that uncomfortable at all. I let the technician know I was nervous, and she put these foamy, squishy pads on the plates that compress your tissue for the imaging. It actually didn't hurt at all. I was really pleasantly surprised. Then I did get a call to come back in for more mammogram images. As you mentioned it was the routine case that they didn't have any prior images to compare to, so they wanted to be very thorough. Of course, I was still worried. But again, even with them taking more images, it didn't hurt at all. That day they decided to also look closer at something with an ultrasound, so I waited around to have them do that, too (worry, worry). The ultrasound I thought was more uncomfortable than the mammogram (totally surprised me!) because they were "digging" around for a spot deep down in the middle somewhere. And both the technician AND the radiologist did separate attempts at "digging." But for that, I did hear from them right then that they didn't find anything. And then they suggested that I come back in 6 months to have another mammogram because they wanted to make sure nothing changed and confirm that my baseline was really a baseline. So I just did that one a few weeks ago. Now that I know it doesn't hurt, and that despite their multiple requests to do additional tests it really doesn't mean you're sick, I feel a lot better about going. It's just another checkup. Keep telling yourself that -- it's just another checkup. Even with multiple add-on tests, it's STILL just another checkup. And relax as much as you can. It's really nowhere near as bad as I'd created it to be in my head :o) Oh, and my only other advice would be to leave yourself a lot of time for your visits, in case they want to do an ultrasound, too. I believe I was there for about 2 hours doing all those tests, whereas I expected to be in and out in about an hour.

Best wishes, and hang in there,
A.

Hi K.,
I wanted to give you some words of comfort for your first mammogram. I have been called back a couple of times after my mammograms (I am now 47) and they have found masses (which were benign after ultrasound and biopsy) and mineralization. Know that most things they find in the breast are benign and that if it is not the sooner and smaller they find it the better a chance for full recovery. (My sister in law died at the age of 42 from breast cancer and she too was scared but she told me to get mammograms and to catch it early -which did not happen for her). I do it faithfully every year, for her. I am scared to death whenever I go. The boob squish (my pet name for it) is not that bad- few seconds of squish and then over. I would much rather have that than a pap smear... which hurts like **** in my opinion. You will do great! And the likelihood is in your favor that they are not going to find anything! And if they do... the chance of having it be bad is 5-10%... Pretty good odds.
Good luck to you! And enjoy motherhood!
L.

I just had a mammogram and I had to wait there while dr looked at xrays and they took me back right away to get an ultrasound for only one breast right then! It was scary! Everything was fine they had no older mammograms to compare it to so "just wanted to be sure" I get that, but...
I would suggest bringing someone with you if you can to be there if you need! I wish I had. And go in thinking positive- you thoughts are very powerful! Good luck- mammograms don't feel good but they save lives!