The Mammogram.
It sounds all scary and ominous.
Like it should be accompanied by that music that they play when the teenage girl heads down a dark alley by herself in a horror movie and you just want to stand up and shout, “DON’T GO DOWN THERE!”
But in this case you know you SHOULD go.
But the dread takes over and you don’t make an appointment.
For me the dread took over for months. Last year I turned 40. My husband is a radiologist and started the
You Need a Mammogram Campaign on my birthday.
Happy 40th Birthday!
Ugh.
I am pretty decent at procrastination and put it off…until I went to see my OB/Gyn and he joined in the
You Need a Mammogram Campaign as well. He added a few horror stories of his own and handed over a prescription along with an appointment.
Crap.
And so I went. It wasn’t horrible. In fact, it was pretty quick and a bit awkward, but fine.
A few days later I was called back in for additional views.
Crap.
On that appointment I took my husband with me. It is always good to have a spare radiologist in such cases. This time the awkward element was elevated with more X-Rays taken while my husband and the radiology technician discussed everything seen in black and white.
The good news is that nothing of concern was seen and I can continue on my regular yearly exams.
That notice I received in the mail several months ago. I opened it and set it aside.
I don’t WANT to go get a mammogram!
There are tons of things that I would rather do.
I am a busy girl.
And then a week ago I started the
Check-in for Check Ups program where I check-in at the
Check-in for Check Ups website for each healthy habit this summer and Clorox donates 10 cents for each check-in to the Children’s Health Fund. My healthy habit goals are centered around healthier eating, but while exploring the website I kept running into women checking in for mammogram-related habits. It was a sign that my procrastination needs to end.
I called and scheduled an appointment.
I went and had a mammogram today.
*cue the ominous music*
My husband has warned me that I will likely get called in again for a follow-up and I am actually not very nervous about that aspect now that I have been through it.
I am just thankful that I have started the process and
checked in for that healthy habit.
She is Dallas info: The Check-In for Checkups program is sponsored by Clorox. I am working with The Clorox Company for the Check-in for Checkups program that benefits Children's Health Fund (CHF). You can join in by checking in yourself and creating some healthy habits. Follow my healthy habit progress here at She is Dallas or on Twitter with the hashtag: #checkinforcheckups. For each check-in, Clorox will donate 10 cents, up to $100,000, to CHF to help support their goal of providing half a million health care visits to disadvantaged children across the country.
..Despite the fact that women over the age of 65 run a much higher risk of developing breast cancer a survey done last year by the National Institutes of Health shows that they are not as concerned about developing breast cancer as they were when they were younger. The 1 in 8 figure means that if current rates stay constant a female born today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer sometime during her life.
You’re so right about it not being horrible. I’m 34, but had to go because I was having some pain in one of my breasts. I was expecting lots of pain and torture, but it didn’t hurt at all! Awkward- yes, but totally worth it for the peace of mind I have knowing that there’s nothing wrong.