Well, that didn't take any time at all! I had just arrived at home from my first visit to the doctor when I received a call asking if I would be willing to go to the Lakes office for my mammogram at 8:15 Friday. Even though that's usually about the time I get up, now that I'm retired and don't have to crawl out at 5am anymore, I agreed. Thought it was pretty amazing to get an appointment that quickly...didn't dawn on me there might be another reason for the rush.
Arrived on time at the clinic to fill out the paper work, did the usual walk down the hall to locate the dressing room, get the instructions and find a seat to warm and wait. Don't you just love the gowns? I wonder who designs them? Maybe Project Runway should have that as a challenge? At least these are the waist-up versions that tie in the front. You don't have to worry about those full length models and feeling the air on your backside!
I was ushered in and placed before the "big gray mammo monster", my description of the breast squishing mammogram machine. Granted, it is much more accommodating than the older versions, can move around you rather than having you perform pretzel like positions, and has a variety of settings so your chances of getting squeezed to the point of screaming has lessened substantially over the years.
The technician was very friendly but most importantly, she was gentle. She carefully helped make sure I was placed correctly, as comfortable as was reasonably possible, and she explained every step to me. She truly did her best. But putting my breast where a clear plastic "paddle" is lowered on top of it with the intention of compressing it to look more like a thick pancake is just not the most pleasant or ideal experience no matter how kind the technician! Which ever one was pushed, placed, lifted, and squashed, neither was very comfortable. She took the usual number of pictures, checked them, and released me to return to the sanctity of the dressing room where I dressed in record time and made my escape until next year...or so I thought!
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