Last Friday I had an appointment with my OB/GYN. It was just my regularly scheduled yearly exam to check all the girly bits so I didn’t think anything of it. I had a few questions to ask her because of some pain I’ve been having that I though may be related to PCOS, but otherwise I’ve been pretty healthy since I’ve seen her last.
Just as I expected, everything turned out just fine. Since I do have a history of having ovarian cysts and I’ve been having pain, she scheduled me for a pelvic ultrasound. Then she brought up having a mammogram. Most women don’t have their first mammogram until they are at least 35, sometimes 40. But, with my mom’s history of breast cancer, my doctor wants to take all precautions and I’m totally fine with that.
My doctor had the nurse check with my insurance and she scheduled me for a mammogram on Monday. I was expecting to have a little more time to prepare myself, but might as well just get it over with, right? I wasn’t really nervous, but wasn’t exactly ready to get my boobs all squished and flattened either.
When Monday came along I headed over to the imaging clinic for my mammogram. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it wasn’t the most horrible thing I’ve ever had to do either. It was quite uncomfortable, well okay it hurt, but only for a few seconds at a time. And then it was over.
The good news is that everything checked out just fine for me. Now that I have my baseline done, it will be much easier in the future to detect any changes that might occur. I’m glad that I got it done. The next time it won’t be so bad because I’ll know exactly what to expect.
The bad news is that so many women don’t get mammograms. Either they don’t have insurance and can’t afford it, or they just keep putting it off until it is too late. The reality is that mammograms don’t catch everything, but having regular mammograms does greatly increase the chances of a lump being caught in time to do something about it and possibly save your life. That makes the pain a little more worth it, don’t you think?
Coincidentally, I received an e-mail on Monday from my friend Amy telling me that she is again participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on September 20th. On top of providing education and mammogram screenings for uninsured and under-insured women, the Komen foundation is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world.
Even though money is pretty much always tight these days, I try to squeeze out a little each year to donate to Race for the Cure. Not only am I supporting a cause I absolutely believe in, I also get to support the fund-raising efforts of one of my very best friends. If you would like to help, you can donate to the Portland Race for the Cure through Amy’s page. If you do, I’d love for you to leave a comment or send me an e-mail to let me know.
And by all means ladies, get those mammograms. It just may save your life.
Wonderful advise.
Hey, I have PCOS too. What are you doing to treat it?
My ob/gyn told me last year (when I was 34) that she wanted me to get a mammogram this year. I know I shouldn’t put it off (and I’m now closer to 36 than 35) but my insurance doesn’t cover it and our finances are so tight. I think I’m going to look into how to get one either for free or at a reduced rate because I know it’s very important!
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