I recently, finally had my first mammogram, and I think it’s important enough to write about. Annual health screenings are an excellent way to prevent cancer, and mammograms are recommended beginning at 40.
I put it off all of last year (40), and I’ve had several calls and proddings from my doctor’s office throughout this year as well (41). Now, 42 is only a few months away. It’s not that I was really nervous about it. I think I’ve just gone to so many appointments and had so much imaging lately that I didn’t want to do another one. That, and I’ve never done it before.
I scheduled it in person (because, yes, I was already at the hospital). When they asked if I needed any special accommodation, I told them that my balance really isn’t good.
“Can you stand for twenty minutes?”
Yikes, twenty minutes? “No. Can I do it sitting down?”
“I can make a note here.”
I figured that wheelchair users must get mammograms all the time. At least, I hoped they did, same as everyone else.
When the day came–I rescheduled it. I can have some pretty intense breast tenderness before my cycle starts, and the timing wasn’t cooperating with my appointment. I didn’t know how uncomfortable this was going to be, and I really didn’t want to have my already painful breasts squished. Good on you and your reproductive system if you’re able to schedule around this on your first try.
On the new appointment day, I was ready. I didn’t wear any deodorant or lotion as per appointment instructions, but no one asked about that. I was led back to a tiny changing room and told to undress from the waist up, and put on a gown with the opening in front. I hate those things; they’re way too big, heavy, awkward.
Then I was led into the imaging room. I had my poles with me, and I asked if I was going to be able to do it seated. The woman (mammographer?) said, “We can try, but the images won’t be as good.” I said we could try it standing with my poles.
She explained how she would take the images, that I’d be asked to hold my breath for a moment and then breathe out. That there’s one that’s a little more uncomfortable because it gets into the armpit, but if you stay relaxed it isn’t too bad.
I said that there’s no way I could relax the muscles around my armpit while I’m trying to stand with my poles. She said I could hold on to the machine and sit in between takes. That’s what we ended up doing. The room was tiny, so there was about one step between the counter and the machine. She showed me where I could hold on with my left hand while she did the right boob. There’s a little recessed handhold on the side of the machine. Oh. No one told me it’s designed for holding on to. That changes everything. It was all completely fine. There’s lots of space around the bottom of the machine too that’s fine to grab. I was able to hold on with both hands, even putting weight on the upper body when I had to reposition my feet. (“Step a little closer and turn a bit this way.”) Then I used the right handhold to do the left boob. Yep, handholds on both sides. Brilliant.
The other thing that I was really grateful for was that she stayed in the room the whole time, so the process was a lot quicker. None of this holding myself in an awkward position while the tech leaves the room–beeeep–and then walks back in, as with an x-ray.
We did have to do some of the images a couple times for her to get good ones. I don’t think I was following her “Hold your breath. Now breathe” instructions exactly. When someone tells me to hold my breath, my instinct is to inhale first (gotta have enough air, obviously), but I don’t think she factored that in. She did indeed have the chair right there for me after each one, so I could sit while she checked the images and repositioned the machine.
Next year, I’ll say that I’m fine taking off my shirt if they don’t care either. Because sitting and standing repeatedly in that gown was ridiculous. And then the woman, whose job it is to look at and handle breasts all day, has to bare one shoulder, and get the gown out of the way of the machine, and carefully bare the other shoulder, protecting patients’ modesty. I almost just took the gown off right there. Next time.
The whole thing took like ten minutes, and that’s with all the do-overs. It’s so not a big deal. And it’s not painful; it’s just very firm squishing. At least, that’s what it felt like for me.
It’s nice to know that my little (tiny) pair are doing just fine. I do have dense breast tissue, so if you’ve been rationalizing that your boobs are small and nothing seems amiss, know that even with self-exams you may be missing something in its early stages, which is, of course, the best time to catch it.
Here’s a good video from Johns Hopkins to help you feel prepared (no robe for me, but I did have a real door on my dressing room):
What to Expect During Your First Mammogram
Here’s an awesome video from Australia that shows a wheelchair user with CP getting a mammogram. No awkwardness around breasts in Australia! I can only hope that providers in the US are as lovely as the ones in this video:
Breast screening with a disability
If it’s time for your mammogram and you’ve been putting it off–now’s the time to make your appointment!
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