I am two months shy of being the same age as my ex-husband was when he died of pancreatic cancer at 54 and a half.
For the first two years after Dan died, every lump, bump, headache, twinge, or slightly odd looking freckle had me off to the GP. My primary drive was not so much that I was worried for myself (which of course was part of it), but because of my fear that my children would have to again cope with the trauma of having a parent with cancer.
And then I kind of calmed down – I eat well, I sleep well, I exercise, I do not drink or smoke, I wear sunscreen and a hat. I am young and healthy. What could go wrong?
Screening mammogram
But then two weeks ago I went for a screening mammogram.
Now, let’s be honest – having a mammogram is just an horrendous experience. No woman on earth has ever said – “I’m off for my mammogram today and I simply can not wait”.
For those of you who have been screened, you will know this. For those of you who have not been screened, here is how it goes: you need to strip down (the top half) in a clinical environment, stand naked (the top half) pressed uncomfortably up against a big X-ray machine while a clinician essentially (but kindly and apologetically and gently) manhandles your breast into position between two X-ray plates which then proceed to compress as much as possible to squeeze your poor boob like a pancake in order to spread the breast tissue out as thin as possible for X-rays to be taken. And then you have to do it all again for the other breast.
It is the pits.
On my screening day, the lovely radiographer took a couple of shots of my squished boobs and then left the room to have the X-rays checked.
On high alert
On her return she lightly said that a few more shots were required. My ‘scared shitless of cancer’ radar was suddenly on high alert. And rightly so. Two hours after the X-rays were taken I was informed by my doctor that some possibly suspect tissue had been found and “blah blah blah”.
I say ‘blah blah blah’ not because what my doctor went on to say was trite and not worthy of mention, but simply because my brain quite literally stopped working at that point in time and I did not process any information after the word “suspect”.
The following day I returned to the hospital for a mammogram breast biopsy – which is exactly as bad as it sounds.
Essentially, the whole squishing of your boob in a gigantic machine thing happens again but this time for about 30 minutes while, under local anaesthetic, a big needle is inserted into your breast to extract a tissue sample. A metal clip is then inserted into the suspect area so that if surgery is required the surgeon knows where to operate.
It is also the pits.
What my surgeon was looking for was something called DCIS – ductal carcinoma in situ – a condition where the cells lining the milk ducts in the breast turn malignant (cancerous) but stay in place (in situ). DCIS is an early form of breast cancer and is non invasive.
Waiting for results
And then I had to wait four days for my results – also the pits.
Happily – very happily – my results were clear. What had possibly been DCIS was a harmless cluster of calcium. My out of pocket expenses for the tissue samples are eye watering and I am grateful that I have the money to pay for the care I needed. It worries me deeply how some women can afford such expenses.
The whole experience was – as I have mentioned – the pits. But, I can also tell you what is very much not the pits:
- Screening mammograms save lives because they can find changes too small to be felt during a physical examination. The calcium deposits in my breast were the equivalent of a cluster of tiny dots made by a ball point pen. If it had been DCIS – the condition would not have been detected but for the mammogram.
- Early detection of breast cancer can significantly improve treatment outcomes. A review of Australia’s BreastScreen program published in 2009 found that the program had reduced breast cancer mortality in Australia by between 21 and 28 per cent. Subsequent studies have estimated mortality reduction benefits ranging from 34 to 50 per cent.
- Screening mammograms are free every two years for all Australian women aged 40 years and older who do not have any signs or symptoms of breast disease. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a country that offers this life-saving early detection screening at no hip pocket cost to us.
- Every person involved in my week of angst – from the receptionists at the hospital to the nurses, radiographers, radiologist and breast surgeon were incredibly kind and caring and did their best to remove as much discomfort and fear from the process as possible.
Still grateful
My week was the pits, but I am incredibly grateful for it.
Have you had a mammogram in the past two years? If not, please make an appointment with your GP and just get it over and done with. It could save your life.
How was your mammogram experience? Why not share it in the comments section below?
Also read: Australia’s bowel screening program saved my life
