Recently, I had my yearly visit with Lisa, the mammography technician at The Woman’s Place.

As I stood there holding my breath, with my breast feeling like a large lump of peanut butter smashed between two crackers, I wanted to scream at the “man” that had invented that damned torturous device used for the mammogram exam.

I vowed to research his name and send him a scathing email advising him to try it on certain parts of his body to attain empathy for the female experience.  However, like having a baby, the pain (and the vow) was soon forgotten as I went back into the “busy-ness” of my daily life.

Now, I have made a discovery that I plan to try next year.   Since none of my girlfriends have mentioned it to me, I assume that they have not made this discovery so I decided to blog about it this week.

3D Mammography – (called Tomosynthesis) – is the newest technology.   This type of mammogram shows the breast in slices and will detect small/hidden cancer, which is good news for women with dense breasts.  It has been reported there has been up to a 50% reduction in the false positive rate because of this new technology.  The best news is that it is now FDA approved and available to all women for a cost of the insurance payment plus $50 out-of-pocket.  I call that a bargain for reported less discomfort and more peace of mind.

Take this information, do your research, and consider this type of mammography for your next exam.

Also, I want to share a sad story with you about the importance of the yearly mammogram.   Once a group of female co-workers and I formed a mammogram pack to remind each other to make and keep our yearly mammogram exams.   One year, one of these co-workers informed us that she was in the advance stage of breast cancer.   We were all shocked and inquired as to how this remained undetected through her yearly exams.   She confessed to us that she had lied to us and it had been 10 years since she had a mammogram.    As a result, she had a double mastectomy to save her life.

I never understood why she lied to us each year.

So, ladies, please nudge all of the females in your life to take care of themselves.   Please share this information and this story with them.   Let them know that technology is changing and there are now easier ways to have this critical exam.

Questions:

Do you have your annual mammograms?

Do you have any friends that are neglectful with these critical exams?

Would you be willing to try the new technology?