I just turned 40, so it was time for my first mammogram. As I am a normal woman who is alive in the real world I have seen the campaigns urging me to get a mammogram and at the same time I have heard the women in my life complain about how annoying mammograms are. The cancer people who research and save lives for a living had posters and billboards telling me it's easy, fast and painless, while the real people around me were groaning and moaning about how much it hurts and how embarrassing it is. Well, cancer runs rampant in my family, so I decided to be a full blown grown up and go get my first mammogram last week.
The first thing I did was contact my family doctor and ask for a referral to the radiologist. I waited a few weeks and because I was in absolutely no hurry to schedule the test I let the entire thing slide. After the new year I called my family doctor back and found out they had sent the referral straight to Kalamazoo Radiology and not to the Bronson, so I called the hospital. I spoke to the nicest woman at Bronson scheduling and was told women do not even need a referral to get a mammogram. (If you need a mammogram, check with your insurance first to confirm coverage, but most plans will cover one per year at 100% and you don't need a referral. Just call the hospital and schedule an appointment - it's VERY easy.) Bronson has four or five locations for mammograms, so I was able to schedule for the next morning.
This was not something I was looking forward to, but as I knew I had to do it, I just leaned in to the experience to get it over with. First, the people at Bronson Radiology were amazingly nice. For those women who have never had a mammogram, and want to know the details - changing into a robe, answering questions and changing back into your clothes takes ten times longer then the test itself. The mammogram took about 15 seconds total and IT DOES NOT HURT. The technician who did my mammogram was super nice and I did not feel uncomfortable or uneasy at all. She was very professional and worked quickly and easily to get me in and out of the room without any bother.
My appointment was at 9:15 am and I was back home with the dogs watching Netflix by 9:55 am. I would have been home sooner if I had not needed to call my insurance company to confirm they would cover a 3D scan as well as a 2D scan (call your insurance company before you go because I forgot.) At around 3 am the next morning I got up to let the dogs outside and noticed I had an email from Bronson with the results of my mammogram - no cancer! It all took less than 24 hours for me to find out I was breast cancer free and the reassurance that gives me was completely worth spending a little more than 45 minutes every year having a 15 second test.
Ladies, go get your mammograms. read more
