Is Everyone Up to Date on Mammograms???

[bmccasland]

mammograms - yes
dentist and eye exam - no. The joys of moving, finding all new medical people.

[Aggie_Ama]

I had a friend put hers off two years with a family history of breast cancer. She was worried it would hurt. Luckily she was clear.

My stepmother-in-law lost my respect when she refused to have a colonoscopy because the prep was "uncomfortable". My father had stage 3 colon cancer which he survived but could have avoided the chemo if he hadn't put his off. I will schedule mine promptly after my 40th birthday (it is 40 if you have a history in the family).

I agree, please use these tools. Discomfort or the schedule interruption is temporary, the worst alternatives are permanent.

[Pax]

Had mine again this year, but will take 2-3 off before having another one. My doc flat out told me they can't see anything because of the scar tissue from my reduction. Self breast exams were her recommendation.

[indysteel]

Yep. I get one annually. My mom had breast cancer at age 34 (she's alive with no recurrence), so I started getting screened at age 30. It's not a perfect diagnostic, especially if you're young, so keep up with regular self exams, too.

[roadie gal]

Mammograms and Pap smears yearly. Period. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37.

As uncomfortable as these may be they're a lot more comfortable than rounds and rounds of chemo and radiation. The earlier you find something the easier it is to treat and the sooner you can get on with your life.

[marni]

I credit my yearly mammogram with catching the breast cancer before it spread. I have always been healthy and have no family history of breast cancer, but am mostly a believer in if it can go wrong it will, at least as far a medical issues go. Women plumbing and reproductive systems would never get approval these days but you deal with what you got. Get those tas tas done, ditto the pap smear. We need all the help we can get.

marni

[MomOnBike]

As with Marni, it was the mammogram that caught my cancer.

So yes everyone, get your mammograms. If I can do it, you can do it.