tips for better mammogram?

[lph]

Oh my goodness! Red! I'm "never" here anymore, but happened to see this. I've taken up guitar too, since our son left the nest, and I'm having a blast :-D I have my hands full just trying to learn the basics, but it's sooo much fun to be able to play songs I know even in a simplified version. I would love to hear some of your stuff, if you feel like sharing. I'm on Soundcloud btw.

And congratulations with the treatment done!

[redrhodie]

https://soundcloud.com/user-468459034/animal-farm-rough

Here's a new song. It's called Animal Farm. I'm on guitar and singing, and my bf is on synthesizer. We're calling ourselves Faraway my Lovely. So this is what I've been up to!

[Crankin]

Hi Red, glad to see you here. Congrats on completing your treatment and your new venture. As someone who has no musical talent, I am amazed.
And, if you ever get the urge, I'd still love to meet up and ride with you...

[Helene2013]

I'm very happy to read that you pulled this one out and it's been 5 years. What a relief!

I'd like to play electric guitar. Keep telling my husband I think it will be one of my many projects when we retire in 4 years. haha

Going for bilateral mammo tonight (our government plan covers a free mammo every 2 years once you reach 50 and it is an optional program but you get a thorough followup if something comes up). Always stressful to get through those. I don't find them painful at all, but it is NOT my favorite type of breast manipulation for sure. haha And I hate that I always end up having to go for the focal "spot" compression and then ending up in ultrasound because a spot is never clear enough. Why can't we go straight to ultrasound!

The first time I was almost freaking out by the process as you always fear the worst when you have to go back for further testing. First time it was the right breast and it was just fluid pockets. Relief! Radiologist even took the time to show me that every women has those and did the ultrasound on the other breast to show me he would find some.

The 2nd time it was the other breast and it seemed to take forever for the radiologist to go through that ultrasound. Nerve wrecking but she wanted to clear everything. She was pressing and poking her ultrasound remote on that breast so hard and it was finally nothing. I could see the monitor but it says nothing to me just black and white mix of things. haha All is good and she said see you in 2 years! Which is time now.

But I do have once in a while "pain" in the left breast and it goes away. mostly cyclic thing and I'm menopaused for the past 2 years now. I don't feel any lumps or anything different. I did have breast reduction in December 2010 and since then, my breasts are more tender and "itchy" inside once in a while. Even part of them are permanently numbed. I guess being cut and poked inside takes its toll on them too. I used to have very sensitive breasts when I had my periods. And I suppose some things don't change, even with menstruation done and over with.

TBC.. Anyway...regular mammo tonight and expecting to have to go back for further testing. Just hoping it will be done and over with and good for 2 years!

[redrhodie]

Can't post much right now cuz I'm supposed to be working, but lph, I loved your song! I'm going to listen to it through my stereo when I get home. You should make it public. It's really great!

[Trek420]

One day at medical imaging:

I've been remiss, I've been bad, forgive me sisters, it'd been nearly two years since my last confession oops I meant mammogram. So I made an appt. Knott and I drove down, thought we'd make a weekend day of it. I'd get my bqqbs squished and then lunch. Yes, we lead such exciting lives!

We showed up, deposited Knott in the waiting room and I checked in. Soon my squishing tech appeared, she took me in back to the room I'd normally be changing in and sternly announced:

"I can't see you. You need a diagnostic mammogram. We don't do those here and you'll need to make an appointment. No, you can't do those on a weekend. I doubt we can make an appointment for those here. You need to call right away. You have not had a mammogram since 01/??/12 (a date I later realized I was not even in Seattle yet) and at that time we recommended a diagnostic one. So you need to call right away"

I was kinda ticked. Here I was on a Saturday, she's saying I need this other thing and I'll have to use a day off since it's Monday through Friday. Oh well. So I go back out and ask the gal at the desk if I can make an appointment for a diagnostic and she says no, with a very sad sympathetic look, I'll have to call. But I can do that first thing Monday. That's when Knott walks up and asks what's going on.

I explain and she turns white as a sheet.

Diagnostic mammograms as she knew, and I did not till that moment, are what is done when they've found something and need to figure out what to cut. It's a major deal usually also involving MRI. So Knott shakily starts to drive home while, I'm logging into my chart online (can get my medical records online) and pulling up the imaging department. And although it's been over a year all my mammograms are "looks fine. See you next year" "looks fine. See you next year" "looks fine. See you next year" "looks fine. See you next year" .... And I've seen a doctor several times since my last screening and one could think if they'd found signs of cancer my doc would say "enough about the bronchitis, let's take care of this urgent thing."

Nothing there either.

So we both calm down and figure the tech was actually looking at someone else's chart while talking to me (which is very very bad thing although I laugh it off since I don't know who that person is so no privacy issue) or something equally inept. But seems that's a big no no. So when we get home, after lunch and a couple beers, I call and then write my doctor. On Monday morning I get a response from her, something like "Ooops, our bad. Sorry that you thought you were gonna die and yes you can make a regular appointment."

When I went back in it was the royal treatment: the front desk, the tech, everybody apologizing, here, have some chocolate, have some more chocolate, here's a Starbucks card, let us pay for your parking .... I'm just glad to not actually have cancer at this time. Much support and sympathy to those fighting it.

[Crankin]

Oy vey

[redrhodie]

Nice to see you guys! Rebecca, stay strong. I posted this update because of your thread.

NY, I guess the music is Indy? Dave calls it space rock, and some of it is more psychedelic, but a lot of the songs are kind of retro pop. I watched a bunch of Chet Atkins videos on YouTube when I was starting out. I love his guitar.

lph, so funny that your playing, too! We should start a music thread! I'd love to hear you. Can you send me a link? I'm new to soundcloud.

[lph]

Red, I loved it. Beautiful sound. Spotless guitar playing. Nicely mixed, I couldn't hear the lyrics clearly but your singing is really good.

I'm not brave enough to post a link publicly because I'm still very much thrashing around in a beginnerish fashion, but I'll send you a pm :-) (Those of you who know my full name can find me on SC, I actually have two profiles without knowing why). Picking up a instrument for the first time at age 46 is certainly interesting, but not the most efficient way to learn.