Screening Tests that Frighten Women

Everyday people have screening tests done which are essential for a long and happy life such as MRI and mammograms. However, we tend to put them off simply because they instill a ghastly fear. So here is some experts and their advice on how to get over the fear and some alternative solutions.

Mammogram

That breast x-ray that just flattens down the breast. However, this test is vital for it can detect eighty to ninety percent of breast cancers. One study revealed this test can decrease the death rate in women in their forties by up to 29%.

The Fright Of It All

The test begins starting near your underarm where some technician will tug at your human flesh until they have it positioned just right in between two plastic paddles and then flatten it down. It can hurt especially if you have small, dense or sensitive breasts. Secret it only takes forty seconds to have it done.

Getting Past It

An over-the-counter gel with four percent lidocaine applied to the breasts before the test has been indicated to decrease the pain. Apply the gel two hours before the test. No not exceed more than one ounce each hour. Wash with warm water so it does not interfere with imaging results.

Optional Choice

Women who have an average risk for breast cancer mammograms are standard. Women who have very dense breasts or a family history of breast cancer can use ultrasound. It is totally painless and sometimes it is used in combination with mammograms. However, most insurance companies will not cover the ultrasound by its self.

Colonoscopy

Unfortunately, it is the most effective method for the practitioner to check for polyps and other precancerous growths in the colon. If any should be found, the practitioner can most of the time remove them without any pain right then and there. This can last anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour.

The Fright Of It All

You are sedated when the flexible tube with the tiny camera is inserted up into the rectum. What most people hate is the prep before hand. You need to drink clear liquid for twenty-four hours before hand. After that you need to drink either one-half or a gallon of liquid that is salty at least seven hours prior to the exam. The liquid empties the bowls constantly until the only thing left coming out is clear liquid. At times it can produce stomach pain and vomiting.

Getting Past It

The less food you have in your stomach before flushing out the colon the better off you will be. Dede Cummings co-author of "Living With Crohn's & Colitis suggests to approach it as a cleansing diet. A couple days prior to the test, consume light and smaller meals like applesauce and skinless baked chicken.

Drink the liquid in one day if possible. Schedule appointment for the afternoon and drink the liquid in the morning hours. A study had revealed that patients who drank the liquid in the morning had less stomach cramps and were not up all night using the bathroom.

You can wash down that liquid with water, Gatorade or ginger ale according to Dr. Sundana Kane of the Mayo Clinic. You cannot dilute the prep liquid in the same cup but can drink the other liquid side by side as a chaser. Your colon has to be clear for a good reading which is essential for women since they are more likely to have 31% more misses on cancer readings. Most cancer lesions are in the upper colon on women where it is difficult for the camera to reach.

If you just cannot handle the liquid to drink ask for prep pills. However, these pills have been linked to possible kidney damage so they are usually given as an absolute last resort.

Optional Choice

There are other alternatives, a virtual Colonoscopy, MRI or CT Scan that will take several cross-sectional x-rays of the colon. You still have to do the prep. Some private insurance companies will cover this however, Medicare will not unless there is a medical reason as to why patient cannot have the traditional test like anesthesia allergy.

There is also a Colonguard test which is a at home kit. The patient collects a small amount of stool sample and mails to lab for an analysis. The test looks for DNA changes linked with precancerous and cancerous polyps. You will only need the traditional colonoscopy if the DNA test indicates a change.

Endoscopy

This test is much like the colonoscopy except except the scope goes down the esophagus and you are sedated for this one. This is used to examine the cause of specific symptoms like difficulty swallowing or upper abdominal pain. Just like the colonoscopy polyps can be removed immediately. This test takes five to seven minutes and just a little longer if there are polyps.

The Fright Of It All

All you need to do is fast six to eight hours before the test. Believe it or not few patients rarely gag, you may just feel a little pressure. Most of the times it goes away in a few hours and you may have a minor sore throat.

Getting Past It

Eat dinner at your normal time so while you are sleeping you will be fasting. Schedule test for the morning hours.

If you still fear gagging request an anesthetic spray before the test. When the test is done and if throat feels sore consume foods which are soft like jello for the rest of the day. Yogurt and popsicles are also good.

Optional Choice

The old time upper GI Series where you consume the chalky tasting barium drink. Your stomach, esophagus and small intestines get x-rays. This option is still used. There is a capsule endoscopy. You swallow a large capsule which has a miniature camera inside. It flows without pain throughout your complete GI tract and sends images to a receiver which is in a vest you wear. No sedatives are need for this one. You can go about your day while the camera does it thing. It will be passed out of your system through your stool. However, it can only diagnose and not treat. It is also only covered by insurance when traditional colonoscopy and endoscopy have not found the source of bleeding or pain.

MRI

MRI known as magnetic resonance imaging. This uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves that generate cross-sectional images of the body. It can aide in diagnosing all things from torn ligaments to cancer. You are sent into an enclosed tube and need to lay still. You will hear taps and thumps from the scanner. They will provide ear plugs. Test runs from ten minutes to one hour.

The Fright Of It All

This test is pain free however, that long enclosed tube can make some people feel claustrophobic.

Getting Past It

Bring your favorite book or music CD and they can play it for you. Imagine your someplace else like Paris. If mental imagery will not help ask the practitioner for an anti-anxiety drug before the test.

Optional Choice

There are some "open MRI" centers, where you can stand, sit and watch television if you choose. Open MRI use low magnetic field so the image quality may not be as good. They are good for routine scans like the knee. To detect cancerous tumors the original MRI is still needed. Now these scanners are made wider and shorter. You will only need your head in the tube if you are having a brain scan.

Sources:

ABC News