What to Expect when You Get a Mammogram

Yesterday I was presented with a lose-lose situation. I didn't feel like getting a mammogram and I didn't want to go out in the rain. The appointment had been made, however and so I headed off to catch the Oak Park Avenue bus, grimly clutching my perky red umbrella which looks like a rose.

An Hour Later

MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL, does a wonderful job with their famous Breast Center. We were treated with great courtesy and respect and the hospital gowns we used to have to wear had been replaced with thick luxurious floor length terry robes that belted around the waist. Free coffee was available. As the eight of us sat in the cozy waiting room, chatting a little now and then but mostly watching television, thinking private thoughts or snoozing quietly, it occurred to me that there are worse ways to spend a rainy November afternoon. Of course, then we had to shoulder on in and endure our mammogram but that is never as bad as you think it will be.

I got to thinking about the anticipation and dread factor and it occurs to me that there may be women out there who are putting off that crucial first mammogram because they aren't sure what to expect. All the good-natured jokes about what "torture" these tests are may not seem funny to someone who hasn't done it yet. The bottom line is that the first mammogram is the most important because that breaks the ice. After that, you know what to expect and can keep up with this vital diagnostic screening every year.

If you have never had a mammogram before, here is what you can expect.

The cost of a standard mammogram will vary from place to place but at least some of it is covered by most health insurance programs. Medicare covers most of the cost of one mammogram a year for seniors.

When you make the appointment for your test, ask if the time they give you is for the test itself or when you should arrive. Usually, they want you to come early in order to prepare for the test and also fill in some medical information for them. (Nothing too personal here, mostly regarding breast health and other related procedures that might have been performed previously, etc.) Be sure to bring your doctor's prescription for the test with you. (If an account has already been set up for you at the hospital, you don't have to worry about showing insurance cards at this point but it's never a bad idea to have them along, plus a driver's license or state i.d. card, just in case.)

Someone will come to the outer waiting room, call your name and lead you back to an area lined with dressing rooms, lockers and a bathroom. Each woman is given a freshly laundered robe or gown (larger sizes are available), a key to a locker, and a dressing room where she is supposed to remove all clothing from the waist up and don the robe or gown (which ties closed in the front). Clothes and other personal possessions are stored in a locker and the key is kept safe at hand in the pocket of the woman's gown or robe.

Next comes a sojourn in the inner waiting room, until someone announces your name and escorts you in for the test. My advice is not to try to bring someone in with you as space is limited and the technician can work better if she is not hampered by another person just standing around. (Incidentally, in all my mammograms, the technician has been a woman.)

My own experience has been that the test usually consists of four pictures of each breast at different angles. You will be given explicit instructions on how to stand and when to hold your breath. The more you can comply, the easier and faster the test will be done. Yes, you will be squeezed and it will hurt but probably not half as much as you will expect it to.

The technician makes sure the films are clear and usable but someone else will have to "read" the results later. Your doctor who prescribed the test will receive the results from the hospital and contact you (or perhaps someone at the hospital will get in touch with you). So much emphasis has been placed on the importance of early detection of breast cancer, that it is easy to forget that most mammograms don't result in bad news. The odds are great that you will not have to worry about another medical procedure (regarding your breasts, at least) until next year.

One More Thing

Now we come to the most important part - on your way home from your mammogram, you should make it a point to reward yourself with a little luxury, perhaps a magazine or paperback book you have been craving .... maybe even just a tasty fast-food snack. It seems silly, I know, but the fact is that you have spent a major chunk of your precious personal time doing something which seemed dumb and wasn't much fun but was really important. You did something good and for that, you deserve a break today.