Mammo-Mia! I Got My First Mammogram!

NOTE: There be bewbs ahead! Maybe save this one for after work.


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I don't know about you, fellow anxiety warriors, but for me any new body pain sends my brain sprinting towards Worse Case Scenario Valley. So of course when my left armpit and arm gave the slightest of aches the other week, it was RED ALERT ALL HANDS ON PANIC.

You might recall I have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: a pinched nerve in the clavicle area that causes arm and hand numbness and pain. You might also remember my left arm is worse than my right. After months of treatment the numbness is mostly gone, but I still get occasional aches. So, logically, that is the likely culprit.

Does my panicky lizard brain appreciate logic, though?

Ooooof course not.

Adding to the freshly whipped panic smoothie was that we recently adjusted some of my hormone meds, so for the first time in ages, my tracts of land kinda hurt. I am not used to this. I do not like it.

I'd had a breast ultrasound last year, but never an actual mammogram. Like a lot of you with upper acreage, the idea of a mammogram scared the crap out of me. I'd heard the horror stories, and even watched my mom get the squeeze when I was a teenager. Mom has an insanely high pain tolerance, so she barely flinched, but seeing her boobs smashed that flat was traumatizing, ok?

Noooo, second-hand flashbacks...

That said, pain and panic are powerful motivators, and lucky for me a routine mammogram is one of the few medical things here in Orlando that doesn't have a months-long wait. Our imaging clinic had a spot for me in two days, and not only that, they had me in, scanned, and out in under 20 minutes.

Better still, I am relieved and delighted to report IT DIDN'T HURT, y'all. It really didn't! I was still waiting for the "real" pressure to start when the tech said we were done with the first scan. We did three compressions on each side (I assume because it was my first mammo) and each felt like a firm hug between plastic plates, no more, even on my already-tender poofs. I have a low pain tolerance, but I only felt a single uncomfortable pinch during one pass, which I think was more the top plate snagging too much chest skin than the actual squeeze.

Since then I've discovered the reason for my less painful experience may have been the machine. My clinic uses a 3D mammography machine, something not every lab has yet. Our moms had the older 2D machines, and if you remember a super smashy mammogram, it's possible that's what you had, too.

Both 2D and 3D machines look similar, but the 3D ones move in a half circle over you during the scan:

According to everything I'm seeing online these are superior to the 2D scans, with more angles and better imaging, less compressions, and fewer false-positives. They're also better for dense tissue, a plus since that runs in my family.

The older 2D machines are static, and do NOT move during the scan. So if you don't remember the machine moving on its own, then you had a 2D mammogram.

Obviously I can't compare the two since this was my first mammogram, but it makes sense that the newer 3D machines would be less painful. At the very least they need less compressions, since the machine moves around you.

I can't find any current stats on how many 3D machines are in the U.S., but an article from 2019 reported about 60% of imaging facilities having them, so it's got to be more by now.

So listen, if you're scared like I was and putting off getting your mammogram, ask for a 3D machine! I can't promise your experience will be as pain-free as mine was, but at least there's a chance. And what I can promise you is the waiting and worrying are by far the worst part. I wish I'd done this sooner; I could've spared myself so much stress and Xanax.


Friendly reminder. :D

I haven't had any after-effects or pain after my mammogram; just the same slight ache I've had for a week or so now, no worse. I'm still anxious waiting on the results, but as always DOING SOMETHING helped. Provided this is all clear, my next step is a heart CT scan. So if you're the type who prays or sends out calming warm-hug vibes, I'd very much appreciate either.

That reminds me: since this is my first mammogram, several of you mentioned it's normal for the clinic to call me back for more scans or even an ultrasound, to get a baseline. I don't know if that's true for 3D mammograms or not, but I appreciate the heads up. Hopefully now I won't get too panicky if and when that happens!

I wasn't going to post about this here, fam, but your flood of DMs after I mentioned it in my Stories convinced me otherwise.
 

So many of you are where I was last week: scared and putting off something you know you need for your own self-care. I hope this encourages you to do a little more research and make the call, and also gives you some reassurance that a mammogram isn't always painful.

I told John last week that if men had to get screened like this, we'd have a pain-free Mammogram in a year.

And one last ray of hope, because there actually IS a pain-free mammogram machine on the way, and I need someone to nerd out with me about it:

There are new, completely compression free mammogram machines out there, y'all. They're still rare, but at least a few dozen are in use around the U.S.! They're basically tables with a boob hole: you lie down, and the scanner underneath circles your boob in a single pass.

Like I said, these are VERY new and rare, so you'll have to hunt to find one near you. (The nearest we found in Florida was Daytona Beach.) I hope these take off and are in every U.S. clinic soon, though. The two brands I've seen are Koning & QT , if you'd like to do more research. Even if they're not an option for all of us yet, it's exciting to think that someday a mammogram could be as easy as lying on a table for a few seconds. Ahh, dare to dream...


Now, go have an awesome weekend, you. See you Tuesday!


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P.S. Since we're talking boobs, let me give a quick shout-out my favorite wire-free bra. I have three of these - just bought a fourth today! - and they're all I've been wearing lately:

Warner's Easy Does It Seamless Wireless Bra

Up 'til last year I ONLY wore wired bras - usually Warners -  and it took buying-and-returning over a dozen different brands and styles before I found a wireless one I liked. This one averages $25-30 Prime, but I watch the listing and buy any color that goes on sale for less than $20. Today "Lilac" is on sale for $18, so I just snagged one of those.

Unfortunately these don't come in traditional sizes and max out at a 3X, so your mileage will vary with the fit. I wear a 34DDD or 36DD  and have "bottom heavy" boobs, and wear a size Large. I love the under-arm smoothing panel - no dig or pinch! - and like most Warners, these are incredibly comfortable. Be sure to check the image gallery for a better idea of how they look on larger tracts of land, since this product model is tiny.