Thread: Mammograms?

Originally Posted by cathych

i am sure that a man made up this test. if a man were to sit and get his balls squished completely flat, I am sure that it would change right quick. women are hesitant to do this test because it is painful.

I have had probably more than 20 and only 1 was painful. They should not be painful. The technician is at fault if it hurts.

Generally, a rule of thumb is that a woman is at higher risk from 10 years prior to the age when her mother developed breast cancer.
Also as a generalization, women under the age of 40 have higher density breast tissue, making mammograms a less useful diagnostic tool.
Prior to age 40, an ultrasound is a better diagnostic tool than mammograms.
Hope this helps. In 2009 they did move the age to 50 unless you are at a higher risk.

I have cystic breasts and it is ALWAYS painful.

Originally Posted by hotwheelstx

I would rather go in now and have something done than later and it's to late. I know the co-pays are high, it's a process you'd rather not go thru, drs. don't give you enough time.

This is important. I've never seen a Brinks truck follow a hearse. You can't take it with you, but you can use it (or find it) to make sure you are around. Just my 2 cents.

I had one at 28 BECAUSE I found a lump ON my own. I do my own self exams every so often. IMO as long as you keep a close eye on your breasts for any changes you can wait till 40 or 45. But make sure you press down on them. Not gentle. Heck doctors (or at least the ones I have went to) don't press very hard on them anyway. You know your breasts better than ANYONE. So if there are any changes you will know.

My sister and I were just talking about this last night. She said her doctor recommended she get one now to have something "normal" to compare to in the future. We were also discussing how we have all this technology, but this is still the only way to do this?!?! There's gotta be an easier way!

Originally Posted by dv8grl

Insurance pays for probably 5 - 10% of anything these days.
I just don't think that I need one, not yet.
I don't trust Doctors, I think they're all after the money.
A year or so ago when I had go to a Dr., I paid the co-pay $25, then got a bill for $100 from the Dr.s office, saying the Insurance only paid "so much" and that I would have to cover the rest., only to call the Insurance Company & find out that they paid 50% of the bill that the Dr sent me, so I had to have my Insurance Company send me a letter stating the amount they paid the Dr., then sent that letter to the Dr. asking them if in college they failed to teach her Math or Morals., and demanded a new "bill".
I can't wait to get my bill for the 5 minutes I saw the GynDr., even with so called "Insurance" I'll have to shell out an additional $85-$100 over the $25 co-pay. And they'll make me pay out of pocket for the Lab fees, too.
Its ridiculous.

Well just because your insurance company is crappy doesn't mean the doctor is just out to screw you! Most insurance companies sign contracts and the doctors basically have to accept what they give them or cancel said contract. Sounds like yours has no contracts. I've only had one doctor try to bill me after receiving the money from the ins comp... they got a letter from the INS COMP... not me.

I spoke with my sister who is 3yrs older than me & she said her Dr. Said she wouldn't need one 'til she turns 40. Same history, no kids, etc.
I called my insurance company and asked them & they said I could get 1 free a year at any age., so I guess why not! LOL!
If its free its for me.
I'll call later this week & make the appt.

Different doctors have different opinions on this. Just because one doctor said one thing, it doesn't mean another doctor is wrong if he/she says something else.

The rule of thumb, until recently, was to have a 'baseline' mammo at age 35, with yearly mammos starting at age 40. It sounds like your doctor is still using the older guidelines...and there is nothing wrong with that.

As for him out for the insurance money...I don't know how is it where you live, but my ob/gyn doctor doesn't get any of the money for my mammograms. I live in Los Angeles and most doctors don't do the procedure in their office as they aren't trained to read them. Instead, I'm referred to the local 'breast center' which has all the appropriate equipment and doctors on staff. They get the money from the mammogram, not my ob/gyn.

However, even if your particular doctor has the equipment in his office, he is hardly making big bucks by having his patients have their mammograms there.

As for the technology...I agree with others. I've posted this before. If they tested for testicular cancer the same way they test for breast cancer...you can bet that there would be a boatload of men trying to come up with a better, less painful way.

It ALWAYS hurts for me...and at age 59...I've had lots of different technicians.

I do have to retract my statement about only having one that was painful. I do remember having some many years ago that were painful. How quickly we forget some things. I remember that around my period my breast would sometimes be sore and having a mammogram during that time was painful.