Topic: mammogram

Mammograms Won’t Prevent Breast Cancer Deaths…So Why Have One?

Mammograms Won't Prevent Breast Cancer Deaths...So Why Have One?

I have a letter here on my desk from my insurance company reminding me that it’s time to schedule my annual mammogram. It’s been sitting there for weeks, mainly because I dread these exams and the anxiety and fear that accompany them. But today I discovered a reason to possibly not have one: a new research study claims that mammograms have little (if any) effect on the number of deaths from breast cancer. So this makes me wonder, why bother having one at all? More »

Two Bloggers Speak Out About Their Breast Cancer Diagnoses

Two Bloggers Speak Out About Their Breast Cancer Diagnoses

Recently, Forbes writer Susannah Breslin disclosed on her blog that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In a post called “The Business About my Breasts,” she describes the harrowing experience of getting a bad result from her mammogram, the follow-up ultrasound, the biopsy, and finally, the call from her doctor:

I’m at Costco when the call comes the next day. The call was supposed to come between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., but the call comes at 2 p.m., so as soon as I look at the phone, I know something’s wrong. The radiologist asks if this is a good time to talk. I look around. I’m in a Costco. What am I supposed to say? No, let’s talk when I’m at McDonald’s. Or, How about you call me back in a week? Or, If it’s possible to not have this call at all, that will be preferable. Instead, I tell her, Yes, now is a good time to talk.

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Think Pink: I’m Dreading My Mammogram Today

Think Pink: I'm Dreading My Mammogram Today

Have you heard the one about women getting a mammogram? She joked that all she had to do to get ready was shut her breast in the refrigerator door! For anyone who has ever endured a mammogram, you know that pretty much sums it up. And ironically enough, with breast cancer awareness month just starting and a recent diagnosis in my family, I am on my way to the time of year I dread most: my annual mammogram. Allow me to cast my fears and anxieties aside by focusing on them even more and discussing exactly why I cringe at this procedure: More »