Mammograms: The Long and Flat of It

I had a mammogram today. I’ve always wondered: if mammogram x-rays are so powerful, why can’t they see through deodorant?

Actually, they can, but deodorant and other creams and gels may show up at white spots on the x-rays. Not a good thing when the technician is looking for spots indicating breast cancer. So, the instructions of the day included not wearing deodorant today. I dutifully took a shower and soaped off the deodorant from yesterday.

Most women should have their first mammogram upon the age of 40, and every one or two years after that. Since they had to do a biopsy last year due to something they found on the right side of my right breast, I’ve been going in every six months for a mammogram. Well, add to that my history of colon cancer, and it’s a good thing to be tested.

The technician I got today at the Imaging Center on Telegraph was nice, professional, and attempted to get every ounce of mammary tissue up there on the glass. At one point I wondered if she wanted me to climb up there, but, no. There should be a way of unhinging the left and right breasts, placing them on the slab, and then stepping away and sitting down to read the newspaper while she takes her shots. But, alas, it doesn't work that way, and so I endure her attempts at maneuvering tissue that doesn't want to stretch that far. And, all kidding aside, I'm thankful that they are, indeed, still attached.

Is it painful? Yes, a little, especially for large-breasted women, as the tech has to flatten the breast between two sheets of metal. And especially on the side “views.” (There are six "views," or x-rays, needed during the mammogram.) But each one only lasts about a minute. Compared to the alternative, I can bear that.