What's the best schedule for mammograms to screen for breast cancer?

one to tie the tourniquet?

Sorry your scopes were uncomfortable. I had my 1st post 50 double (endo/colon) preCOVID. I did ask for endo first, they just laughed and put me under. Don’t remember a thing, no discomfort after. I had pics from procedure rolling out the door (wife had to drive me home). No one in my family really wanted to look at them, though. :grinning:

Prior to scheduling the procedure, my doc explained cologuard notices things in a later stage, so not as useful if you have family history. Family history exists but isn’t a big negative for me, but I have known gastro issues and endo was needed, so I agreed to a first time colonoscopy. Results were great (no issues at all), so I might not redo right at 55.

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Eh, less uncomfortable than sedation. And honestly, the colonoscopy isn’t bad at all.

I’m due for another set soon. I hope i can find a doctor with the skill to get stomach biopsies without sedation.

YMMV, obviously. I have been sedated for a few surgeries, including appendectomy, and scopes up to now. I haven’t had any noticeable side effects yet; I count myself lucky. Strong pain relievers do throw my mom for a loop, she wasn’t coherent for a while after she had kneecap surgery (after a broken kneecap). Or maybe you just can’t tell the difference when I’m incoherent due to drugs.

I’ve heard them be referred to as “I don’t care” drugs.

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I had a biopsy with no sedation. It was NOT a fun experience. :-1:

I feel bad for Lucy or anyone who doesn’t tolerate IV sedation well. I think it’s just one of the most wonderful things ever.

For all the crappy things I’ve needed it for, it’s been a silver lining! :slight_smile:

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I prefer to be knocked out for procedures. I have too many state secrets to spill for sedation.

If it’s not too painful, I get a kick out of watching.

I went to an ENT doctor recently, and she ran a scope up my nose. I noticed that the patient chair swiveled, so the patient could watch or could face completely away. That seemed like good options, as people have very different feelings about these things. But I had never seen the inside of my sinuses, and enjoyed that exam, despite a little discomfort.

I generally enjoy watching my own procedures, like watching them stick the needle in my arm or whatever.

I had the choice to watch myself give birth. I declined that one. Occasionally I regret it, but mostly not. I knew I had to try to think of that area fondly again someday.

I really wanted to watch myself give birth, but my husband never positioned the mirror I’d bought for the purpose. He says he was waiting for me to ask. I’m still sad about that.

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I had a mirror but I don’t recall watching it very much. There was too much else going on. By the time she was emerging, I was so ready to be done, I didn’t care if they pulled her out through my nose! :rofl:

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My deliveries were fairly quick. And I think the mirror would have distracted me from the pain. But I’m not going to be having any more.

It’s both disturbing and amazing.

Lol same! I love waking up and my entire insides have been rearranged magically like time never passed. It’s a surreal feeling.

Then again, I’m frequently incapacitated due to my own choosing.
But sedation blackout is a whole nother level of magic.

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I did! And he was great. Gentle, fast, and confident. Five stars, would let him shove scopes in me again.

And the colonoscopy was fun. He talked about what he was looking for, and what i could see. I was so distracted by his narrative that i barely noticed the discomfort.

scheduled a mammogram/ultrasound. last one i got was over 2 years ago. i’m at the age my mother was when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was screaming at me to get a mammogram.

not looking forward to the inevitable follow-up biopsies that i need every single time i get a screening.

i also still have this chronic fatigue. all googling tells me it isn’t a sign of breast cancer. kinda wanted to put off this screening longer due to having this fatigue. i don’t want to deal with both at the same time assuming i need surgery yet again for whatever tiny thing or things they see.

mammograms/ultrasounds are super traumatic for me.

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I can’t say i like mammograms, but they don’t bother me unless they’re really painful. But no one in my family has had breast cancer, so i kinda assume they will be negative.

Maybe I wasn’t clear. It’s not the mammogram or ultrasound themselves that are traumatic. Those are no big deal. It’s the waiting to hear the results and then when I finally do, I have to go in for another mammogram to look at it again which results in my needing a biopsy. The first biopsy I got was a needle one which is less invasive, but the spot they were targetting was near the chest wall, so that was just about the most painful experience of my life. Then there was waiting for the results of that. It was benign. The 2nd biopsy I got started out as a needle one, but this time, the spot of concern was very close to the surface, so that barely hurt and the dude doing it was almost positive it was benign. then it took forever to get results of that and i’m refreshing the screen like it’s an actuarial exam result, except it’s my life. That wound up discordant, which means the image didn’t match what they thought it was and i needed full on surgery to make super duper sure it wasn’t cancer. Was right before covid in 2020. Was not cancer.

So, the waiting for results and the fact that I have a family history and now a personal history of them always finding something to investigate is what makes it traumatic.

without that, meh a mammogram hurts for a second and no big deal.

oh, and for the first one that resulted in a biopsy, i got the news that i needed a biopsy while i was on vacation. it ruined my vacation. this time i scheduled the mammogram to be after the vacation.

that one also ruined APC for me. APC would have been fun otherwise, but I had to get a biopsy right after it and was afraid I had cancer.

so these once a year screenings are not necessarily a great tool. it takes a huge emotional toll with the false positives.