Mammogram in AM

[frogbison]

For Molly Ivans, for me and my family.

My mom says to avoid coffee on the day I have my annual mammogram, and it won't hurt as much. Do any of my women friends at DU know if that is true, or if there is anything one can do to make the procedure more comfortable?

[babylonsister]

1. I've never heard that about coffee, and I've been getting mammos for

years.

To make the procedure more comfortable, just consider that you could be getting a root canal, and it won't be so bad. ;) Plus, it's over before you know it.

[Warpy]

2. Caffeine can exacerbate fibrocystic disease if you have it

so it's better to avoid it. Otherwise, it's tits in a vise, uncomfortable and proof that medicine is still designed by men.

It beats dying of breast cancer you don't discover early enough, though.

[tandot]

3. My OB/GYN told me that and also suggested to take a couple of tylenol or ibuprofen

an hour before the mammogram.

It will still be uncomfortable but it might take the edge off.

On edit:

Here is a link. It seems that you would have to stop drinking caffeine at least a week before the mammogram.

http://cancer.about.com/od/mammograms/tp/painmammogram.htm

[frogbison]

6. Thanks to all

I was reading an article tonight regarding application of a weak lidocaine cream; it is supposed to be very helpful. I'll print it out and take it with me to the dr.

Here is part of it, and the link:

"For the clinical trial, the researchers recruited 418 women, ranging from ages 32 to 89, who expected significant discomfort with screening mammography. Fifty-four of the women reported that they had probably or definitely delayed their mammograms due to concern over possible discomfort.

The women were randomized to receive placebos or pre-medication with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and/or a local anesthetic gel followed by mammography screening. The gel was applied to the skin of the breasts and chest wall and then removed 30 to 65 minutes before mammography. The gel had no effect on subsequent image quality.

The results showed that oral medication produced no significant differences in breast discomfort, nor did other factors – such as breast density. However, women who received a topical application of 4 percent lidocaine gel reported significantly less breast discomfort during mammography."

https://rt-image.com/Examine_Mammography_The_Case_for_Comfort_Anesthetic_gel_puts_the_squeeze_on_mamm/content=8204J05E48BE8686409698744488B0441

[crim son]

4. I've heard the coffee thing is associated with the presence of

benign cysts... that it inflames them or something, which makes the procedure more uncomfortable.

I am not overly endowed, and I don't find a mammogram painful so much as awkward & uncomfortable. I think it varies very much from person to person. Allegedly there are new technologies that don't require as much "flattening." Good luck.

[zazen]

5. I just had a painful mammo last Thurs and I agree with this advice--avoid caf, take ibu

I rarely drink coffee but had the past month, and I know that's what made it worse, now that I read this. (And I've been put in a mammo vise after a biopsy--a nasty thing they do on mammotomes to be sure they got the right tissue--and the post-caffeine pain was comparable.)

I wish I had taken ibu before I went.

Good luck, and check advice about getting yearly mammos before your 50. There's a lot of concern in research circles about overtreatment. I'm not giving any advice except to say, just read up on it so you can make an informed decision.

[mopinko]

7. exercise to prepare you for your mammogram

Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test and best of all, you can do these simple exercises right in and around your home.

EXERCISE ONE:
Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast in door. Shut the
door as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure.
Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first
time wasn't effective enough.


EXERCISE TWO:
Visit your garage at 3AM when the temperature of the cement floor
is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on
the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car.
Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is
sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat with the
other breast.


EXERCISE THREE:
Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a
stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your
breasts.
Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set up an
appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.


YOU ARE TOTALLY PREPARED!






sorry, got this in an email the other day and couldn't resist.

[frogbison]

8. Ha ha!

That is a hoot! Thanks for the laugh! The mammogram went very well this year - much better than last.

[uppityperson]

9. That is very funny. kick for a laugh.