We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates  Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a  means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated  sites.” You can read my full disclosure by clicking on the disclosure policy in the menu above.

 Mammograms, Why we don’t go!

I recently went in for my yearly Mammogram, and it really made me think about why some people get them, and some people don’t. Now, I should preface all of this by saying that I am of course not a doctor or medical professional. I am only aware of what my Doctor has prescribed for me, and what I have read online.  I have talked with quite a few women whose Dr’s have referred them to have a Mammogram, and they have not gone for one reason or another. So, I thought I would take a moment and share 3 of the reasons why we don’t go! And of course, three reasons why we should go to have our mammograms or any other test that our doctors are suggesting.

Mammograms, Why We Don’t Get Them

Reasons we don’t go!

It will be weird!

It seems like it will be weird. I know there is the stereo type thought that it will be weird. Really weird.  I have heard a lot of women say that they don’t go because it is just such a strange situation and they are not sure of what really happens. I think that often we think of the unknown as “really weird” because our mind has a hard time processing it. It’s not that weird. And, the more you know before you go, the better you will understand both the process, and the results.

We don’t want to know if something is wrong!

We are afraid of what we might find out. I totally get this one. In fact, when I had cancer previously, I knew for about a year that something was wrong. I didn’t want it to be real, so I kept putting off going to the Doctor. During that year, I was unwell the whole year, I was constantly afraid, and I knew that at some point things were going to get worse, much worse. I wasted a year of my life being afraid. Finally, my body had enough, and I took a serious turn and had to get help. Once I went in for testing, found out what was truly wrong, and put a care plan in place I felt so much better. Hiding is never good. So, if you think that something might be wrong, go face it! If you can’t do it alone ask a family member or friend to go to support you.

Mammograms, Why We Don’t Get Them

We don’t take care of ourselves.

We simply don’t take care of ourselves like we should. This is huge for me. As you may have read in my post on Self Care  and on my goals for the year I am not the best at Self Care, but have been working on increasing it to a healthy level. I think we sometimes get swept away as women and mothers, thinking that we are supposed to be incredibly self-sacrificing to be a good Mom. To some degree this is true. But not to the degree that we have all taken it, from time to time. If we are so self-sacrificing that we do not have an appropriate level of self-care, we won’t have enough good health, sleep, wellness, and relaxation to truly take care of our families in the way that we want.

I remember back in Junior High School, I joined a life guarding course. The first rule that they taught each of us, was that to be a good lifeguard, you must first, save yourself . In other words, if you get into a situation where you are going to drown, or where you are so overtired, overtaxed, and over stressed that you cannot continue to swim to save another’s life, then you have failed. That has stuck with me forever and the same applies to taking care of those we love. If we don’t take care of our own health by eating right, exercising and taking care of our overall health, we won’t be able to care for the basic needs of those we love.

I have had cancer.

6 years ago, when I had cancer, I forced myself to have a very rigid sleep schedule. I chose to take gluten and sugar completely out of my diet since cancer loves to dine on those two foods. In addition, I ate all healthy foods, went to the Dr regularly, read and did things that I loved when able. And you know what? It was one of the happiest times of my life! Seriously. I was taking such good care of myself that I was able to truly engage in activities and conversations with my family. I was able to take better care of all of them than I had been, because I was ensuring that I had what I needed. So, take care of yourself, and go to the Dr. and if the doctor says have a mammogram, or any test, do it.

Reasons we should go!

Because Women Get Breast Cancer

The main reasons that we should go, is because 1 in 8 women will develop Invasive Breast Cancer within their lifetime. Although the numbers have gone down over the years due to early screening, and more advanced treatment, 1 in 8 is still too high for me. I don’t want to be that one. If you look around your family, and close friend group there is a good chance 2-3 women will be affected. Again, I don’t want to be that person. I don’t want to be the “one”. But truthfully, we have little control over whether we, genetically, have a predisposition to breast cancer, which I do. But I know that early detection is the best possible way to fight and win over the disease. So, that is a good reason to go, right?

It’s Not Really That Bad

It’s not really that awful. I have been going on and off, for 10- years. The year I turned 40 I went for the first time, and truly, I thought I would drop dead with embarrassment. I am not sure why, but, probably, because it feels fairly vulnerable to be standing in a room, exposed, with a part of yourself trapped in a machine. Six years ago, I had another form of cancer, and my Dr. suggested that I have a mammogram, and have them yearly as a cancer survivor. So, I do. I have gone every year for the last 5 years, and truthfully, it, now, kind of makes me laugh. In a typical setting, you go into the dressing room, and put on a hospital gown or drape. Then you sit in the waiting room with all the other women who are also wearing a drape.

It seems like it would be weird, but it is not. It’s one of those moments of strange camaraderie that come up from time to time in life. You can tell by looking around who is facing a challenge, possibly another difficult diagnosis. And you can tell who is going in for the first time, and of course, those of us who are not on our first time, share info with those who are nervous.

Mammograms

And then they call your name.

Then the technician takes you in to a private room. This time I asked the technician if I could take a picture of the machine before we began. She thought that was a little strange. I assured her that I am a blogger, and chronicle just about everything. She laughed and said that was the first time anyone had ever asked. So, after the photos, the technician asked me to take off half the drape, which I did. She then went to work putting me in all sorts of positions and squishing away. It is not painful, just squishing.

This time I got a cramp in my back. I have been undergoing Physical Therapy, and so a whole new group of muscles are being used. I then got a little giggly. You are supposed to hold your breath while the machine is scanning, and well, that with the cramp made me giggly. Thankfully, we didn’t have to redo any of the pictures. Then, you simply put your clothes back on and leave. So, because it is not that difficult, or painful, or embarrassing, we should go.

People Love us, and we love them.

The final reason we should go, is because we have people who really love us and need us. Just within our own circle of family and friends, we have people who depend on us daily. Whether it be making lunch, cleaning the clothes, or the more important, listening and loving. Our family and friends need us. We were put within their lives for a reason. A very good reason. Because we are the people who were put in their lives to fill a need, whatever the need is. So, for that reason, and that one alone, we need to take care of ourselves, for them, and for us because we love them too!

So, there you have it. A few reasons why we don’t go and have our mammograms, and a few very good reasons why we should. All in all, it’s less than an hour out of your day, and it could help you catch a disease that is very deadly, early. And early detection is often the key to successfully battling the disease. That is what I want for you, and your family wants and needs from you.

Have you had a mammogram? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Or maybe you are avoiding it….? Either way, share your thoughts below.

Follow on Social.

Remember to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and subscribe to receive updates on my giving life.