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Liana_anna's avatar
Liana_anna
Member
9 years ago

Radiation done and now waiting for mammogram

What a relief...phew.... been waiting for this day...sooooo happy.... Now i just need to continue with the herceptin for year and tamoxifen. The only thing i'm anxious about now is to have to get mammogram...will it be more painful? I had tears in my eyes during my last mammogram. I could really feel the lump in my breast as it was being pressed and the lump was about 1.5 cm at the time. Now after the surgery and radiation I feel that my affected breast is really tender and more sensitive. I'd appreciate if anyone can share their experiences in regards to first mammogram after surgery. Hugs, Liana xx


6 Replies

  • melclarity's avatar
    melclarity
    Member
    9 years ago
    I would have loved to opt for just ultrasounds but unfortunately they wouldnt do that, they use the two in conjunction and to be honest my recurrence wouldnt have been found without a Mammo this time. xx
  • Mira's avatar
    Mira
    Member
    9 years ago
    Liana_anna,   When it comes to anything painful I find it really helps to breathe through it.  Focus on a point in the room away from the machine, and concentrate on taking slow controlled breaths.  Things are always more painful when you tense up then when you relax, so concentrate on relaxing and breathing.  With practise it gets easier.
  • Unicornkisses's avatar
    Unicornkisses
    Member
    9 years ago
    While I am not against the mammograms, can you just have ultrasounds instead for a while? Or do you have to have mammograms too?
  • melclarity's avatar
    melclarity
    Member
    9 years ago
    @Liana_anna you could possibly take some panadol or a relaxant. I never took anything, the beauty is that its done quickly, but what I found was if I communicated to them about that breast, they were so much more careful..so definitely speak up. I think you'll find it wont be so bad afterall, like it literally is quite quick nothing to be too worried about X
  • Liana_anna's avatar
    Liana_anna
    Member
    9 years ago
    @melclarity thanks Melinda.  So how did you deal with the pain?  Did you take pain medication or was there any preparations prior to  mammo? Hugs, Liana xx
  • melclarity's avatar
    melclarity
    Member
    9 years ago
    @Liana_anna I had mammograms for 4yrs after having radiation and tamoxifen but had a recurrence in the same spot. What I noticed was the breast was harder and excruciatingly more tender than the other breast, so unfortunately the subsequent mammograms every time were very painful for me. Just make sure you tell them its tender, some are really good at doing it, but alot are not. Hugs Melinda xo