Contrary to what some say, it’s really not that bad. Uncomfortable? Yes. Painful? No. Not really. At least it shouldn’t be. The plates do squeeze and flatten out the breasts quite a bit, more than you’d think is possible and it is very uncomfortable. I would describe it as a dull ache more than anything akin to a sharp or unbearable pain, but they don’t “crush” them and there is no lingering pain or discomfort after the test is done.
When I had my first base line mammogram, the worst part was that after the first image was taken, they told me to sit in the dressing room in case they had to get another image, which they did. And then they called me back in for a third and when I came back into the mammography room the third time, they had an image of my breast with something circled on it. Then they told me the doctor wanted to examine me. That really freaked me out even though my GYN had warned me that might happen with a baseline. The doc at the imaging center performed a thorough breast exam and passed me, telling me it was just a fatty deposit and not a lump but that they would continue to look at it the next time I came in. Even with three mammograms in one day, I didn’t even have any bruising or tenderness afterward.
Many years ago I had a cervical endometrial biopsy with some local anesthetic that evidently didn’t work like it should have. Now that was painful! I’m soon going to have my first colonoscopy. Not looking forward to that, especially the prep 24 hours in advance but it’s worth having done. Having seen a relative die from breast cancer and a friend’s husband from colon cancer, I can say that the diagnostic test was the very least of it.
I meant to include you too.....sorry.....