My First Mammogram

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I was sitting in my family doctor’s office for my yearly visit.

“Have you had a mammogram yet?” she asked.

Oh boy.

“Um, no, not yet,” I said sheepishly. I had been putting this off for quite some time, and I was dreading it. 

“I’ll put the order in today and you’ll be able to schedule it soon. You’ll get an email.”

Later that day, I got the email. I anxiously clicked on the link and scheduled my mammogram. That part was easy. Now all I had to do was show up for the big day two months later. That was plenty of time to imagine how bad it would be and what I would do if my results were not good

When I arrived, I expected to sit in a waiting room for a good forty-five minutes before being led to a room where my breasts would be brutally flattened between two cold, hard plates. I thought it would be scary, painful, and unpleasant. However, that was not what happened AT ALL.

I signed in and was immediately taken to the mammography room. The friendly technician greeted me a few minutes later and brought me into the dark exam room. She gave me a robe and a wipe to remove my deodorant (apparently deodorant can cause spots on the images that may look like calcifications and could cause you to have to get another mammogram).

Once I was ready, the tech took two images of each breast. The squeeze from the machine was slightly uncomfortable but not painful at all. She explained that it is not unusual for you to get a call back on your first mammogram, but there is usually nothing to worry about. I was in and out of the office in less than thirty minutes.

A week later I got an email about my results. I nervously opened it to find everything was normal. What a relief! I can’t believe I had been dreading this for so long!

If you’re over 40 and have been putting off your mammogram, go ahead and get it done. It’s not as scary as you think it is, and it could save your life

Have you had your first mammogram yet? What was your experience like?

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Allison Linden
Allison Linden is an Alabama native who moved to the Midlands in 2011 with her now husband, Darin. Allison and Darin currently live in Red Bank with their children - Vivian and Henry. Allison has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and obtained her MBA in May 2019, while almost 8 months pregnant with Vivian. She has worked for a retail energy company since 2013 and began working from home during the pandemic. Her husband became a house spouse after the birth of Vivian to allow Allison to pursue her career goals. Balancing working at home with a baby and a preschooler has been a challenge, but she has thoroughly enjoyed watching her children grow up. Allison enjoys taking her children to Edventure, Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens (the garden is way cooler than people give it credit for), local parks, the library, gymnastics, and dance class. When she is not working or momming, Allison enjoys exercising, binging true crime shows on Max, and occasionally having dinner and drinks with friends. Likes: Vacations, concerts, stand-up comedy, nice restaurants, bacon, juicy gossip. Hates: Yard work, driving, pants without an elastic waistband (hard pants), running.

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