Valkyre

My First Mammogram

I wanted to start out this entry with a quote.... But, I couldn't find it. Several years ago, during an episode of the TV show Night Court, Marsha Warfield's character, Bailiff Rosalind Jane 'Roz' Russell, is describing to some of the other characters how a mammogram feels. I was trying to find her exact quote, but came up empty. Since she was talking to men, she had them imagine it was their genitals on a cold table and someone drops the whole Encyclopedia Britanica on them. I had that vision in the back of my mind as I went in yesterday. As I was in the waiting room listening for my name to be called, I chatted with some mammogram veterans. They told me that what "Roz" said was greatly exaggerated. "Pap smears are much, much worse!" Ah.... I had just had a pap smear the previous week. I could empathize. My name was called and I went in. I had earlier, gone to a dressing room and removed my shirt and bra and was wearing a typical hospital gown. It was over rather quickly. Yes, my boob got squished a little. But, it was for such a short time, that it wasn't really all that bad. The platform wasn't cold. Four shots taken. Two of each boob. It was all done under 5 minutes. They were right, the pap smear was worse. Now, I sit and wait for the results to come in the mail. This was part of a routine check-up. There is no history of breast cancer in my family, however, my mother twice now, has had to benign lumps removed from her breasts. So, I think they are just being cautious right now.