My reminder postcard came in the mail and sat for three months, getting shuffled amongst piles on my countertop as July turned into October.
It nagged at me most nights, yet never quite made it to my “to-do” list. Procrastination can be an Achilles’ heel for some of us, especially when it comes to our health. And when it comes to mammograms, many women don’t merely procrastinate, they don’t go at all.
According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, in any given year, only 50 percent of women aged 40 to 85 years of age actually have a mammogram despite professional recommendations. Yet, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, impacting one in eight women in their lifetime. And when breast cancer is detected early, in the localized stage, the National Cancer Institute reports that the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. That’s a remarkable statistic – but the key word is detection. In order for breast cancer to be found, women have to be screened.
Airing right now is a TV commercial that Contrast Creative produced for Alamance Regional Medical Center that features Dr. Diane Duffy, Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at Elon University. Dr. Duffy was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation at Alamance Regional. She has been cancer free ever since. (And we couldn’t be happier for her!)
Motivated by her story, I finally made my overdue mammography appointment. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. NBCAM is a collaboration of national public service organizations, professional medical associations and government agencies working together to empower, educate and inform individuals on issues related to breast health. Part of the goal for NBCAM is to increase access to services for women like mammography and encourage women to be screened for breast cancer.
Because of a previous history of breast abnormalities and family history, my physician recommended tomosynthesis, or 3D mammography. This advanced screening technology is an innovation in breast cancer detection as it provides a more detailed, clearer image that can allow radiologists to more accurately distinguish between cancer masses, calcifications and other breast abnormalities. You can see the breast with more dimension, from several different angles and from front to back and side-to-side.
A mammogram isn’t on my top ten list of fun things I do all year, but it isn’t at the bottom, either. Mammography is one of the quickest, simplest and least invasive medical tests you can have. And according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), death rates from breast cancer have been declining since 1990 due in part to better screening methods, early detection and increased awareness. I may be a few months late with my annual mammogram, but I never, ever miss it.
Shawn Larson was 49-years-old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A breast MRI ultimately found Shawn’s breast tumor and she has been living with Stage IV breast cancer for almost four years. And though Shawn’s cancer was not detected early, she is one of the success stories, a survivor. She continues to work, volunteer, travel and attends every Carolina Hurricanes Hockey home game. But her journey has not been easy, and has been filled with years of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, scans and multiple medications. Her advice to those that put off their mammograms, and think it couldn’t happen to them?
“Don’t put it off,” Shawn warns. “I recommend to all of my friends and everyone I care about to get checked out.”
Whether you opt for a traditional mammogram or the newer 3D mammography, you still have to get naked from the waist up, and get squished – reasons that I suspect keep some women away from mammograms. But really, what’s the big deal? Are mammograms uncomfortable? Yes, a bit. But so are eyebrow waxes and thongs. With the transition to digital mammography and newly designed compression paddles, the level of discomfort has been greatly reduced in recent years. Mammogram exams are quicker and compression time is less, which I found to be the case in my recent visit. My boobs were in and out of there in just a few minutes. And taking control of my health and doing something preventative made me feel empowered… half-naked and a little cold, but empowered.