Roughly 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. It’s the second-most common cancer diagnosis in women, second only to skin cancer. So I am always surprised when I talk with women age 40 and up, the recommended screening age for breast cancer, who aren’t getting yearly mammograms.
If this is you, I’d love to help calm any fears and misconceptions you might have. I’m here to tell it to you straight: Getting a yearly mammogram is one of the best things you can do to be proactive about your health. A mammogram can find breast cancer at an early stage when the chances of successful treatment are highest. And when it comes to cancer screenings, it is probably the easiest. It takes less than an hour, requires no sedation or prep and is painless.
Mammograms can save lives.
Scheduling my appointment was simple because Novant Health doesn’t require a physician referral for a mammogram. I just went to this website and clicked on the button that says “Schedule a mammogram (MyChart.)” If you are already a Novant Health patient, this will take you to your account where you can choose from available times and locations. If you are not a current Novant Health patient, it will prompt you to set up a MyChart account first, which takes maybe 10 minutes. You’ll want to have your medical insurance information handy.
Here's exactly how my screening mammogram went, with time stamps.
9:20 a.m. My appointment was for 9:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning and I arrived 10 minutes early at the Imaging New Hanover Medical Plaza, located next to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Once inside, I waited in line for one minute, then I was greeted by a gentleman at a front desk who verified my appointment and walked me over to a small privacy kiosk.
At the kiosk I met Alyx, a patient access specialist, who was very friendly and instantly made me feel at ease. I had filled out my registration paperwork the evening before (Novant Health emailed me a link) so I had already answered questions pertaining to my breast health and family history of breast cancer. (If you don’t do this beforehand, it’s no biggie. You’ll just fill this out while in the waiting room.) Alyx verified my ID, asked what doctor I wanted to receive my mammogram results and discussed a few additional questions about my food security and mental health wellness.
9:35 a.m. Alyx walked me to a separate small waiting room specifically for mammogram patients. At the front of the room, there were two doorways leading to the private X-ray rooms where the mammograms take place. Alyx gave me a sheet of paper with my name on it and told me my mammography technologist would get me in a few minutes.
9:40 a.m. My technologist, Heather, greeted me and showed me to a small, private dressing room, then handed me a pink fabric gown. You only need to get undressed from the waist up, she informed me, and you can put the gown on with the open part facing the front. She asked if I had worn any powder or deodorant, which I did not. (Tip: Don’t wear antiperspirant, deodorant, or powder to a mammogram because the particles can show up and prevent you from getting a clear breast X-ray. They provide wipes in case you forget.)
9:42 a.m. When I was finished changing, Heather was waiting for me outside the left X-ray room. She guided me into the X-ray room and closed the door. The room is kept fairly dim, so you don’t feel super exposed when you’re topless, and it’s a comfortable temperature. Heather verified my name and date of birth, and asked a few questions pertaining to my breast health and history.
9:50 a.m. Now here’s the part that might have you feeling some trepidation so let me walk you through it: the actual mammogram. What this involves is taking X-ray images of each breast while you stand at the X-ray machine. So that a radiologist can get a good look at your breast tissue, each breast is flattened out between two specialized tools called compression paddles for the imaging.
Novant Health New Hanover imaging uses 3D mammogram technology, which means the X-ray machine moves in an arc over your breast without touching it, taking multiple images that are then pieced together to create one 3D image. You can think of this like a book. With a 2D mammogram, you get the front and back cover. With a 3D mammogram, you get the front cover, the back cover, and all the pages in between.
Heather, using gloved hands, gently positioned my left breast on a compression paddle, then lowered a second plastic paddle over top to spread out my breast tissue. This didn’t hurt at all and just caused a sensation of firm pressure. Everyone’s different, so if you experience pain, you can speak up to your technologist. (For me, I had no pain. If you’ve ever been kicked in the chest by a toddler, you’ve been through much worse.)
Heather worked with me on positioning my body to make sure we could get the clearest image possible. We repeated the process on my right breast, then did two more images with different positioning that allowed for a view of the lymph nodes in the armpit. So all in all, this was four images with a total of about 30 seconds of compression for each one. Heather was mindful of moving quickly so that I was not compressed for any more time than necessary, but she was also calm, friendly and chatting the whole time.
9:57 a.m. Heather said, “That’s it! You’re finished. You can change back into your clothes and when you’re done you don’t even need to check out, you can just head home. You will receive your results in one to two days.”
10 a.m. I was back in my car at 10 a.m., bringing my whole appointment to a total of 40 minutes. I live 8 minutes from the New Hanover Medical Plaza, so the entire thing took less than 1 hour.
Although Heather advised it would be a day or two before I received results, I received a text message at 1 p.m. stating that I had results available in MyChart. My results revealed “no presence of malignancy,” meaning no evidence of breast cancer. I also received a letter in MyChart from my radiologist the following day explaining my mammography results and my breast density.
Bottom line: Medical appointments are not high on anyone’s list of fun things to do. But if I can do it, you can do it. If you’re uncertain about whether you need a mammogram, talk it over with your doctor. A mammogram may seem intimidating, but it is a quick and easy process.
