Much like men dread the day they have to undergo their first prostate check, I dreaded the day I'd have to do my first mammogram -- an x-ray image of my breasts to screen for breast cancer. That meant that I tried to hold off until the age of 40, the recommended age for women to have their first screening if they have no family history of the disease, for as long as I could. But no matter how much I wished, the date crept up on the calendar day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month and year-by-year.
I can still recall my 39th year annual physical, at which time I was just two months shy of attaining my 40th birthday that my doctor asked if I'd had my first mammogram as yet. My response: No! I was holding steadfast to recommendations that without family history and no detection of lumps to check meant I did not have to undergo that first mammogram until age 40. Then age 40 hit, and I had to make that dreaded appointment to go along with the rest of the annual pokings, proddings and blood-letting that I routinely take.
With a brave face, I showed up at the facility, but the good Lord knows that I really wanted to turn around and walk out the door. I had heard too many stories about the "barbaric" mammogram machine. A friend who started having her mammograms two years before me spoke about not being able to work for the rest of the day after she'd done her mammogram. And of the excruciating pain that would leave her left side numb.
Over the years, I heard about women talking about their breasts being flattened like pancakes from the top and again from the sides. For women, breasts are tender, and when hit, it can be painful, and almost like a man being hit in the testicles. So for most women to have their breasts -- whether large or small -- compressed between two firm surfaces in order to spread out the breast tissue is something they can't fathom or even want to happen. But the flattening of the tissues allows images to be caught, which doctors can look at to detect changes and cancer.
For my first mammogram, I went to a facility that offers digital mammograms. The difference between the old film cameras and a digital camera is that medical practitioners can see the image right away rather than having a piece of film that they have to run through a processor to look at. And just like a digital camera, they can look at the digital image on a screen and change how light or dark it is, whereas with a film they really can't change that.
Digital mammograms tend to be higher in contrast and medical professionals say they are better for women who have dense breast tissue, are under the age of 50, or are pre-menopausal. It is also a little bit more sensitive than film-screen mammography. But in the end, a digital mammogram is just another way of doing mammography. They say it is no better or worse than a film screen mammogram.
With a brave face on, I walked into the screening center after hearing my name called, and was told to disrobe and put on my paper gown. Shivering from both the cool air in the room, and nerves, I stepped up to the machine. The technician palpated each of my breasts to fit onto a plate and when the machine, started to close on my breast, the nerves just took over and I tensed up as all the horror stories flew through my mind.

I was encouraged to relax, and before I knew it, the two images -- side and top view that she needed from the first breast was over in a matter of seconds.

The uncomfortable pinch it took for the image to be snapped was forgotten just like that, and I could not understand what all the "noise in the market" had been about. I stepped up to do the imaging of the second breast, and again the uncomfortable pinching feeling (if I may call it that) lasted mere seconds and went away just as quickly.
I've gotten my first mammogram out of the way, and my results were returned negative. I've gotten over my fear of the mammogram machine and honestly don't know what people were talking about. I know that every year from now on, as long as I'm alive, I will be taking this life-saving screening test, because the seconds of discomfort are outweighed by the other benefits in my opinion.

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