from somewhere in my imagination

The Mammogram Myth?

As a follow up to 20 questions with my sister Sam about everything breast exam I wanted to take things a bit further and ask her some questions about the dreaded mammogram.  If you missed last week's post about breast self exam you can find it here.

From what I hear the mammogram brings fear to women like the prostate check used to for men, so let's unveil some of the mystery that surrounds mammograms.  Here's what Sam had to say :)

First timers usually come into the mammogram room looking absolutely terrified, and, of course you would.  There are so many horror stories circulating out there that it just scares people off. The truth is it's not that bad, I know, I've been in the machine.

For starters, does it really feel like having your boobs slammed in a fridge door?

Has anyone actually ever slammed their boobs in a fridge door??? I'm thinking no, because it would hurt. A lot. People, however, have actually had mammograms, and guess what? They survived.

I'm not going to lie, a mammogram is uncomfortable, it is an unnatural position for your breast to be in, it should not, however, be painful.  If it is, tell your tech, they should stop applying pressure.  If you are prone to tenderness just prior to or during your period, I would suggest going at a different time of the month because that is going to increase your level of discomfort.

So on a scale of 1-10, where 5 is a pap smear…how does it rate in terms of discomfort?

I'd say 5, lets face it neither of them are a walk in the park, but at the end of the day they are just things that have to be done.

What actually happens when you have a mammogram?

A Mammo consists of four pictures, two on each breast.  The first position is a straight up and down squash, the second is a more side ways squash.  The idea is to compress the breast tissue so that

a) you can keep it nice and still for it's photo and

b) spread out the breast tissue to make sure nothing is hiding in amongst it.

When should women start having mammograms, and how often?  Are there some people who should start having them earlier than others?

Breastscreen send all ladies a letter when they turn 50 inviting them for their first mammogram (woohoo! A free boob squash for your birthday!), they will continue to invite you every second year until you are 70 after that you have to book yourself in.

At 40 you can ring up breast screen yourself and start booking yourself in for mammograms they are still free they just won't invite you, you have to remember for yourself, and that is what I would be doing.  If you have a family history 35 is a reasonable age for your first mammo.

What are you actually looking at when you perform a mammogram?  How early would a mammogram typically ‘see’ a lump before you would feel it?

The radiologist is basically looking for a disruption in the breast tissue that shouldn't be there.  They can be seen much sooner than they can be felt MOST of the time. There are exceptions, and it really does depend on the type of breast cancer. Unfortunately, Breast Cancer can be missed on a mammogram.

The stats on breast cancer are fairly high in term of how many women it affects, what are the main risk factors or are we all equally prone?

Genetic predisposition is certainly a large risk factor, however in terms of other risk factors there is much research still going on in this area, much like any other cancer.

If a lump is found, what happens next?

Next we work out what the lump is. Usually this will mean extra mammogram views (though extra views don't necessarily mean that we have discovered something nasty with in your breast! Don't freak out if the tech comes back for more pictures, it could well mean we took a crappy picture, or that we just need to prove that something isn't there.) Next on to ultrasound, if the lump is visable with ultra sound and we are still not able to determine exactly what it is then you will have a biopsy.

More great information from Sam.  I hope that you have found these posts as informative as I have. 

Given that breasts are Sam's area of speciality as a radiographer feel free to ask her any other questions you might have about breat self exam, mammograms or breast ultrasound here!

Tatum xx

Crossed Off my Bucket List #flashmob @dancepad

To be honest I don't really have a 'bucket list' as such but if I did being part of a flash mob would have been on it.  I have been hanging out to be part of one for ages.

What is a flash mob?

A flash mob (or flashmob)^[1] is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression

(thank you Wikipedia)

Why?  You might ask...well I love random acts of happiness, I love things that make people smile, I love music and I love to dance (although I'm really not much good at it!).

Many weeks ago Lauren was flicking through the fringe guide and pointed out a flash mob workshop being held during the festival.  Winner winner, quick as a flash I'd snapped up tickets for my sisters, my big girls and myself.

So...Monday night, the night of the workshop, finally rolled around and we headed across town to a dance studio packed with sweaty (mostly female) bodies and learnt the moves...or, as in my case, tried to.  I just can not coordinate a left right left left, just ask my personal trainer.

Anyone say rub your tummy and pat your head?  Not me.

Dodgy dance moves on my behalf aside I wiggled my butt off and left feeling pretty pumped for the actual events.

Saturday morning Sam, Lil and I went cross town again for a bit more practice at Norwood before our flash mob debut.

At 11 we headed out on to the Parade for our 11.15 'impromptu performance' in the Norwood Mall.

To be honest I don't think I have done too many things in my life that given me that grinning from ear to ear adrenalin rush that being part of a flash mob did.  Amazing!

We met Lauren in town and followed up the Norwood performance at the Blue Note Club, which is part of the Fringe, near the Torrens.  If you haven't been around the Festival and Convention centres recently I can tell you that there are some seriously funky setups for the Adelaide mad month of March.  I think I need to have a date night with my husband...anyone want to babysit?

 

Anyway, I digress, here is a YouTube video of part of the performance.  The initial parts feature the dance pad principal Emma, some other professional dancers and some of her students.  I'm looking forward to seeing full videos of the performances, I'll share them as I find them on my facebook page as I find them!

I'm not much of a dance aficionado but watching Emma dance kind of blew me away, I would love love to be able to send Lil to her classes but it will have to wait until there isn't quite so much running around going on.

Have you ever been part of a flash mob?  Are you keen to do one?  I think I am addicted!

Tatum xx

 

A Homemade Christmas With Real Living Magazine

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang Australia, but I can't help adding that I was sent the brief the same day I had been looking for a copy of Real Living Magazine in the newsagent.  It was kind of freaky, made me wonder whether there really is some big brother keeping an eye on me. Unfortunately, it was mid-month between issues and I was told I needed to wait a couple of weeks. I was searching for the magazine for a few reasons.  First of all, I need to convince Steven that wallpaper really is okay and it won’t make our bedroom in our new house look like a reject from the 70’s.  I am also on the hunt for our perfect dining chairs and, to be honest, when it comes to finding inspiration for furnishing and decorating our house, Home Improvement Magazines are still my first port of call. A few weeks later I returned for my copy of Real Living and came home with an issue bursting with ideas for a homemade Christmas.  Right up my alley. After flicking through it over a quiet coffee (while hiding out in my bedroom) one afternoon at home, I took it with me to Adelaide over the weekend for closer read in the car.  I ended up with a list of ideas for homemade decorations and gifts, plenty of extra gift ideas for friends and family, plus I have suggested to my sister that we give the bacon, sage and almond turkey stuffing a whirl for our Christmas lunch. My favourite thing about every issue of Real Living is the way it gives an insight into real homes.  I am a bit voyeuristic in that respect.  I love pouring over house layouts and design ideas in every single issue. Unfortunately there was no compelling argument for the use of wallpaper in our bedroom this time around, leaving me with a perfect reason to buy myself a subscription for Christmas, I'll convince him yet!  A couple of things that I especially love about magazine subscriptions are… No more aimless wandering in the newsagent looking for the issue followed by a round-up of the children from the toy area and quick departure. The dollars you save. Who doesn't love saving money, and at a 46% saving on the cover price of Real Living...well, that's pretty much free by my calculations. Right now there is a third great reason for subscribing...you will be eligible to win one of 10 fabulous Hawaiian holiday packages valued at over $12,000 each with Magshop’s Christmas competition. Simply subscribe, renew or treat family and friends to any of the 35 participating titles including The Australian Women’s Weekly, Top Gear Australia, Australian House & Garden, Shop Til You Drop, UFC, Money, and many more.