Do you get a mammogram?

Do you get a mammogram once every year or every two years?

If you do, it certainly isn't because it is a pleasant experience. First off, you have to stand bare-chested in front of a stranger with little metal dots stuck to your breasts.

Then you get to wrap yourself around a machine while your breast is flattened like a pancake so that the proper "compression" is in place. Does anyone stand there and hold your hand? No, the attendant has run behind a lead screen to protect themselves from the radiation you are being exposed to.

You get to do this twice on each side. So as you stand there hanging on for dear life as this excruciating pain rips through you, be comforted. Medical findings are that the older you get then the less need there is to go through this.

Myself, I am rather fond of my breasts. I will request that horrible mammogram at least once every two years because breast cancer scares me.

Early detection is the key. Self-examination is not enough. I think sometimes people need to be encouraged to look after themselves. The idea of telling older women that they no longer need a mammogram is rather bold. I don't think I'll be taking that chance.