by Terrye Tebbetts
Today I went for my second annual mammogram with implants so while it is fresh on my mind, I wanted to share it with you ladies. I was supposed to check in at 3 pm with my mammogram scheduled for 3:15 – but I was a tad bit late, so I checked in at 3:15 and I was in my car headed to carpool pick up at school at……wait for it……3:45!! I swear it took longer to fill in my new insurance information on the in take forms than it did to do the actual views! Thank you so much, Tammy, my tech, for taking such good care of me!
Since I have implants, they had to do 8 views instead of 4. I asked Tammy if they still called them Ecklund views and she said yes but most commonly they use the term “push back” views with patients. She did the push back views first – I promise you – no pain – no discomfort! I love the new digital machines!! Then she did the regular views and honestly – the only one uncomfortable in that series is where they try to get a view up in your axilla (under your arm) to view the lyph nodes and even it did not hurt it was just uncomfortable for about 2 minutes.
She also explained that you get more radiation on a flight from Dallas to LA than in a mammogram. And with this new technology she did not even have to wear a protective vest and yet stayed in the room with me the whole time – and all the other women she had done mammogams on all day long.
Bottom line – do not fear a mammogram – physically it is not bad – - although we will always fear the unknown – but with the advances made in breast cancer today – - and with early prevention cures are possible. So it is better to know than to be in the dark – - with or without breast implants.
In our practice we require all patients who want to have breast implants that are over 30 years old to have a baseline mammogram so that when they hit 40 and need to go every year, they have a great baseline for comparison and to send it to their OBGYN as well as to us. Some surgeons don’t but because Dr. Tebbetts was a general surgeon before he was a plastic surgeon, he feels it is really important to have that baseline – - to be sure the breast you augment is healthy but also so that once that patient needs regular mammograms, there is a base line comparison that is available to the radiologist.
I will be the first one to admit, that even though I know, I was nervous – flipping though magazines I never would want to read while sitting there in the wierd poncho cover deal……but in the end it is worth it and it is not bad at all!
About the Author: Terrye Tebbetts is one of the most knowledgeable women in the world about breast implants, with 27 years of experience educating patients and 11 years as a patient herself. For more information about breast implants or breast augmentation Dallas surgeons, please visit www.thebestbreast.com.