I Can Breathe Now
You will be happy to know that not without tears and two rescheduled appointments, I finally got my mammogram!
I heard a lot of scary mammogram stories, all of which had one common denominator: “They're gonna SMASH your breast flat." This statement was accompanied by both hands coming together with a loud clapping sound. Who wants to go get a mammogram after that visual?! NOT ME!! Nonetheless, I did it and I didn't leave with two pancakes dangling from my chest. In fact, I had a great technician who was super nice and really made sure I understood how the procedure would go.The river of tears started to flow just as she was verifying my name and date of birth. I tried to fight it but I couldn't hold back! Next thing I know, I was in a partial ugly cry. Thankfully I was able to pull myself together before I went full on ugly cry(Kim K. style). The whole procedure was about ten minutes and it was not painful at all. I felt a little bit of pressure in my left breast during the screening but this was due to the positioning of my body in relation to the positioning of the machine. One week later I got my negative results in the mail!
The great thing about my mammogram is that it was free. When I started my search for a mammogram facility I found a great service called Georgia Breast and Cervical Cancer Program(BCCP). This program provides women ages 21-64 years old with a free cervical cancer screening and women ages 40-64 with a free breast cancer screening, if they meet the eligibility requirements. After speaking to the Nurse Practitioner, she told me that there aren't enough women participating in this program. I strongly believe this is due to a lack of awareness so I am sharing it here with you guys and hope that you will spread the word. If you have loss your health insurance, loss your job or have had a decrease in work hours and cannot afford health insurance right now, you qualify to participate in the BCCP. For additional information on eligibility and to find your local service location, click here.