I can’t have a mammogram because it hurts, I don’t have time or I’m afraid they’ll find cancer are the excuses I’ve heard from woman. As a woman with cancer, I want to answer these excuses. Mammograms are uncomfortable, cancer hurts. Cancer doesn’t ask if you have time. The earlier you catch cancer the better your chances of surviving.
I’ve been healthy most of my life and I believe one of reasons is my fear of needles. When I was a child if you got sick you went to the doctor and got a penicillin shot. My fear of needles was so great that I avoided getting sick as much as possible.
When cancer is suspected, doctors take a biopsy to determine if it is cancer. In a biopsy, a small amount of fluid is removed from the area and a pathologist looks at the sample through a microscope. There are several ways to do a biopsy, however most are done with a small hollow needle.
When I saw the small needle, it started to grow and in my mind it looked to be at least two feet long. My heart started to pound, sweat formed on my back and tears rolled down my cheeks. I realized that if I were to survive cancer, I had to conquer my fear of needles. Although I still cannot watch it go into my body, I no longer panic at the sight of a needle.
After it’s been determined that you have cancer, the doctors will do an imaging scan. The scans are MRI-magnetic resonance imaging-, Pet-positron connective tomography-, or CT- computed tomography scan. The doctor uses one or more of these scans to get the location and the size of the tumors. These test show if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body and helps determine what kind of treatments are needed.
You lie on special table that goes into a circular tube to do the scan. People with claustrophobia have trouble staying in such close confinement for the length of time it takes to do a scan. I don’t suffer from claustrophobia but when I saw the tube, I became concerned about getting stuck in the tube if the building caught on fire. I had no desire of being turned into a roasted hot dog. I expressed my concerns to the medical technician preforming the scan. She assured me that they would not run away and leave me in the tube and that there were safety features in the equipment that automatically moves the table out of the tube if there are any power interruptions.
The scans last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and you get really bored lying still for that length of time. I play a mind game with myself to pass the time. I start with the letter A and think of as many words as I can then I go to the letter B and so forth down the alphabet. By the time I get to the letter L the scan is over. Let the doctor know if you have problems with claustrophobia, they can give you something to keep you calm.
sources: American Cancer Society