Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Could've at Least Bought Me Dinner

Today I hit that pivotal milestone in a woman's life. I had my first mammogram (someone cue Pomp and Circumstance). True, I'm "only" 30, but since my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, my doctor wanted to err on the side of caution and get me checked out early.

I am pleased to announce that my boobs did not "get stuck that way" which was a very vivid fear for me as they were flattened into nothingness. It's hard enough to find the right bra on a good day, but I imagined that it would be much more difficult if they were suddenly mashed into a permanent shark fin shape. Seriously, I feared something would rupture in there. Ouch!

I should have refreshed myself on Chelle's Tips for Enjoying Your Annual Mammogram. That Chelle is a smart woman.

I also got the joy of getting an ultrasound or two after the Mammogram, because when you're young, mammograms aren't always clear and they wanted to be super sure that everything was ok. I appreciate their thoroughness, but I might have to sell a kidney to pay my deductible ($1500, before my traditional health care coverage kicks in thankyouverymuch).

The good news is, all is well. The bad news is, I have to start going annually. Even so, getting felt up by total strangers and having one's boobs flattened into oblivion is a small price to pay for good health and peace of mind.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked your insurance won't cover preventative care like this. Ugh!


And cheers for getting squished! I hope they gave you a popsicle, though I bet you'd have stuck it on your Ladies anyway, and that gets sticky.

Mercy's Maid said...

I have a HSA (Health Savings Account). It doesn't pay for ANYTHING. The only exception is that it pays for a pap smear every year.

Other than that, it's all out of pocket until I hit $1500. After that, a PPO kicks in and insurance pays for 80% of my meds and doctor visits until I meet an astronomical cap (which I've never met) and it pays everything after that point.

sol92258 said...

you had me at "boobs"....
seriously, I've been on big time web sabbatical, come see what's been going on with you lately, and the first thing you do is get me all riled up :)

oh, just in case you didn't notice, you won't be "only 30" much longer...
*runs and hides...*

Mercy's Maid said...

Well, Jim, ratings were down so I decided to spice things up by staging this whole mammogram thing. The things I do for my publics!

Mercy's Maid said...

And THANKS for reminder about my advancing age!

sol92258 said...

;)

Chelle said...

I'm with Julia-I can't believe your insurance wouldn't cover this! The indignity of getting felt up and having to pay for it is just wrong. Unless you're into that kind of thing in which case, you know, no judgment ;)

Pamela said...

Sometimes they really hurt. I think it's the person that runs the contraption. The woman who has done mine the last three times is so gentle -- and I never feel as if I've been run over.

Glad to hear all went well with yours.

Lainy said...

I rad Chelle's tip list. I have to say it gave me a good laugh at work and I read them to my co-workers lol