So... do you think it's tough being a woman, and, if so, why? I definitely think it's tough being a woman for many reaons, but I'll share just one with you right here, right now...
Do these look familiar? Yes? No? How about a different view? 
Still don't know? Need a hint? Okay... if you're a woman over the age of 40, you have likely worn these at least once, and if you haven't you SHOULD!These little snazzy Band-Aid-like thingies are what women wear during a mammogram. No, I'm not kidding. Seriously. They're like Band-Aids, only they're not; they're "adhesive markers." The metal dot in the center is there to provide a clear "landmark" for the radiologist on the mammogram images, or at least that's what I understand. All I know is that it feels strange to have adhesive anything in that area.
I'd dreaded mammograms with a passion long before I'd ever had my first one. But you know what? They're really not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. At least they aren't for me. Sure, I don't wake up wishing I could go get a mammogram every day, and no, I don't like showing my chest to people other than my husband, and I hate that I can't wear deodorant during the mammogram because it's right then that I want to start sweating profusely, but let's face it... mammograms are necessary and they can help save our lives, right? So... we women gotta do what we gotta do to take care of ourselves.
Later, after the mammogram is finished, and you're talking a mile a minute with a friend out in the parking lot of the base exchange, you feel something foreign and you're momentarily panicked, thinking to yourself, "Something just doesn't feel right." Then you realize that you've forgotten to remove the adhesive markers. At first you want to shout "Hallelujah!" because you know it's just those dadgum adhesive markers and not lumps in your breasts (Thank you, Lord!), and then your face burns with embarrassment. Of course I wouldn't know about anything like this happening.
Okay, okay... I admit it! Yes, it happened to me. Heaven, help me! Some days I just need some assistance.
Yeah, it's tough being a woman in a world where mammograms are a necessariy evil, and to add insult to injury, our own scattered brains cause us embarrassment. Thankfully I've only lost my mind and not my sense of humor. ☺
3 comments:
AMEN! altho' i havent' been squooshed yet...you've taken some of the fear away! :) Got 3 years to go...
How about a Pasty Party! I remember the first time I saw those. I was thinking that I do everything I can to keep from having the headlights on and this was going look like I did it on purpose! Sheesh!
Amen, sister! Lord knows that I have had more than I should have had by this age, but they are necessary! Being a breast cancer survivor, I have to encourage every woman I know or meet to: check your breast monthly, get your mammogram on time, and most importantly, if you feel something isn't right or doesn't look right, get it checked right away and thoroughly! Most of all, keeping your sense of humor through it all will help you in the long run! Marva, honey, you think it is bad to show your breasts to the mammo tech; you should try having digital photos taken and sent to the insurance company to have something fixed that didn't heal correctly! I didn't even get paid for that! Talk about embarassing! I am extremely thankful to God that I am here, so three or four times a year I will proudly show my breasts to get them checked and squished! Squish away, girls, squish away!
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