Hello, mammogram!

Yesterday I went for my doctor-ordered "put your mind at ease" mammogram.

Patrick had to work, so like a Big Girl, I went by myself. I had heard from my mother about her own experiences that it wasn't fun, but then I had also heard from an old friend that it's not so bad, so I was just a bit antsy in the waiting room, and that was just fine.

Once they called me in, I met with my technician. Her name was Kendra, and I took some comfort in that - in elementary school I used to walk home with an older girl named Kendra, and she was really cool - this Kendra looked a tad too old to be my Kendra, and she had fried blond hair and an LA drawl - I liked her immediately.

After asking me a bunch of nosy questions about my history, I went behind the curtain and took off everything from the waist up, including my deodorant, and put on one of those cheap, ugly cotton gowns. I don't know why they don't make those in a more attractive print. When I came back out, I saw how cold it was in that room, and while she cleaned off her machine, Kendra apologized for the that. Then she explained what she was going to do, and told me not to worry, that all the stories I'd heard weren't true. She used the word "compression," which got me a little tense (as it would you, I suspect), but then as we progressed through the steps of the procedure (I looked at the wall the whole time), she was right. It wasn't that bad. When it was over, she went across the hall to check her film, and I got dressed and waited for her. She confirmed that everything was fine, and asked me to tell 10 people that mammograms are nothing to be scared of.

And so, I'm telling you now: it was no big deal. All in all, I think it took about 15 minutes, if that. Yes: it's cold. No, it's not very comfortable. But a long night in a tight dress and heels is more painful, and we've all done that at least once.