When Was Your Last Mammogram?
This is a question that is often asked by my siblings since two of them have been diagnosed with breast cancer. My youngest sister just recently, and one of my older sisters has had it show up twice...as well as having a couple of small tumors removed from her thyroid recently.
I must admit to them that it has been several years since I've undergone a mammogram and that it's mostly been my choice not to have one done.
My older sister's first diagnosis was not found through a mammogram. In fact, she was diagnosed four months after having a mammogram that showed no problems and ended up having a mastectomy. The same thing with my younger sister. She had a mammogram this past December which was negative and the early part of June, she was the one who found a lump.
Having come from a large family (8 girls, 2 boys) with a history of cancer in our family, I believe the medical industry has done a good job in putting the fear in ya, to do things as they see that they should be done.
When my older sister was diagnosed the second time with breast cancer (in the other breast), do to her own research and my helping her by leading her to different reports and studies, she refused the chemotherapy which is so detrimental to the rest of your health.
She did have herself tested to see if she had the "gene" that predisposes you to cancer (oncogene AC), which she does. Therefore, no more mammograms for her, which is a good thing. Instead she gets MRIs every six months to keep tabs on whether this disease shows back up or not.
Now wouldn't you think the insurance companies would pay for this test? After all, if you have this gene and the radiation from mammograms could increase your chances of cancer tumors significantly, the more they are going to have to pay out for future procedures. BUT, most insurance companies don't cover this test. My sister paid for it out of her own pocket (approx. $150).
When it's predicted that 10,000 women will die this year, that are carriers of this gene, largely due to mammograms...wouldn't you think the test would be mandatory before mammograms were even implemented in women?
The radiation that women are exposed to in mammograms is cumulative. Which means if they start testing you at the age of 40 (or earlier), each time you have a mammogram, your chances of getting breast cancer are increased 1-2%, depending on how many views they take.
Multiply that times the number of years you receive them, and if you're already predisposed to the disease, by the time you're in your 50s or 60s, you have upped your chances of tumors appearing by 10-20%.
Is it any wonder that I don't put much faith in the medical industry? Should I be one of the ones stuck with this disease, I will use whatever alternative information I have to assault it before I let them slice and dice me, destroy my immune system, only to have it come back and begin the whole regimen all over again!
I, for one, refuse to be their guinea pig!
I must admit to them that it has been several years since I've undergone a mammogram and that it's mostly been my choice not to have one done.
My older sister's first diagnosis was not found through a mammogram. In fact, she was diagnosed four months after having a mammogram that showed no problems and ended up having a mastectomy. The same thing with my younger sister. She had a mammogram this past December which was negative and the early part of June, she was the one who found a lump.
Having come from a large family (8 girls, 2 boys) with a history of cancer in our family, I believe the medical industry has done a good job in putting the fear in ya, to do things as they see that they should be done.
When my older sister was diagnosed the second time with breast cancer (in the other breast), do to her own research and my helping her by leading her to different reports and studies, she refused the chemotherapy which is so detrimental to the rest of your health.
She did have herself tested to see if she had the "gene" that predisposes you to cancer (oncogene AC), which she does. Therefore, no more mammograms for her, which is a good thing. Instead she gets MRIs every six months to keep tabs on whether this disease shows back up or not.
Now wouldn't you think the insurance companies would pay for this test? After all, if you have this gene and the radiation from mammograms could increase your chances of cancer tumors significantly, the more they are going to have to pay out for future procedures. BUT, most insurance companies don't cover this test. My sister paid for it out of her own pocket (approx. $150).
When it's predicted that 10,000 women will die this year, that are carriers of this gene, largely due to mammograms...wouldn't you think the test would be mandatory before mammograms were even implemented in women?
The radiation that women are exposed to in mammograms is cumulative. Which means if they start testing you at the age of 40 (or earlier), each time you have a mammogram, your chances of getting breast cancer are increased 1-2%, depending on how many views they take.
Multiply that times the number of years you receive them, and if you're already predisposed to the disease, by the time you're in your 50s or 60s, you have upped your chances of tumors appearing by 10-20%.
Is it any wonder that I don't put much faith in the medical industry? Should I be one of the ones stuck with this disease, I will use whatever alternative information I have to assault it before I let them slice and dice me, destroy my immune system, only to have it come back and begin the whole regimen all over again!
I, for one, refuse to be their guinea pig!
Labels: affects of mammograms, breast cancer and mammograms, mammograms and cancer, radiation and cancer
posted by J. Martin at 9:05 PM
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