Monday, August 11, 2008
Recently, I went in for my annual mammogram. Yes, even though I'm under 40. I've had some benign tumors removed in the past so I get routine mammos. I also started going out of network to the best radiologist in town as I had a small scare with the last biopsy.
In my experience with ...
Dear Sloan, My best wishes for your good health. I admire your proactivity in taking care of your body.
Did the technician intend to be spiteful, judgemental, or insulting? Were not her comments true? Or was she just making friendly small talk.
I'm sorry to say that my impression is that it is you who was out of line, blowing up a small and innocent comment into a major issue.
What if your response instead had been perhaps:
"Thank you. I'm just happy we've been able to catch everything early."
"Thank you. I've had a lot of support from all my health care providers/friends/family"
"Thank you. Hopefully you haven't had to go through all this."
great suggestions.
thanks!
I believe that the criticism of your reactions was out of line. It is absolutely ignorant of someone to presume to know how you felt under those circumstances. You had the right to react to an insensitive remark as you felt at the time. My sympathies to you for you having to have had all of those problems in the first place. I believe that it is normal for anyone to feel sensitive about parts of their body.
As a man it may be out of place for me to offer the suggestion but there are alternatives to a person of your age having to undergo the surgeries and also the mammograms. There are procedures that put less stress on the breast and that are much more accurate. Also, there are alternatives to having the growths surgically removed. It is ingrained in the general public that you cut it out, burn it out or poison it. It is a myth that the pharmaceutical industry has spawned and most people just accept as truth. They are in it for the money and not for your help or your comfort.
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My wife says that the mammogram was designed by men and that if it were used to diagnose testicular cancer it would have been junked looooong ago. There are alternatives that you could explore.
My best to you.