I'm sorry you had a technician who didn't explain the procedure to you better.  To get a good picture of your breasts it is necessary to use some compression, and sometimes it is painful.  However, it is less painful than needing a mastectomy and chemotherapy because a breast cancer lump had a chance to grow and spread.  When a lump is caught while it is small, often a lumpectomy and radiation is all that is needed.  And, of course, the pain of a mammogram is just a moment compared to the lingering pain of a family who loses a beloved member from advanced cancer.

You will be happy to know that progress in digital mammography has made mammograms less painful and more accurate.  Women in their fifties usually get a mammogram every year.  I would suggest that you ask your doctor about scheduling a mammogram for you.  Remind him or her about your last experience and ask to be scheduled at a facility with a technician who is good about explaining what is happening and why it's necessary.  Most of the technicians who have done my mammograms are very calming and kind people.  Mammograms can find lumps long before either a women or her doctor can feel them.