TEXAS, USA — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We've all heard that you should get a mammogram once a year to detect any signs of breast cancer. However what you might not know is that advancements in technology make getting a mammograms easy and it doesn't take very long.
Becky Wiscombe is the imaging tech at Medical Center Hospital and she administers mammograms everyday.
“Breast cancer doesn’t wait for October. Its yearly its all the time," says Wiscombe, “these machines themselves bend and kind of make it more comfortable. I’m not gonna say it’s the most comfortable thing you’ve ever done in your life but its only a few seconds of compression, for each picture less than 10 seconds. Total time for the exam is 15 minutes or less."
A 15 minute exam that's followed by: doctors checking for abnormalities on the mammogram, get a call if they see anything concerning, then a biopsy will be done if needed, lastly results will come back in 3-5 business days.
“Some people think 'oh my god, I have a lump, I need to get a mammogram now, absolutely. Get in and get it done, but don’t wait until you get a lump do it every year," says Wiscombe.
Doctors advise to start getting mammograms when you turn 40 years old, but if you're mother had breast cancer start 10 years prior than your mother's diagnosis.
“It’s very simple, very easy, we are very gentle we don’t try to hurt people and some people think it’s gonna be painful. I cant stand it. Most of my first time patients say, that was so easy, and I was so scared. Its not hard it’s very easy to do.”
By just being in a mammography exam room for 15 minutes once a year, you could save your life.
You can schedule your mammogram at these locations:
Medical Center Hospital: 432-640-4215
Midland Health: 432-221-2300
Odessa Regional Medical Center: 432-582-8500