Washington Post article on Mammograms

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Ang7
Ang7 Member Posts: 1,261
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer


Just saw the article in the Washington Post from yesterdays Health section titled "My doctor told me to get a routine mammogram. Here's why I won't." I was annoyed by the article as the statements at the end were "If I feel a lump or another symptom, I'll get checked out." "I'll trust that feeling healthy means that I am."


As someone diagnosed Her2+ with no lump or symptom this bothers me. I was feeling very healthy at the time of diagnosis. Exercising, eating right etc. I understand she is trying to say that many are being over treated. I just do not like the overall tone.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited October 2013


    i guess she'll be out of luck if she gets lobular, since it often doesn't form a lump...


    I didn't have any symptoms until my belly virtually overnight blew up to mine-month pregnancy size either but my ovary weighed 20 pounds. Sure would have been nice to have a laparascopic hysterectomy instead of from my pubic bone to way above my belly button incision.


    People really do make some ignorant statements. The most common answer to "what were your symptoms of breast cancer" on that huge thread is "none".

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited October 2013


    Read Dr. Welch's book! I understand what she is saying and IMHO she isn't ignorant. Furthermore, another great book about the mammography controversy is The Big Squeeze, written by the late radiologist Handal Reynolds. BTW... Dr. Welch's wife is a breast cancer survivor and her tumor was found using a DIAGNOSTIC mammogram. The message these folks are making is that SCREENING mammograms save lives AND not as many as people believe. DIAGNOSTIC mammograms, they believe save more lives.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited October 2013


    I should have gone and found the article. I did wait until 50 for just that reason and I do agree with part of what she said.

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  • Ang7
    Ang7 Member Posts: 1,261
    edited October 2013


    I suppose it is a personal thing. If I had waited till I was 50 I would not be around now.

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  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited October 2013


    Me either Ang! No lump got me a Her2 Stage 3 diagnosis at 42 years old. I'm tall, thin, athletic and vegetarian. I started chemo looking out the window at the CNN trucks doing a special at my hospital on raising the mammogram age to 50. I wanted to bang on the glass and tell them Id be dead.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited October 2013


    Here's what Breastcancer.org has to say about the value of screening mammograms, in the article Breastcancer.org Mammogram Recommendations.

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited October 2013


    Sisters.... Educate yourselves about the screening mammography controversy and then choose a plan that works for YOU. IMHO ... Once you understand and appreciate how controversial the subject is, then we can DEMAND better screening modalities for breast cancer. Also keep in mind that the founder of bc.org is a radiologist. Dr. Weiss and Dr. Welch were both asked by the Wall Street Journal for their opinions about screening mammography. Obviously their opinions were very different. Enlighten yourselves and THEN decide. If you read Dr. Reynolds book, you will realize this controversy will not end any time soon. So the most we could ask for is for a better way to screen for breast cancer because the current methods do NOT spare as many patients as they should. And if we keep arguing that screening mammograms saved this person or that person 's life....then we will all be missing the point that we ALL deserve better ! And by the way....mammography missed my tumor!

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited October 2013


    i think it is absolutely appalling that our screening methods are so inadequate that we are putting so very many women through unnecessary biopsies and yet produce so many false negatives.

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