Mammogram pain - first mammogram after surgery

caralex
caralex Member Posts: 35
edited September 2016 in Pain

Hi,

I'm due to have my first mammogram post-surgery next week. It's two years since my lumpectomy. Last year, because I was absolutely dreading the pain, my oncologist allowed me to have an ultrasound instead, but insists on a mammogram from now on.

Although it's been two years since surgery as I said, my breast is still very tender and I cannot put any pressure on it. I'm really not looking forward to this mammogram. I rang the hospital and asked if I could have a local anaesthetic. They told me they'd never heard of such an absurd request and refused point blank. I went to a pharmacy and got an analgesic cream to apply an hour before the mammogram.

Can you tell me how others have dealt with post-surgery mammography pain, especially if the breast is still very tender? Is there anything I can do, apart from applying the cream, to minimize the pain?

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Comments

  • mebekb
    mebekb Member Posts: 2
    edited September 2016

    I had one a few weeks ago, six months after lumpectomy. It hurt far less than I expected it would. I took ibuprofen before I went. I made sure the technician knew my situation. Good luck

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited September 2016

    Caralex, I was very afraid of the first post-lumpectomy mammogram, too. It turned out to be not bad at all. I asked for a kind and gentle tech and told her my fears, and she went slow and let me tell her when I felt I was at the pressure I could tolerate. Also, right before the mammo I took a brisk walk to get some endorphins going.

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