mammogram

[Raven1981]

My hormone doctor has scheduled me on Monday for my first ever mammogram.  She is doing my mammogram for the safety check on making sure that cancer is not coming back.  She knows about my pre-existing with cancer and when I get labs drawn for hormone check, she also gets labs for cancer check as well and now since I have little breast, she wants me to get a mammogram.  I hope that I have enough to get them smashed.  But I am glad to have a hormone doctor that also wants to make sure the dreaded beast does not come back while I am on hormones.

[Ellora]

I hope the best for you! 

[Kirsten]

Good luck Amy. 

[Carolyn Marie]

Your doctor is very wide to authorize the mammogram. It should go fine.  It doesn't matter what size your mammos are.

 

Carolyn Marie

[VickySGV]

I had been on hormones for 3 years by the time I had my first one done a few months after my GCS.  Mine did result in the need for a Needle Biopsy which proved it was nothing to worry about, but you bet I was one worried girl while they were doing it and until I got the results.  If you have the newer style 3D pictures, there is not as much of the clamping involved and it only takes a few moments per boob.  Good luck and have fun.

[Raven1981]

Thank you all.  I am so glad that since I am a 11 year cancer survivor and my doctor knows that she wants to get a mammogram to make sure the hormones did not bring back cancer in my body.  So keeping Amy healthy and keeping me cancer free

[Charlize]

I finally had one this year.  It wasn't all bad and the security of knowing everything is ok was well worth the slight discomfort.  We do need to care for ourselves.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Jani]

I have an order for one that I will take care of soon.

 

Jani

[Jani]

I went and had it done today.  It wasn't bad at all. I could have made an appointment but there were walk in hours so I too advantage of that route.  I didn't fill in the part of the form that asked about my last period or if I had had a hysterectomy and the technician didn't ask.  

[Raven1981]

I got very upset today when I went for my mammogram.  I went to a location that was an hour from my house cause I was told that the location takes my insurance.  When I got to the location, I was met with no they dont take my Cigna insurance and that I have to pay $400 up front.

 

Then what really made me upset was when I told the receptionist in confidence that I have an order from my doctor and that I am Trans and my doctor wants to check on my breast development.  The receptionist then turned around and told me that I dont need a mammogram and that mammograms are only for real women and that I am not a real woman.  I was so upset on what the receptionist had told to me that I got very quiet and walked out.  When I got home is when I started crying cause of what the receptionist had told me even thou I have a doctor's order for a mammogram.

 

I am never going back to that location after how I was treated.

[Susan]

I am really sorry to heat that. I hate that when someone says one thing and then you find out it is totally different.

[killjoyaiden]

Ugh that makes me so mad. I don't understand how people can be so cruel and inconsiderate. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That's just... ugh, it's terrible. So terrible.

 

We love you, Amy.

[Lexi C]

Amy... I WILL LIT FLY TO WERE you are, rent a car and slap that bitch for you..YOU ARE ONE OF THE STRONGERS GIRL ON THE SITE...Much lv Alex

[Kylie]

Such disrespect! She needs some education on trans health and common customer service! I am a Nurse and hearing this sort of disrespect coming from a supposed health care professional is an embarrassment. If I were you I’d be calling the location that manages that office. Unacceptable!

[Cyndee]

16 hours ago, Amy LeBlanc said:

Then what really made me upset was when I told the receptionist in confidence that I have an order from my doctor and that I am Trans

 

This person at the front desk does not sound like a medical professional,  but simply a clerical worker. I would caution against sharing your "trans" status with others you don't know. Next time you go, you are simply a woman in need of a breast exam, offer nothing more is my suggestion.

 

Hugs

 

C -

[Kirsten]

Amy that’s awful. Inconsiderate disrespectful garbage. It’s not fair that things like this happen. 

My day has been less than great and will probably end up crying by the end of the day myself. But I’ll tell you the same thing I keep telling myself. 

 

What you are doing is right. You are valid. You matter. Other people’s shortcomings aren’t a reflection of you, just of themselves and their uneducated pathetic selves. When it feels like it’s too hard and it’s just easier to quit, don’t. That’s what they want. Push forward. Make your path and your life matter. Do what you have to do. Be yourself and F the haters and posers. 

 

There are people out there that aren't wearing blinders. People that do care and respect people for who they are and not by their labels. We may not always get to choose who we interact with, but we can control what we let in.

I hope you’re felling better hun. ❤️❤️

[Raven1981]

I am feeling better all.  I called and talked to the supervisor and they apologized to me.  I have a mammogram setup at another place that takes my insurance.  So I will be getting a mammogram and will be getting my boobs smashed.

 

I hope that I have enough to get them smashed.  I have a B

[Carolyn Marie]

Just now, Amy LeBlanc said:

 

I hope that I have enough to get them smashed.  I have a B

 

B cups are definitely "smashable," although some clinics have newer machines that pinch less.

 

Regarding that first place you went to, did you tell the supervisor what the staff person said to you, and if so, what was their response?  If you didn't mention it, you would be doing them a solid by mentioning it, and letting them know that they need to treat the next trans person right, or they risk getting sued.

 

Carolyn Marie

[Raven1981]

So I have found out why my doctor wanted me to get a mammogram.  2 weeks ago, I was having discomfort in my breast and wasn't sure what it was, but now after my mammogram which came back clean cause my doctor wanted to make sure that it was not cancer since I am a survivor.  But have noticed that 2 weeks after my discomfort and how it's gone that my breast when I looked at them, appear to be fuller.  I still have small B cup size breast and figure that I am going to be a B size since that is what my mom was and my sister was so only stands to reason that I will have a B.  But my B size is now fuller.  So as the mammogram pointed out that I am clean, and that it showed I filled out more from the cones to something fuller.

[Timber Wolf]

Hi Amy,

I'm glad it worked out so well in the end.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf ?

[Cheyenne skye]

One thing I would like to mention for anyone getting their first mammogram.  We may now have breasts, but they are also usually considered to be more dense tissue than most cis-women.  That is not cause for alarm, in and of itself,  it just may make it a bit harder for the doctor to make a decisive conclusion about the health of your breasts.

[Raven1981]

Would like to share that I got my mammogram done along with a ultrasound as well since this is my first mammogram and I am a cancer survivor.  I am clean and clear.  There is nothing to worry about.  The ultrasound did pickup on me, some recently tissue expanding which shows my breast did fill out.  But other than that, I am clean.

 

As a reminder that as Trans-women, our breast do have denser tissue which puts us in a higher risk for breast cancer.  So make sure to play with with your boobs to look for anything unusual and start getting your mammogram if you have not started.  It's always good to be proactive.

[lauraincolumbia]

12 hours ago, Amy LeBlanc said:

Would like to share that I got my mammogram done along with a ultrasound as well since this is my first mammogram and I am a cancer survivor.  I am clean and clear.  There is nothing to worry about.  The ultrasound did pickup on me, some recently tissue expanding which shows my breast did fill out.  But other than that, I am clean.

 

As a reminder that as Trans-women, our breast do have denser tissue which puts us in a higher risk for breast cancer.  So make sure to play with with your boobs to look for anything unusual and start getting your mammogram if you have not started.  It's always good to be proactive.

Hi Amy,

What kind of cancer did you have?  Was it breast?

At what age is recommended for trans-women to start mamograms?  I would think it also depends on when you started HRT?

[Raven1981]

Hello:

 

The type of cancer I had was testicular cancer back in 2008.  Back in 2008 is when I had a mandatory Orchiectomy to remove the infected testicles due to the cancer and the cancer had spread up to my chest.  All this was before I started transitioning and taking hormones.  So I have cancer in my history which my doctor knows of and is watching me closely which I am super happy to make sure that while I am on hormones transitioning that the cancer will not come back.

 

I say it can be any age for a trans-woman to start going in for mammograms.  As long as you have breast now, I would talk to your doctor about should I start going in for a annual mammogram.  It is very important for us to start doing mammograms as from what I have found from the nurses that men has a 1% chance to develop breast cancer,but there has not been any doctumented cases yet of men getting breast cancer.  Then cis-women have a 2% chance on getting breast cancer.  Trans-women has a 3% chance to be getting breast cancer cause how we are on a higher dose of estrogen that we are putting into our bodies where cis-women have estrogen naturally.

 

So since Trans-women have a higher chance on getting breast cancer with how we are putting higher doses of estrogen into our bodies to transition and also how Trans-women tend to have denser breast tissue as well so it also does kinda of make it hard to notice as well.  

 

So that is why, it is a good idea that once we start to develop breast and they are noticeable is when we should talk to our doctor about mammograms and when should we go and get tested and checked out.  We can be at any age and get breast cancer, so then just talk to your doctor and ask that since I have breast when should I go get checked out for a mammogram and let your doctor do up the order.