To have found my first mammogram really upsetting?

Testicles are smaller and checked by hand

If this were true they'd have a similar machine to check testicles.

They don't.

Oh, and who thought it would be good to operate it with a foot pedal??

Absolutely barbaric.

^ This!

Yes, we are lucky in this country and you could have researched what it would entail beforehand but there's no excuse for the poor treatment you received.

Luckily, my last mammogram wasn't like this and I was treated with kindness and respect.

Complain if you feel up to it.

But I do agree that consent is already given, by you being there. Or rather, where do you draw the line? My GP is lovely: 'jump up on the bed and we'll have a look'. But you can't go for a nail paint and the expect the nail technician to ask every single time if they can 'touch your feet'.

I hear you OP, my first was awful too, and some random other HCP wandered in midway though.

I know they are busy and have seen more boobs that I have had hot dinners etc, it is BAU for them, however it is NOT BAU for the patient and adopting a caring attitude instead of a shitty one adds no more time onto the process for them, yet can change the whole patient experience.

Like a previous poster said, bad experiences are likely to put women off returning for scans.

You've raised an important point.

Of course the procedure should have been explained which is why I referred to the radiographer lacking ‘ bedside manner’

I empathise with the OP, I was left a bit stunned and shaken after my first mammogram and the radiographer could not have been kinder and handled me as gently as she could and reassured me each scan would take a couple of seconds and stayed I engaged with me ‘ all ok?’, ‘ just a second more’ etc.

I also acknowledge that consent does not give HCPs to treat patients abruptly or to not take due care particularly with such an intrusive procedure.

I was more addressing posters suggestion the OP did not give consent for the radiographer to touch or manipulate her breast.

I fully appreciate that it CAN be. What I don't like is that it apparently automatically IS. Sorry, I've derailed this thread. Will stop now.

I always have a cardigan on or with me when I go for a mammogram so once all my clothes on the top are off, I slip the cardigan on to walk through the waiting area to the mammogram room and slip off once in there. Put back on to walk back to changing area afterwards.

You now know you will find these kind of intrusive procedures, with intimidating machinery etc. upsetting so you need to practice better advocating for yourself. See this is a positive for the future.

However, it does sound like you should give feedback about how it wasn't explained that your breasts would need to be touched/moved etc. as @Baseline14 outlines.

Ah. I've worked in assistive technology at University. For you, education may not be an area where autism is debilitating. But I've worked with countless University students where autism has a major impact on their education. Particularly so for young women who are often found to be autistic in their later years of Uni.

Informed consent is important. Yes, we are lucky to have these screening tools available to us. This does not take away consent.

I am a midwife. I don't just go and shove my fingers in a woman's vagina because she thinks she is in labour. I inform her of what I recommend doing and why and then what I will do. I gain consent prior to her removing her clothes. I then gain consent just before actually touching her. I can do this in less than 5 minutes if needed. It doesn't take long.

You absolutely have the right to complain as I have seen lots of care like this in maternity and I make complaints and urge families to go to PALs as it is unacceptable to not gain consent. If the person providing this care is unaware of the consequences of their actions they will carry on. If they need retraining then they will only get that with feedback.

You can withdraw consent at anytime so it is not assumed just because you turned up you give unconditional consent as I have seen someone say. That is like saying that if you get into bed with someone and then decide you don't want to have sex with them, it doesn't matter. They can go ahead because you got into bed with them.

Sad to see some of these responses and trying to shame you. I hope you are OK and glad you gave feedback.

I knew what it would be like. But the woman was a bit more friendly and did say she was about to touch.
Some nhs nurses are not so pleasant. I've had some terrible smears before, despite me explaining beforehand. This is true of everything in life, some are more gentle and warm than others. I'd give feedback though. She should be told, and her appraisal adjusted.

I received letter for breast screening recently,
It had a section to contact if I wished to refuse or change the date & free up the appointment to someone else

On arrival I was checked in

Nurse asked if I had had a screening before. I replied "about 30 years ago, manual, not a machine"

I think nurse asked if I wanted a chaperone & I said no

Undressed in small room

Expected nurse to move me into position for the machine

All done, no issues

I was advised that results would be by X amount of time

No complaints from myself

Therefore, I would suggest that the Op should have asked more questions before & during the scan
Secondly, nobody knows that someone is anxious, worried, SEN or autistic unless you tell them at the beginning of entry into the screening centre

As I said in another post, OP would still have been asked before being touched or they should have said “I’m just going to ….. explain they’re about manoeuvre her breast’ is you’d read through the Jin formation for a smear test I’m sure you’d expect them to warm you they were about in insert the speculum! So why is this any different just because it wouldn’t bother you. A dentist asks you to open your mouth, they don’t just yank it open! I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d think this that was ok to grab someone’s breast without asking!

I don't think people with SEN are inadequate either. What I mean is that it's upsetting to hear that neurotypical people class autistic people as different and needing extra support in the area of education even if we don't. I completely reject that classification. There are many ways in which autism is debilitating that have nothing to do with the social model of disability, but for me, education is not one of them.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have to communicate properly. It’s a privilege we pay for via our taxes. I’d complain OP. I’ve had three so far. First was fine, if uncomfortable. Second was really painful and I had bruising for quite along time after. Third time I told them this upfront and they were much gentler. I wish I’d complained at the time.

you are so fortunate to be in a country where this service is offered, just be grateful it has been done. It isn't fun in any circumstances, but it is a real privilege to get it

I loathe this attitude to healthcare, and I say that as someone who worked on the front-line of the NHS. People have a right to be treated with dignity, and OP having that basic expectation does not in any way suggest she is lacking in gratitude.

One of the founding principles of the NHS is that it is accountable to the individuals and the communities that it serves. If OP has been treated with anything less than kindness and dignity she has a right to express that and I am glad she has given feedback. The idea that people are supposed to keep quiet and be grateful for a substandard service because some countries don't have free at the point of use healthcare is toxic and contributes to poor (and in some cases unsafe) practice being allowed to continue in some NHS trusts or departments.

I love the NHS and am grateful for it, but that doesn't mean that the organisation and everyone working in it should be beyond reproach.

I do the same teaching paramedics.

Exactly this: it’s not asking for a big 10 minute consent procedure, but all the op needed was a quick clarification as it’s her first time and checking that she was clear on the level of hands-on boob touching involved. Come on, it’s really not too much to ask!

Bloody hell.

It's not a privilege, we pay for it and basic consent is needed for any procedure. No one needs to put up with rude HCPs.

I also had my first mammogram last week. It was unexpectedly not painful, or uncomfortable and the radiographer was brilliant. Compassionate, clear and gentle. I have however had really unpleasant smears in the past and a deeply unpleasant scan on my shoulders by a male who made me feel dirty. I wish I had complained.

It's always a bit brusque, and a bit of a production line. I don't mind, I like to be in and out as quickly as possible and asking every time they have to touch somebody or trying to get them into the right position without moving their arms or stepping them forward would take forever. In, out, job done forget about it till next time.

I don't think people with SEN are inadequate.

For what it's worth I come under under SEN with a hidden disability and I've a clutch of academic degrees including a PhD. I do have special educational needs under this definition.

I do find I need to constantly raise my disability when in medical appointments - people forget when dealing with me.

You are signing to consent to the procedure. You are not signing to consent to the radiographer manhandling your breasts multiple times with little to no communication or forewarning. And YES, the radiographer should be keeping up a dialogue that includes asking if it’s okay to do x, y and z throughout.