To have found my first mammogram really upsetting?

I’m an occasional nhs volunteer and what I do is totally non-intimate - and even my quite quick and basic training made clear you don’t touch patients without asking/being sure they consent. And the most I would touch them is helping with hand sanitiser or buttoning up a cardie etc.

She should have asked and been respectful and considerate. That’s part of doing her job to a basic standard.

At my first, and only, mammogram the radiographer was so unpleasant and pulled my breast so hard that the skin underneath, which in my case is quite delicate, ripped and bled. I rang and complained about her. From their response it was apparent that they knew there were issues. However, I'm afraid that the experience put me off for life and I haven't had one since.

yes she does still expect that and rightly so.

Are you joking? This it terrible advice! Why should OP be manhandled and treated like that when BHS procedure clearly dictates that this is outside the realms of acceptable practice. Give your head a wobble! I can’t imagine what the county would be like if we all just sucked up mistreatment because we’re ’so fortunate’. I think you’ll find our taxes and national insurance pays for our mammograms so there’s no ‘forunate’ about it! Thinking along those lines leads nowhere good.

@YompingJo for goodness sake, get a grip of yourself!!! they dont have time to pussyfoot about! you knew what you were going for yet you still expect them to ask for consent place your boob in the correct position????

Our local screening centre has a member of staff who is exactly the same - literally about 3 words as she pulled, unravelled and squished my bosoms! An attempt at light hearted chit-chat was met with stony silence. Awful person.

I was just glad someone was checking me out though, so just wrote it off to 'they (arseholes) walk amongst us'

I've seen her again since and she was exactly the same. Her 'oppo', who I have also seen, is the polar opposite and absolutely delightful - I nearly fell over when she asked if it was 'ok' to touch me 🤣

Never had one, never going to have one. I will take the risk. Not having my breasts flattened and squished .

Ah so it’s okay to be treated disrespectfully because we should instead just be grateful we are having the procedure???

I had a mammogram last year and had no worries beforehand. Well during it I got very weak and just knew I was going to faint! Had a sit down and some water, tried again and the room started swimming again. I ended up finishing the scans in a special chair. I was so embarrassed and shocked that had happened.
I’m not a fainter, I’ve had a uterine biopsy with no anaesthetic and was fine.
i need another one in a few weeks’ time but this time I’ll tell the radiographer that I’m liable to hit the floor so the chair may be best.

Yanbu it’s not a pleasant procedure but the one thing that can make it that little bit nicer is if the person carrying out the mammogram treats you respectfully.

Not asking before touching is incredibly disrespectful. When I was in the hospital after giving birth and trying to breastfeed every time someone helped me breastfeed or express they asked!

It’s not pleasant, but it needs to be done and the more fannying about is required the longer it takes and the more it costs. I have had more than my share of mammograms, both before and after my mastectomy. Of course they’re going to move your breast and position it. That’s why you’re there! I think they can absolutely take the fact that you turned up as consent to do the procedure.
Well done for going for the mammogram, trust me it’s important, make sure you go back when requested to do so, take a friend if you must and in the nicest way possible, get over yourself.

Testicles hang free from the male body so comparing x-raying them with them x-raying breasts is a bit daft.

This is getting silly now. Breast tissue is different from testicles.

Bet they don't use a machine like this to check for testicular cancer do they.

I was surprised by my first mammogram too. I had just thought they stood you in front of a machine that did an X ray or something. I have very small breasts and there was a lot of shoving and pushing to get me in the correct position. It’s an inherently undignified process.

The nurse should have explained why they need to ensure you are in the right position ( mine did).

I think the NHS could put a line in letters to let people know what to expect at appts, rather than assume people know.

No but they look at your cervix.

I’ve had several and the nurses/hcps have always been kind, chatty and empathetic and warned me when they were going to grab bits and when it would be uncomfortable etc. Usually with friendly woman-to-woman banter about boobs and what a pain it is to have to go through etc.

I think a complaint would be reasonable - this staff member should be asking consent and being kind and if she’s not she needs telling and training as necessary. I’m not a big complainer generally but this is important. She could put women off going back and that could have serious consequences.

You shouldn’t have to invoke having an ND condition to get basic empathy and respect - but you may find it does help get you kinder treatment so it might be worth using that option.

I found the pain diminished massively to mere discomfort once I hit menopause!

I had my most recent one 3 weeks ago in the mobile mammography unit in town. The mammographer wasn't as chatty as previous ones (done at hospital units) but I was glad to get out more quickly!

Thanks, @Isthisjustnormal !

If you’re autistic then you have SEN so should have put the request in for extra support.

Also just to make you aware @YompingJo ans others about to have their first mammogram: I was called back after mine and put on the two week pathway which was somewhat terrifying - until a really lovely consultant at that appointment explained it was much more common to be called back after the first scan as they don’t have a sense of what is normal for you, so have to investigate anything that looks even slightly suspicious (I was given an all clear very quickly). The staff at that later appointment were SO nice and thoughtful that I nearly cried at one point: very patient centred and conscious of how wierd and uncomfortable the whole things was.

@INeedABackeoctomy what home hpv test do you use?

Yanbu to expect consent before touching big Yabu not to have asked for the offered SEN help. I have a teen ND son who has been having lots of diagnostic testing recently and even he took the initiative to watch YouTube videos on it so he knew what to expect. I use “even he” because he’s normally very scatty and unprepared but watched the videos do he wasn’t surprised on the day.

I've not had one and don't plan to. Bloody awful intrusive tests. I have regular thermography, not as accurate in spotting an issue, but better than nothing.

I don't have smears anymore either, since they only look for HPV and don't actually examine the sample. You can do a HPV test at home.

Being intimidated by the room and machine isn't a fault of the staff.

No, but it is the responsibility of the staff to try and mske patients feel more comfortable in what can be an intimidating and unfamiliar environment for many. A few kind words can make all the difference.

Radiographers don't have time for chit chat and they have to be very direct with instructions.

It’s not ‘chit-chat’, it’s part of the job, to try and put patients at ease while you’re carrying out intimate procedures on them!