To postpone routine mammogram?

[Worridoncemore]

I have crippling health anxiety and always get extremely anxious about medical appointments and tests, even more so waiting for results.

I have an appointment for a routine mammogram 3 weeks before I'm due to go on holiday. Therefore, the results won't arrive until days before we leave, or even after we've left. The waiting will ruin the run up to the holiday and if I were to be recalled would feel unable to go away.

I would add that I was at the breast clinic just over a year ago for a mammogram & ultrasound (all fine) as I was worried about lumpy breasts. My GP wasn't concerned but referred me for reassurance. I did call to see if it was OK to have another mammogram so soon and was told that as long as at least 6 months was fine but I was welcome to reschedule to a later date if I wished. I opted to keep the appointment but am now regretting it as it draws closer.

So WIBU unreasonable to postpone until after my hols?

Yes but the re booking admin costs money. So yes cancellation or no shows should be charged. I'm sure the OP demands to be seen when it suits her 'health anxiety' needs.
Funny how a holiday is now the priority until she gets 'anxious' again and is straight back on the phone to her GP. Pathetic.

Rearrange the appointment.

You’ve had a clear mammogram 12 months ago

use your holiday productively to relax and get your health anxiety under control.

I mean this kindly, but I don’t get this health anxiety angst - I mean it’s natural to be anxious; everyone is … that’s normal behaviour. But when it’s all consuming it’s not healthy and that in itself will cause problems.

go on holiday, relax, reset and ground yourself. Your future will be better.

As someone who works closely to the management of the breast screening programme, from an admin point of view, it’s absolutely fine to rearrange it. What’s really annoying and an enormous waste of resources is when people don’t turn up. Our message is very strongly ‘if it doesn’t suit you, rearrange it’. I know that’s not quite the issue here, but just to mention.

Also, it tends to be once people have had the test that the ‘what if they find something’ worry starts, so I totally understand that.

Just move it, but do reschedule it rather than cancelling it.

I've had over 20 mammograms, and the results have been sent through by post within 10 days. I've only once had a recall and that was done via phone call. The recall showed that everything was OK, and I was told that by the consultant who examined me there and then.

I would go to the routine appointment if it was me, but given your health anxiety I wouldn't blame you for postponing but please do go to the next appointment. And if you are going to postpone, do it immediately so that your slot can be offered to someone else.

My results were exactly one week too. I received a letter through the post.

@CindersAgain thanks for confirming. I didn't think rescheduling an appointment would be a big deal. They send you a random appointment and invite you to reschedule if not convenient. It's inevitable that people won't be able to attend their given appointment for a variety of reasons. So long as you give plenty of notice so it can be offered to someone else (which I will), what's the problem?
@Pigeonbilly you sound like a delight!

@Worridoncemore no I'm just someone who is watching a very sick relative have delayed cancer treatment and this selfishness has upset me.
This pick and choosing is one of the many reasons our NHS is in a mess.

Let's hope you never get denied treatment when you really need it to save your life.

Absolutely 👍

You are being utterly ridiculous. As a former breast cancer patient, even I've had to reschedule appointments on occasion. They would far rather you rang and rebooked rather than not turn up!

OP, reschedule it, it'll be fine to do that and you can have your screening on return. Don't give it another thought.

Just rebook it but do it now so that there's time for the slot to be given to someone else rather than being wasted.

I think it’s fine to reschedule till after your holiday. I’ve just been to mine and had a letter within a week to say all was fine.

Given how you feel I would rebook for after your holiday. I’ve always been given the option to change my appointment if it was inconvenient . Apart from the worry ,
you could get a recall letter whilst away and miss the appointment.

As someone who’s had breast cancer and currently waiting for the results of my 3rd annual mammogram since surgery I totally understand why it could ruin your holiday. I was told 3 to 4 weeks wait for my results, now just over 3 weeks and I’m really anxious. I think you need to have gone through it to know the fear it brings, previously I never worried about the results.

I don’t think re arranging the appointment is messing the nhs around but make sure you do rebook , it could save your life.

I would only reschedule if if the new appointment was going to be within a couple of months, and not open ended.
My breast cancer was picked up in 2018 on my very first screening mammogram.
No symptoms, and no palpable lump as it was buried very deep, close to the chest wall.
It was very small, but a grade 3 tumor which was already in two lymph nodes, which meant chemotherapy.
I was told I probably wouldn't have felt the lump for 18 months, due to its position.
If that had happened, I may not have lived.
So I feel very strongly that screening mammograms shouldn't be put off or delayed if there are no visible symptoms.

I don’t think you will be causing too much difficulty in rescheduling. But kindly, you’re being unreasonable.

As the child of someone who used ‘health anxiety’ to delay every appointment, it just got worse and worse. It ended up causing her delaying making the phone calls to make an appointment. She’d get a referral to see a specialist and just absolutely refused to make the call for at least a week. And invariably something would pop up and it would be ‘oh I can’t possibly think about making that appointment until I’ve had lunch with Aunty Sandra’ or whatever.

Health anxiety caused her to neglect her health to such a degree that she’s had to move into a care home. It never should have come to this and she moans and complains about how terrible her life is, but it is 100% self inflicted. All caused by refusing to go to simple medical appointments.

Please OP, don’t let this control you. The older we get the more medical assistance we need. Seek some help.

Also, not to worry people, but a general screening mammogram tends not to see some types of breast cancer, especially if you have dense breasts. The chance of a mammogram seeing cancer, even large tumours, which also can’t be felt, in these situations is only just over 10%, which is shocking. This was my situation. I do all I can to educate people not to rely on mammograms if you have any suspicion that something isn’t right. I was completely failed by the hospital breast clinic consultant.

I had done a breast ultrasound every time came back normal nothing suspicious but my gynecologist still wants to refer me to get done a mammogram. Is this normal?? I’m freaking out now. Im only 31

So at a private hospital then.

@Alee9 you are probably better off starting your own thread rather than adding a question to an old one

Most posters will probably just reply to the original post rather than see there is a new question at the end

Hope everything works out okay for you