Morrisons breast screening

[AnotherWeasel]

Is is unreasonable of me to feel so offended by the idea of breast screening in Morrisons car park?

I'm 52 and just received an appointment that I wasn't consulted about. I just hate the idea of it. This is my local Morrisons, where I shop, where I frequently run into my awful ex-boyfriend, my estranged mother, the work colleague who sexually harrassed me 10 years ago, friends, neighbours, my postie etc, etc. And there I am, waiting beside the enormous van, emblazoned with bright breast screening decals, clearly about to strip off and have my breasts squished and examined. It all seems so undignified and makes me feel vulnerable and powerless.

Obviously, as a mum I've had to have all my bits on display and poked about with, and again I do think we are generally treated like objects or at least like we are supposed to be mature and sensible and absolutely fine with any sort of indignity that is imposed on us in the name of good sense. But at least that was in a hospital.

Yes, I am a grown woman and absolutely can put on my big girl pants and just do it for my own good. But I really feel quite oppositional to doing that. I feel like women are expected to just be ok about decisions others make about our bodies and that our dignity and privacy isn't important. It seems so disprespectful to us. I can't imagine men being invited to a prostate exam in a van in a supermarket carpark. I feel that, out of principal I don't want to do it, because the more women say 'that's ok, I can put up with a little indignity' the more other women feel pressured into a situation they really aren't happy about. Already, I feel that if I refuse this and ask for a more private screening, I would be seen as being difficult, silly even, and asking for special treatment. And I don't want special treatment, I want all women to be treated with due respect and consideration when accessing intimate medical care.

To be fair, I am a very private and anxious person, and I do have a problematic sexual history. So, I guess I may be influenced by this. Certainly, I am quite surprised there doesn't seem to be any women complaining about it. And I wonder, is it because most of us don't give a hoot, or are there many, many women just quietly missing out on screening services rather than make a fuss.

Where I live now there are at least 10 brick & mortar places I could get a mammogram locally to me. I thought of 4 off the top of my head, but Google maps tells me there are 10. They are ALWAYS there, not just on a temporary basis when they are parked up at Sainsburys.

I do in fact think that people are underserved in this area of preventative services.

Perhaps if there were more permanent mammogram facilities in the UK, I would not have been denied early screening by my GP. She agreed my risk profile was high, and said she would see what she could do when I turned 50, but to just self exam until then. At the time I thought this was a reasonable response.

Good thing for me that I wasn’t living in the UK when I was diagnosed with a non-palpable malignant tumor at 48. If I didn’t have access to screening it might have been picked up at stage 3, and most likely with lymph node involvement.

I mean this kindly, and it’s not directed at you personally, but while I was living in the UK, I did not realise just how thin the NHS services are spread.

That’s not to say these mobile clinics don’t serve a purpose, but they should be reserved for people in really rural areas. Not within the stockbroker belt, within 40 miles of London.

I think we pay about the same in Social Security, taxes and private health insurance as we did just on national insurance in the U.K.

Its got nothing to do with the lack of rural hospital, they were built decades ago, for very different times. Now we need H/C where the "patients" are going to be

Ive exposed my tits in a mobile unit in Tescos car park

Not one sinner saw my tit, dont even think the radiaograher saw my tit in its completely droopy glory. All she was interested in was getting me in place

End of the day, the NHS ask us to go along for the health checks.They are looking at 2/3 million people to test. it doesn't come cheap and not one of us want to pay high taxes. So a Mobile unit that goes to area to area, surely make sense of NHS expenditure ?

Of course it isn't.

Smear tests, bowel tests, other screening is routine preventative testing is much better than having to deal with cancer.

A mammogram has to take place where the equipment is with specialist radiographers. It can't happen in a GP surgery.

You can always turn it down but I can't imagine why you would want to.

That's a good thing.

A) if they asked first, logistically it would take up so much more time. They would have to deal with every woman's admin individually, rather than automatically book appointments and only deal individually with cancellations and rescheduled appointments

B) Women are more likely to just go to an appointment if it's already booked, rather than think they'll book it when they get round to it

They also regularly send me out a test to check my poo. I didn't ask for that either, but I'm in the age group that gets screened for bowel cancer.

If they asked first, how would it work? Would they have to ask every time, or just the first time? Or would they have to ask again if someone said no the first time, in case they changed their mind? I can imagine the news stories if someone said no once and never got asked again, then fifteen years later died of breast cancer.

Your 52, you say you weren't consulted about your appointment. From 50 you are automatically sent an appointment, yours was actually late because in many areas they are running behind. If you got to 52 without realising an appointment would come thru that's on you, it's highly advertised and you carnt expect NHS to send out a separate letter warni g you an appointment will shortly arrive.I went for mine in an Asda carpark. I went in through one door where there was a waiting room. No one else was in there. Then went thro to a medical room where the mammogram took place. Then I exited through an entirely separate door so never knew who was waiting after me. It was much closer to home, didn't have to sit in a crowded waiting room and if anyone saw me would assume I had gone to Asda. Your online tantrum is completely ridiculous.

ASDA??? I can't imagine the horror of someone thinking I shopped there. You would have every right to be upset over being forced to go to such a venue. Completely inappropriate!

Tell them to park at Waitrose next time. M&S would do at a push...

Come on mumsnetters, you deserve better 😉

😁 @CrappyJob

@Laserwho in my area you get your first appointment between 50 and 53 as it is only when the screening lorry is in place here every 3 years. Our county breast screening has the details online

There was an item on BBC Breakfast this morning about doing pop up testing for prostate cancer in places like shopping centres this morning. Their logic being it would be easier to persuade men to get a quick PSA test this way. Although that's a blood test so in some ways less involved than a mammogram. Although I guess for some a blood test is stressful in a different way.