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.

Attending a mammogram in Tesco car park saved my life. My aggressive cancer was detected early and I have thankfully been treated successfully. Please, anyone who is invited for a scan, please just go!

I personally have not found it to be pointless. I don't know why you feel the need to criticise me for seeking a little feedback on something I feel upset about.

I get what you are saying, OP. I’m very much of the opinion that medical services routinely provided long term, in what are supposed to be temporary facilities, to ease a temporary burden, is not a good sign.

Hospitals and medical facilities should be as easily accessible as a supermarket, not IN a supermarket.

@AnotherWeasel you could bump into any of those people at your local health centre or hospital.
One of my nearest health centres shares a building with a library and there a supermarket virtually next door.
Another nearby health centre is next door to a senior school.
Wherever the facilities are they are always going to be next door (or sharing a building) to somewhere that anyone you know could be.
Have your tests. Health is more important about what other people might think if they see you there.

I personally have not found it to be pointless. I don't know why you feel the need to criticise me for seeking a little feedback on something I feel upset about

But all you need to do is ring and change the venue

I get why they do it this way and it's great that breast screening is being made accessible, it wouldn't prevent me from attending. I see what you're saying though OP, it feels to me a little like doing something that's medically private in a place that's usually more public. I am weirdly prudish about medical stuff and it's easier to deal with that in a medical setting where everyone is or might be there for similar reasons.

You may have misunderstood- you don’t have to get your breasts out in the car park. That’s done inside the mobile unit.

I honestly have no idea why you would say that.

They're not getting the trolley lads to help out. It's a private space manned by professionals.

As someone living very rural , Im grateful for the mobile units , and whilst we dont have Morrisons here, we do have mobile units parked in the Spar, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Heath centre

Without the mobile units, for whatever they are out for, be it breast screening, blood donation, over 50's health checks, they ensure that we get these checks done, without having a hundred mile round trip to the city

TBH OP, you sound very precious

For what it’s worth @AnotherWeasel I completely agree with you and get it.

Your perspective is an odd one and suggests you are wildly overthinking things but without any semblance of logic. Just change the location of your screening, as you are entirely free to do.

Why would you feel so embarrassed by getting your breasts examined?

I can understand about feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable in front of the medical professionals but not the other people.

You are taking care of your health.
These tests aren’t mandatory but you are choosing to strip off and get them examined.

I would say that’s a pretty powerful thing to do and these other people would think so too.

Hear hear!

Or maybe just feel grateful that advanced screening methods are saving thousands of lives each year?

I think you are looking at breast screening the wrong way. It's as if you are seeing it as being akin to a sexually transmitted diseases clinic - which would be embarrassing. Routine breast screening is offered to all women over the age of 50 and presumably people know you are a woman of that age, so why would you feel it is something you want to hide that you are doing?

As others have said, it's convenient and early screening saves lives.

I attended one recently on the car park of my local Asda, ultimately resulting in them finding very early cancerous changes which will now be treated. I'm glad I attended my appointment.

For those people who are saying their appointment was at an inconvenient date / time, it's quite possible (easy where I live) to phone them and change it.

Im sorry you feel upset about the situation. However if you feel you need support please do contact your local NHS Trust or Integrated Care Board to discuss and feedback, as they are the ones most likely commissioning this mobile service in your local area.

You posted this on AIBU, so people are naturally going to tell you if they think you’re being unreasonable or not in their personal opinion. It’s not criticism.

There are other ways to go about starting a discussion and getting support for something that has upset you. This is not the way.

Describing a (very underfunded) service commissioned to save lives and take the strain off the NHS as “undignified” and “disrespectful” is unreasonable.

You we’re not forced to attend that screening. You have absolutely every right to decline and re-book in a hospital setting.

Yanbu. I remember reading Germaine Greer on this 20 or 30 years ago. Shame nothing has changed, if not surprising.

It’s better than nothing. It’s better than many things in life. It’s obviously good to increase access. But let’s not pretend medical appointments in a van in a supermarket car park are ideal.

Well, given that we all have the choice to opt out of breast screening completely, I guess you can also request an alternative location. We are all different - we have choices and we don't have to just blindly go along with the first option we're given. Just use your voice, OP.

why do you keep going to this supermarket??? get Amazon prime Morrisons delivery.

I’ve had two mammograms in the car park at Morrisons. Didn’t bother me at all, I thought it was wonderfully convenient. Latest was in the grounds of what used to be the local psychiatric hospital. Again, not a problem.

I think you have a distorted and overblown view of the ‘squishy breasts’ thing. Breast are normal and medical check ups of them are normal. No one is judging or even really cares… and that includes your ex and your next door neighbour etc.

Even if they bump into you, and even if they clock it’s a breast check, the projection of weird salacious perceptions about that is in your head, not theirs. They will probably go ‘oh look there’s Janet…’ and then go back to thinking about their Morrisons shopping list.

I'm now not on the recall list for mammograms having reached the cut off age, however I can phone and get an appointment if I want to continue, which I do. My mum had breast cancer at 80 so I want to definitely carry on with them.

I don't care where the mobile unit will be sited, supermarket, community centre or middle of the High Street and I don't care who sees me going in either, it's way too important to be bothered about that.

But let’s not pretend medical appointments in a van in a supermarket car park are ideal.

It is preferable for me. I live rurally and our nearest hospital is a real pain to get to. I'd prefer to go to a mobile surgery in a nearby supermarket car park for these sorts of routine appointments.

Same here. I had my last recall one last year but I'll be making my own appointment the year after next. I don't care where it is.