To think that having a mammogram carried out by a man is preferable to a long wait for an appointment.

[JudithOnHolidayAgain]

I know many people who wouldn't be here now without early detection of breast cancer due to the screening programme.
I have had a few myself.
It's not something I look forward to but it's a few minutes of discomfort that could save my life so I put up with it.
Given the choice I would prefer a woman carry it out as it is quite intrusive but as there is a shortage of female staff I would be ok with a male member of staff as long as there was a chaperone and Iwas told in advance.
If they do change the rules I think there should be a choice.

I think it's marvellous that patients have been able to voice their preference for who cares for them and that wish has been acted on.

I understand your DH may be hurt but the patient should be the focal point not the clinician

If I'm having intimate care in a vulnerable situation I may want a female irrespective of a chaperone, and I wouldn't want to have to concern myself with how the clinician feels about that, they're not the one vulnerable and in a state of undress

I think it would be helpful to your DP if he tried to understand the reasons why women are refusing him. It won’t be anything personal, but rather to do with their own feelings of vulnerability, potentially due to past trauma, religious or cultural issues etc. if they express it in a less than polite way, it’s potentially due to the stress they are under from feeling triggered or intensely vulnerable. It doesn’t say anything about him as a practitioner, but it’s important to have empathy for that perspective and respect women’s right to make that request.

I don't mind the gender of the Dr. I care about quality of service. I've had horrible appointments with women and fantastic ones with men for other female issues.

The way it's delivered is definitely part of it. We're both autistic and take it very literally, so the patient saying "I don't want that man" would, to both of us, signify that he's personally done something wrong, rather than someone asking to be seen by a female clinician, which would be more understandable to me.

I get that and I can understand why he feels that way, especially when he’s only there to help. But, if he can, he shouldn’t take it to heart and try and remember that it’s quite possibly coming from a place of fear and vulnerability.

You are not being unreasonable but I would always want the choice to have a woman. Just as I would for a smear test.

Yes for shorter waiting lists.
But as awful as it sounds personality I would prefer a woman do mine. But I'm a little funny about that sort of thing. Also don't want a smear done my a man.

The mammographer isn’t there “all the time manipulating your breasts and moving plates”

They guide you to the plates, they usually cup under the breast to be scanned and gently help you get all of it in place on the plate. They then help you angle your arm. They then activate the second plate to compress the breast. The plates are automated, they don’t actually place them, it’s another button or turn knob that moves the plates. If it doesn’t quite squish right, they may do a bit of release, adjust breast, compress again. Which didn’t hurt my first mammogram at age 40, but has been agony every mammogram since especially when I had breast cancer. I even had a female mammographer chastise me for verbalising ow ow saying it’s not supposed to hurt and unless I basically pretended it was only slight discomfort she was g ‘allowed’ to go behind the barrier and push the stinking button to take the mammogram. So I gritted my teeth that time and said it’s fine, just finish it please. THEN the mammographer goes behind the barrier, leaving you standing there breast squashed and pushes the button to do the X-ray. They then come back, release the compression and repeat for the other breast.

“it is one of the most labour-intensive and physically hands on test there is”
I would say it’s more hands on than an MRI, but less hands on than an ultrasound or physical exam with hands. So it’s about average imho in terms of breast touching extent and time,

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast
Actually just seen your previous post about being stripped in operating theatre arms strapped down etc. obviously either total nonsense or a really traumatic experience that should be reported to the hospital. But I know which one my money is on.

You’d lose all your money, as that is exactly how my breast wide area local excision with lymph node sentinel biopsy went. I went into theatre on my own two feet wearing hospital gown, paper knickers and those compression knee high tights under socks with anti-skid bobbles on the soles. Once there, they undid my hospital gown so I was naked except for paper knickers and tights/socks. I climbed into the operating table, and my left arm was strapped down as that had my cannula for the iv anaesthesia. They put the heart monitor sticker on me, another nurse was swabbing my right breast from upper tummy to collar bone. My right arm was also strapped down because, a sentinel lymph node biopsy means they cut open your armpit to remove lymph nodes so your arm has to be extended and secured. That was also swabbed down. They checked my allergies on my red wrist band and confirmed my identity and consent to proceed with the surgery.

A blanket was thrown over my legs while I was still conscious. I was chatting with the two surgeons- one for breast and one for armpit plus the anesthesiologist and the nurses the whole time from entering to when the anesthesia kicked in and I fell asleep. And as I said, I was nearly naked for most of it.

It wasn’t traumatic compared to the appt when I was told I had breast cancer.

Was it breast surgery?

Ok, my experience was not that.

It’s not nonsense. It is exactly how my lumpectomy (wide area local incision with sentinel lymph node biopsy) went. I’m not trying to put anyone off surgery, how was I supposed to know that my experience was different from anyone else’s? All I know is how mine went.

How long ago ? Because if that’s recent you have very serious cause for complaint.

@Lovelysausagedogscrumpy and @667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast
It’s really disheartening to see you both implying my experience can’t have happened. I have written only the truth on here. If you are aware that women can have different experiences, then what is it that makes you decide that the experience of a woman who happens to disagree with you is “utter/total nonsense”? And why would one of you claim that I am trying to put women off the lifesaving surgery I had just by sharing my experience? Would you say the same to a woman who had a different c-section experience compared to you?

anyway, I have posted on here about my breast cancer since I was diagnosed last September. I even started a thread on healing time as I had some post surgery complications.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cancer/5226234-please-tell-me-how-long-your-breast-wide-area-lumpectomy-recovery-took

This is the proof you so obviously require that I am no stranger to breast scans and procedures. Perhaps in future you won’t be so dismissive of women’s experiences that differ from your own to the point you accuse them of fabricating nonsense.

Why? I don’t feel I was mistreated in any way. I see no reason to complain.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Thanks for that. You could, maybe, apologise? I’m not a “teenage troll”

Yes it was in the UK. I most certainly wasn’t wheeled in from an anaesthesia room?! I waited on a bed in a nearby ward and then was brought the gown and such to change into and then was walked by a nurse to the operating theatre.

Really? While I was gone you had to post your derision multiple times?
do you get a kick out of this?

A large university hospital. The same one the King had his cancer treated at.

You too?
This is really upsetting.

Er, who are ‘technicians’ ? The mammographers ? Nope, think again. Four year degree in radiography, which is generally considered a demanding degree programme involving a significant workload, including both academic studies and clinical placements. Radiography courses often involve a large amount of material to learn in a short period, particularly during clinical placements, where students may work long hours and be responsible for patient care. Radiography requires a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology, physics, and different imaging modalities, requiring proficiency in both operating and maintaining various imaging equipment. The field of medical imaging is constantly evolving, so radiographers also need to stay current with new technologies and techniques, which requires ongoing learning and professional development.

A poster upthread compared mammography speciality to training a nurse to take bloods as a speciality. There is little understanding of what a radiographer actually is, or does. They are not technicians, they are highly skilled and trained healthcare professionals.

I’m a mammography trainer. Mammographers are NOT trained to do them with minimal touching. We HAVE to pull breasts to get to the back. We HAVE to smooth bellies and other areas out of the way. We HAVE to smooth out creases. Any Mammographer who doesn’t is t doing her job.

What did you expect ? You posted an experience of breast surgery which literally no-one here recognises from their own experience, and simply would not happen.

I think the technicians they are referring to are the technicians in the porta-cabin mobile mammograms that get set up in car parks. The mammogram is done by a technician and the images are sent electronically to a central radiography unit at the closest hospital with one to analyse.

Not everyone gets their mammogram at a breast unit in a hospital.