View Full Version : Digital Mammography
Has anyone else had one of these? I was completely startled to get a call-back on my mammogram after going to a new facility of the same hospital where I've been having mammos for years to have a digital mammography for the first time. My doctor hasn't called about anything being abnormal, but the radiology department wants me back for more mammography and possibly a sonogram. I have never had a call-back before and I've been getting mammograms for at least twenty years. There is no history of breast cancer in my family.
I was very upset yesterday after I got the news, until I looked it up on the web after getting home and found that call-backs have increased by as much as 100% since this new technique became available a few years ago because technicians are unfamiliar with it and the digital version is hard to compare to the X-ray type. One forum post (on another forum) described the ordeal one woman went through, which included a follow-up mammo, a sonogram, an MRI, and a visit to a breast cancer surgeon, all to find out there was nothing wrong. Apparently, patients are being used as Guinea pigs and there is little respect for the patient's time and anxiety among the radiology crowd. The hospital where I had this last one has had the equipment for a year or less.
I'm losing my faith in the medical profession after being prescribed an anti-depressant that caused horrible side effects, being sent for two CT chest scans and a specialist visit for a lung infection that hasn't been diagnosed after three months (although it was gone within two days of taking an antibiotic and I am quite well now), and being given a prescription for a pain-in-the-butt test for esophageal spasms, which I do not have, and all within the past year. Now this. And my doctor's office has changed from being a patient-friendly place where I could always talk to a human into an automated nightmare and my doctor is seldom available without making an appointment weeks in advance. This is a family practice, not a specialists group.
WTF? Mainstream medicine is no longer making any sense to me. >:(
I had a digital mammo a few years back and received a call back for two identical "spots" on both sides. They were in the exact same spot on either side so I was a bit skeptical about them being anything to worry about. Had to have them redone and they came back negative with a watch and redo in six months. I can't even list the ridiculous things I have been put through back when I was seeing docs for severe anemia caused by heavy menstruation. Honestly, I don't go to doctors anymore and I am a lot better for it. I think they are wonderful in emergencies but all this diagnostic stuff is a bunch of hooey in most cases - my opinion only. It makes a lot of money for the equipment makers and the docs/clinics that use it and keeps the game going.
I'm reading a wonderful book called Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health by Dr. Gilbert Welch. I haven't yet got to the mammography part, but there are pages and pages. I'm repeating myself, but the healthiest people I know have made a point of avoiding the medical establishment as much as possible. You're wise to question the desperate quest for pathology that comprises modern "health" care.
Thanks for the reply, Pinkytoe. I've been thinking along the same lines over the past year, during which I've had two major illnesses, clinical depression and the lung infection, the latter of which was likely instigated by Remeron, an old anti-depressant with respiratory side effects among others, and the newer one I was given, Pristiq, which can cause bleeding when combined with aspirin. Nobody told me about the aspirin and I was taking a lot of it at the time, so it appeared that I was coughing up blood, no doubt from my sinuses bleeding, which they are inclined to do anyway in the winter. The Remeron and Pristiq were given to me by a psychiatrist who should have warned me about side effects, but didn't.
I'm so exasperated and don't know where to turn or what to do. I'm considering refusing any further testing until I get a mammogram the old-fashioned way for comparison with last year's, which was fine.
And thank you too, Jane. I have that book and will look at the pages on mammography tonight.
The pulmonary specialist in particular gave me the creeps when it came to looking for pathology. My lung scan showed a black spot at the base of the esophagus, and I could tell he thought it was cancer. I've since had an Upper GI/Barium Swallow test which showed nothing at all suspicious, just the possibility of Achalasia, a relaxation of the esophagus muscles, which I understand (from an older friend) often happens with age. My medical opinion is that the CT chest scan picked up the brass button on my L.L. Bean jeans, which I was not asked to take off for the scan. Yet my personal doctor wants to find out what's causing my "spasms", which weren't mentioned in the Upper GI report (I got my own copy), and which are painful, so I'd know if I had them.
The series of scares and tests that poor woman went through after her digital mammography was definitely an enthusiastic hunt for pathology. I went through something similar about ten years ago following an atypical EKG and don't have the time or the tolerance to go through it again.
My hospital went to digital mammography 2 years ago. Last year, I was just amazed at the clarity seeing the pictures side by side with the analog version. However, because they are so clear, they also seem to find things that aren't there. This year, I was called back for a spot that was nothing, just dense breasts.
After the initial digital mammogram, the radiologist might have questions because he/she doesn't have a baseline digital mammogram for comparison. For myself, I would much rather have the digital because of the improved images.
My facility switch to digital mammo a year or so ago, and I've not heard of any problems such as has been described here. I don't have dense breasts, however. The image clarity is amazing, though. I will say that if you do have dense tissue, the best thing you can do for yourself is monthly self exams - you will get to know your body and will be quicker to find any problems than something only done annually.
And in defense of those docs who brought you back for further tests - it's much easier for all involved to solve problems when smaller/less extensive. Smaller surgery, less dose of chemo, less invasive, shorter recovery time, etc. Lately I've had patients who knew over two years before that there was "something" but ignored it - and they had much larger surgeries and much much more extensive chemo because of it. The prognosis is also much much worse. Don't do that to yourself just to avoid a short term hassle, please!
Just to bring closure, I had my follow-up mammo yesterday, followed by an ultrasound, which I was told isn't unusual. I was finally told that there was no indication of a tumor or mass, just an especially dense area on my right breast which they want to check in another six months. I have dense breast tissue and I don't find anything alarming about finding out that one area is more dense than others. I'm not sure who's being helped with the follow-up in six months - me or a medical establishment that's afraid of being sued and/or eager for one more payment.
It turned out that I don't have the book Jane recommended (although I was able to read quite a few pages on Amazon), but I did come across an article in Newsweek online that gave me the creeping crawlies. It seems GE invented these machines and then proceeded to make campaign contributions to one or more senators who pushed through higher Medicare payments for digital mammography. This incentive led hospitals to start buying these three million dollar machines and using them extensively, presumably to make more money. In my case, the hospital is going to get paid for four tests rather than the one I usually have, and a higher price for three of them as well. This is scary, especially when the old film tests are better for older women such as myself. However, those machines are rapidly disappearing from the medical scene. I deeply resent the amount of time (and anxiety) I had to spend for all these tests and am even more mistrustful of mainstream medicine now.
This is a thought-provoking article on the subject. I've long wondered what the effects of repeated breast mangling and irradiation might be in the long run.
http://www.preventcancer.com/press/editorials/march14_01.htm
"Screening poses cumulative cancer risks. The routine of taking four films for each breast results in one rad (radiation absorbed*dose) exposure, about 1,000 times more than a chest X-ray. The premenopausal breast is sensitive to radiation, each rad exposure increasing risk by one percent with a cumulative ten percent increased risk over ten years of screening; risks are greater for "baseline" screening at younger ages. Less well recognized dangers are posed by forceful breast compression during premenopausal mammography, which may rupture blood vessels in or around small undetected cancers and result in the spread of malignant cells."
This is a thought-provoking article on the subject. I've long wondered what the effects of repeated breast mangling and irradiation might be in the long run.
http://www.preventcancer.com/press/editorials/march14_01.htm
"Screening poses cumulative cancer risks. The routine of taking four films for each breast results in one rad (radiation absorbed*dose) exposure, about 1,000 times more than a chest X-ray. The premenopausal breast is sensitive to radiation, each rad exposure increasing risk by one percent with a cumulative ten percent increased risk over ten years of screening; risks are greater for "baseline" screening at younger ages. Less well recognized dangers are posed by forceful breast compression during premenopausal mammography, which may rupture blood vessels in or around small undetected cancers and result in the spread of malignant cells."
Thanks very much for that link.
I'm already concerned about radiation and this really frosts the cake. This past year I've had a lung X-ray, two CT chest scans, an upper GI with Barium swallow, and now one mammogram on the left breast and two on the right, plus an ultra-sound.
A coworker who has had cancer twice in the past year informed me that one CT chest scan emits enough radiation to cure early lung cancer. And these people want me to have a follow-up mammo? I think I'll just say 'No'.
HappyHiker
5-14-11, 8:39pm
Interesting discussion and it brings up a number of my own hot buttons. I'd love to get a copy of that Over-Diagnosed book.
Just got on Medicare and was emailed a list of 'tests' I should have done--there are ten of them, yes, ten. My heart sank when I saw the list...I don't want to have any of them, really. I'm of the school 'go to the doctor when you're sick.' Will they toss me off Medicare if I opt out of their recommended tests? I've got a sore knee--can't I just get that diagnosed and skip all the other tests. That's the direction I'm moving in...
I'm planning to declare religious/philosophical objections to the relentless quest to Find Something Wrong if it gets to that. I don't want any part of their (oxymoronic) "preventative" medicine, which I'm convinced does more harm than good overall.
HappyHiker
5-15-11, 2:10pm
I'm planning to declare religious/philosophical objections to the relentless quest to Find Something Wrong if it gets to that. I don't want any part of their (oxymoronic) "preventative" medicine, which I'm convinced does more harm than good overall.
Now that's a great idea..I'm going to give that a whirl...I do get tired of saying no to all the tests they want--I've had so much difficulty with fibrocystic breasts over the years--they always order more tests (with the same ultimate diagnosis) even though I try to tell them about the cysts...
I believe in preventive wellness through diet and exercise and judicious use of herbs and supplements of vitamins and minerals. I don't want to get enmeshed in the medical industry. Once they turned a small bump on my husband's arm into a real mess and allergic reaction through strong cortisone creams which proved unnecessary.
Two thumbs up for preventative wellness! Stress is the biggest killer, and after being privy to a few horror stories among friends and family, the very thought of being caught up in what passes for health care these days is the very definition of stress.
Interesting discussion and it brings up a number of my own hot buttons. I'd love to get a copy of that Over-Diagnosed book.
Just got on Medicare and was emailed a list of 'tests' I should have done--there are ten of them, yes, ten. My heart sank when I saw the list...I don't want to have any of them, really. I'm of the school 'go to the doctor when you're sick.' Will they toss me off Medicare if I opt out of their recommended tests? I've got a sore knee--can't I just get that diagnosed and skip all the other tests. That's the direction I'm moving in...
I think your Medicare list items are merely recommendations, no doubt sent out to cover someone's butt. The only way you can lose it is by failing to pay the premium, to the best of my knowledge.
My doctor, bless her, said the recommended follow-up mammogram in six months is unnecessary and it can wait until the next annual physical. I'm not even sure I'll do that. From what I've been reading, a yearly manual examination by a trained medical person, not necessarily a doctor, along with a monthly self-examination is more effective than a mammogram for the early detection of cancer. Most lumps are discovered by the patient herself.
poetry_writer
5-16-11, 1:17pm
I refuse to have the damn things (mammograms) I am NOT advising anyone to do this. I am just saying this is my choice. I know of several ladies who are having to have mammograms every 6 months, being scared out of their wits and spending a lot of money on what probably isnt anything. Its a personal choice. I have no insurance so i cannot get on the "test" merry go round.
HappyHiker
5-16-11, 8:24pm
I hear ya! Were I in charge of Medicare, I'd allow those on it a choice of regular Western Medicine OR a gym membership and alternative medicine. Would likely reduce premiums and disease.
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