Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The Big Squeeze


It's that time of year again, time to schedule the annual mammogram.  I am a glutton for punishment, I schedule my annual physical and mammogram on the same day and if possible I also schedule my dental cleaning.  I dread each and every one of these doctors and procedures and try to schedule them on the same day so I only have one day of dread and misery instead of three. 

If the anticipation of the big squeeze mammogram isn't bad enough, I'll share my last two mammogram experiences.  In 2014 while having the mammogram, there was a fire alarm which sounded.  I didn't hear the alarm, just the pounding on the door and being told everyone had to evacuate the building.  The tech starts pushing me out the door in all my glory.  This was not the way I had planned to leave.  I had arrived at my visit fully clothed and I had every intention of leaving the same way!  "No time to get dressed" she said so I grabbed my yellow rain slicker and prayed the zipper was working.  Now, if a case of nerves of having a mammogram isn't bad enough add the evacuation of a building, throw in not being fully clothed and just for interest toss in the rain outside.  Not one of my better days or moments. 

Fast forward to mammogram 2015.  Sweet AppleJack having heard about my 2014 mammogram experience decided to drive me to the appointment to help take the edge off.  All was going well, the two of us sat in the waiting area quietly reading the Wall Street Journal and chatting with others in the waiting area.  My name was called and I went back for the big squeeze.  Whew!  No fire alarms, no evacuating the building, nothing eventful just very routine stuff. 

As I was leaving, I noticed there were no other patients, no other nurses, no techs, no office staff, no one in the waiting area and no AppleJack.  There was no one!  There was no one to ask and since I had left my cellphone with AppleJack no one to call.  As  I tried to wrap my head around my situation and figure out what I needed to do.  I decided to walk outside thinking there might have been another emergency and maybe another evacuation.  Sure enough there stood a parking lot full of people.  It wasn't a fire which caused the evacuation this time, it was a disgruntled patient who had become so outraged, he started making threats to the staff.  Security decided it was in the best interest of everyone to clear the area.

So. . . for those of you who have scheduled your annual mammogram, I understand your anxiety and hope your visit for the big squeeze is uneventful. 

10 comments:

  1. Oh my! I need to schedule mine....now I will not look at the event the same way again!

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  2. WoW! I admire you for going back! I don't know anyone that likes to get a mammogram but they are a necessary evil. After all the hoopla the last two years, I hope this year is uneventful (of course, you do have pretty funny stories).

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  3. Best wishes on your upcoming appointments! I hope all three are uneventful this year.

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  4. Gosh Betty where do you have your mammograms?. Mines coming up and I don't want to go to your clinic!

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  5. Oh my goodness... I hope all goes smoothly for you this time around! At least you have a good sense of humor, it always helps thru situations like this.

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  6. I am so sorry I am laughing so hard I do mean it I am so sorry, I am like you everything seems to happen to me, you and I are two people who just seem to be marked for stuff like this, the machine would not go up and I was getting squeezed to no end owww.
    I hope your as my Mother calls it mammiogram goes well.

    Blessings
    Catherine

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  7. Wishing you the best of Luck Betty!! I thought I had a rough go of those appointments (and I, too, schedule my annual physical and mammo on the same day...but no way am I glutton enough to add dentist to that line up of torture!!) I still do believe I hold the record for the longest mammo on record (just a bit shy of 5 hrs) (a very, very, long story)....but no evacuations LOL.... Smiles & Hugs (but no squeezes!) ~ Robin

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  8. What a story! I had mine in Nov. but none of that excitement. You are so smart to do it all in one nasty day! I hope all goes very well for you!

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  9. Oh, no. I hope this year's mammo is better.

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  10. OMG!!! Geesh, two bad experiences in a row! I sure hope nothing happens this time! At least you came out in the clear each time. I hate mammograms too. I have to get an ultrasound in addition to the mammogram. Also not fun, I promise. Mine is coming up too -- in March, I think.

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