excessive breast pain after mammogram

I just had a mammogram today to rule out a lump... The tech did some shots, then switched to some small paddles... SHE hurt me SO badly and I told her that it really hurt...she said yeah that the smaller paddles smash the breast thinner and that they hurt more. Needless to say I about died by the time she was done and I was in a lot of pain. Upon getting dressed I realized that my skin had been torn underneath my breast and was just about to start bleeding. I went out and talked with them and they said Yeah it happens sometimes.... They didn't really care!!!! WOW So now I am left with a 4 inch long injury that may take up to a month to heal and they think I should just be ok with this!???? I went to work and my bra was rubbing on it... I had to leave work, get some neosporin and bandages, go home and dress the injury. Has anyone else had this happen to them??? I have had many mammograms and now I left to wonder if I will ever have another one! Wasn't worth being in this kind of pain, feels like I was sliced with a knife under my breast. Do they really need to rip a woman's breast off of her body to tell her if she has cancer or not? 

Thanks mammo tech for contributing. Can you give me any leads to research about my problem? I'd nursed young mums dying of fungating breast cancer, so endured regular painful mammograms from age 24 as my dense, fibrocystic breasts were considered 'at-risk'. With motherhood I had mastitis 6 weekly over a decade. A year after I weaned my youngest she booted me in the breast. Six weeks later I was still in excruciating pain & was sent for mammogram. By the 15th compression I was begging to be released. Tech ridiculed me. Cyst ruptured. I fainted and 78 kilograms of me dangled from left breast in machine. They did an ultrasound. It soothed. "Mastitis" I mumbled. Groggily I left on bus; collapsed inside my door. My kids, aged 3-9, opened sofa bed and heaved me in. My rigours & delirium lasted a week. (We were in hiding having just escaped DV). The kids fended for themselves until Grandma found us. "I'm calling an ambulance. You must be hospitalised!" "No! Kids will be in danger!" My ex was a senior professional. He had money, power and credibility. (I did not). Aggrieved, he'd stop at nothing to get full custody. He'd already manipulated marriage-guidance counsellors and GPs to say that I was an unfit mother. The truth is that I had given up my career as a nurse as it was no longer safe to leave kids alone with him. I was worn out. My father, having studied law, had seen men like him get away with their threats and allegations. So he convinced Mum to, "Let her be". Neither Dad or I comprehended then how urgent IV antibiotics were. I stayed. Thus my health was shattered. But my kids were saved from their Dad's explosions until he addressed his PTSD. (he eventually became a good dad!) The acute illness left me bedridden for months. It turned into 3 years of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) . The latest episode has lasted 4 years. My immune system is shot. I am bedridden with infections every two to three weeks. I had to give up work completely. When I gave feedback to the breast clinic they denied any link between mastitis, mammograms, cyst rupture and chronic illness. I think I'll be waiting for my eldest, now 21, to complete his medical degree before anyone will attempt a PHD on it. I'd really appreciate any advice that you can give. Thanks, Jo from Australia

I have had a very scary experieince since having my second mamogram. For at least a month after, I felt not only pain and discomfort from the prodedure, but also as if my breast were sunburned. A year later, I still experieince this sensation during ovulation. Their shape is also very different, and my breasts seem painful for days during various times of the month.

I agree that something needs to be done. We are not told of the risks involved. After being burnt, i have found out a lot of information about the dangers of mammograms, including that they could ' cause cancer'
The reason they will not accept that they are dangerous is because the hospitals already have them and to replace them with more modern safer methods would be too costly. ' At the cost of human lives?'
Information should be more forthcoming, and research done as to why this is happening to so many women and not just swept under the table saying ' it saves lives??
When mammograms have given pain, burns etc. there is no support from the medical profession as to how to deal with managing the condition, in my case i was very badly burnt and they said ' put a dressing on it?'
A mammogram is radiation exposure, one mammogram is equal to 5 chest X-Rays, they say it is a low dose and if one is done then it may cause no harm, in my case i had 7? - equal then to 35 X-Rays.

I had my first yesterday not so much pain in my breasts but when she pulled my breast it ripped underneath leaving me with a sore along the crease underneath.....

I'm so glad I found this site. I'm so sorry to hear the pain and suffering all of you have gone through. I'm grateful that my issues aren't anywhere near as severe. I'm 31. I had my first mammo in 2011. I was prompted by a noticeable lump in my breasts that I had for a while and was painful. I wasn't necessarily worried about cancer, I just wanted to know what it was. Everyone said I shouldn't get a mammo because I was too young but because I have history of breast cancer in my family, including my mother, and because I know some in their 20s have developed it, even though it's rare, they gave me the scripts for it. I read up on everything a bit and decided I wanted an ultrasound instead. They refused to do an ultrasound without doing a mammo first. I remembered reading about that being the case sometimes but still to this day haven't had anyone explain why I couldn't have one without the other. Anyway, the mammo itself wasn't that bad. It was uncomfortable but I have a high threshold for pain. My breasts are 38c/36d depending on the bra. I remember the tech saying that my lump isn't cancer because cancer doesn't hurt. And she'd say maybe the lump is a result of too much caffeine. I don't know why that would be but I told her I don't consume caffeine so it isn't that. She said maybe it's just hormones. After she was done, I guess she went to show the radiologist/doctor and they asked for more pics. Then I got an ultrasound. They kept repeating that my lump isn't cancer because cancer doesn't hurt. I said that I was more concerned about what the lump IS than what it isn't. After all, wouldn't you be if a hard huge lump just appeared in your breast and as painful as hell? The girl doing my ultrasound asked where the lump was. I told it where and that it wasn't hard to miss. If I lie on my side, you can see it, see where the skin is raised, you don't even need to feel for it. She ran the machine over the area and said, "Wow yeah it feels like a golf ball in there or something". You could see it go up and down as she ran over it and I could feel it, that the lump was solid. She showed the images and was asked to take more. They kept telling me not to worry. I said I wasn't worried, I just wanted to know what it was. After all of that, they kept saying they weren't going to bother with the lump, it was normal tissue. I asked how it could be normal when it wasn't like that before. They said it's not cancer. It might just be hormones. But they asked me to come back again in six months because they found something in that breast that was probably nothing. I thankfully wasn't in any pain after the mammo but noticed that my breasts felt less full, more floppy, and seemed lower but figured it was my imagination. They seemed to firm up again so I thought hmm, maybe that was just temporary. I got the second mammo and they told me again that they wanted me to come back again just in case. They still wouldn't give me any info on the lump other than that it was normal tissue that maybe went through a hormonal change. The thing I was getting the mammo for was a little something under my armpit area. I again thankfully wasn't in pain after the procedure but noticed again that my breasts seemed really deflated only this time, they never bounced back and it did seem that now, I was starting to get random shooting pains in my breasts more frequently but for the most part, something just didn't feel right. My breasts didn't feel "the same". I just went with my gut and with what my body was telling me, that it didn't want a third mammo. I said you know what, give me a needle biopsy instead. Then you can know for a fact whatever this thing is you're seeing instead of trying t make me come here over and over again getting mammos "just in case". They finally agreed and did the biopsy which wasn't a big deal again because I have a high threshold for pain. When they were going to put in the titanium marker, I asked if it was necessary and they wouldn't even entertain not putting it in there unless I had some kind of "religious reason or something" why I didn't want them putting the marker in there. I let them put it in. I was happy to be done with it figuring the biopsy results will tell them one way or another and I could skip the mammos but after the biopsy came back showing negative for anything suspicious or cancerous, they said they still wanted me to come back in six months for another mammogram. I chose not to. The reason I got the biopsy was so another mammo to "figure out what it is" wouldn't be necessary. Now they say it proves it's nothing, why do I still need another mammo? I was starting to feel like once you jump on the mammo train, they want you to just keep coming and coming and coming. I asked why if nothing is wrong and they said just to monitor, it's up to me. Well, you can keep your "just to monitor" to yourself if needless radiation and deflation is involved. I noticed the area of the biopsy itched for a couple of weeks to months but that was no big deal. My breasts never regained their fullness. That second mammogram was it. They turned into flapjacks compared to what they were before getting the mammos. I know breast health is important so I do plan on getting a checkup again in my life but after researching, I decided a mammogram isn't gonna be on the menu. I'm very lucky to not have the pain problems you guys are having but still sucks to be so young and have my full perky breasts turned into wrinkled bags overnight. It's been nice to have someone else say they noticed the change as well instead of being told it's in my mind because mammos "can't do that". As for my lump, I'm still trying to research on my own what may be causing it because doctors have been no help. My OBGYN said the same thing about it. Dismissed it as "oh it's probably just something hormonal or hey, maybe if you drink a lot of coffee, stop". No one seems to take it seriously "because it's not cancer" and apparently if it's not cancer it doesn't matter what it is to these people.

Hello everyone. I just had my first mamo this week due to someting i felt durring my monthy self check. That being said the dr said he didnt see anything and everything looks good. However two days later my left breast (the one that they were looking in to) is soar under neither it I have some slight brusing and a burning senation from my bra or when i lay down at night on my stomach( have to sleep on my side do to burning sentation. My question to all of you how long does this burning last? any idear how i can lesson the effects?

For all you suffering from TMI (Traumatic Mammogram Injury), here's some comfort I found.  My last mammogram was in February, 2013, I'm finally healing, but my breasts will never be the same.

I first bought a product called Sisley Phyto-Buste (a cream, expensive, but seems to help), sport bras from Title Nine or Moving Comfort called the 2-in-1 bra.  They cover the enter breast and go up higher providing compression and support.  The mammogram caused me to swell and experience pain above my breasts so this worked out well.  I also learned that Vitamin E, Vitamin D, flax oil and Evening primrose oil and Aleve seem to help.   I take all of them along with collagen.  Collagen repairs tissue, so I bought that as well because my breast tissue was damaged, contrary to the Healthcare providers belief.  None of them is going to admit the mammogram does damage, but we know better!!!  Prayer and holy water helped as well.

So here I am, I spent over $500 trying to remedy this TMI syndrome.  Why hasn't someone invented something other than a mammogram?  I will never get another one.  I even had to be put on prednisone (that didn't help, however) and anti-anxiety medicine to calm me since I was so pissed at myself for getting another mammogram after having this problem 2 times prior, in 2004 and 2008.    I originally thought I just had a bad technician, but now I know it's the mammogram itself and they are very risky.  From now on I will get an MRI, I think I have my doc convinced I should never get another mammogram.  I think he is tired of me calling him and has run out of ideas to help me. 

I hope you all feel better and this advice has helped.  The biggest advice however is DO NOT GET A MAMMOGRAM!!!

 

I am 52 and perimenopausal. I"ve had cystic C - D cup breasts my whole life and get very sore and full before my periods. I went, recently for a mammogram and it was so painful I begged to be released and then nearly threw up from the pain. My breasts were bruised and swollen and are still swollen and extremely tender three weeks (!) later!The technicians apologized like crazy but honestly it didn't matter since they would not release me even when I told them I was about to throw up. My neck was also injured because of an odd position they held me in.

I will NEVER go through this again. I'd had mommos before, mind you, and they hurt and made me miserable, but this time it was just brutal.The unmitigated swelling has caused me some worry now, which is why I looked up this topic.

I had a horrible gynecologist. His name is Blumenthal. He ordered a mammogram and told me to do it while menstruating. The technician was horrible too. She des-figured me. I complained to him. His reason for demanding it during my period was his vacation schedule.
Now I am des-figured. I entered with round healthy breast, nowI have extreme pain and flat uneven hanging and uneven shaped breast. The second set of mammogram made a hole in the middle of my breast. The pain does not go away. I can not sleep without bra it hurts so much. It was two months ago and I can not stay without strong dossis of painkilles. It is unbearable. I was called to repeat the mammogram on one breast. Both were des-figure. But that now hangs one inch lower than the other. Also the breasts exploded with the mammograms. There was blood under the skin of my breats. I could not even sleep for two weeks and had to stay with ice pads all the time for more than one month. My new Gynecologist is a woman angel. She sent me to physical therapy for my breast. but the Therapist said that my breasts were so damaged that they will not be the same and it will take months to recover from the pain. I will never do a mammogram again. That jock of a doctor for sure did a lot of money with me for his vacation. The mammogram was invented in 1913. One century later and we are not offered a less invasive non painful technique. The medical system wants to milk us from money. Write to your congress people to complain about this technique. And what are they doing with their pink ribbon campaign? One century later and no cure?
I do not believe this. Did you realize that you can not find drinks sold in glass bottles? Plastic bottles are one of the main sources of cancer causing dioxinas. And you can not find a drink in glass bottle? Only plastic that causes cancer. This is not an accident. Become proactive. Demand the ban on plastic bottles, one main cause of breast cancer. Stop donating to pink ribbon. Demand the medical system to be proactive about the role of plastic in breast cancer.

women have to stick together !! and with that thought, i share my mammo experience/ torture in case it might help someone else. firstly, makes a big difference if you have so-called "dense" breast tissue or not. i do. about half of all women do. this condition means that a mammo is NOT helpful...... the dense tissue causes a very poor picture to turn out when the x-ray is done. meaning: even if you HAD cancer, the dense tissue will mask that fact on the x-ray pic. the only helpful diagnostic tool that i know of is the ultrasound. i'll be going for one right away. so i needlessly ended up getting the mammo and it caused terrific pain. of course, it did not provide a good or clear picture, so now i need the ultrasound. the initial problem seems to be that i have a papilloma which is a benign growth that can cause breast discomfort/pain. i was feeling reasonably well UNTIL i had the mammogram. who designed this medieval torture? i will NEVER get another one in my life -- and i don't care if that plan kills me --- THAT's how bad this test was for me, how maiming and painful and traumatic. the first go round, i went to my local hospital, the tech cranked down on my girls soooo hard, it was literally torture. she was cold and very insensitive. after a couple of squeezings, i told her to get away from me and i left. she tried soo hard to get me to come back, you'd think she got a commission on each test or that she's some kind of sadist. WTF? i then went to an imaging center and they were better -- hurt me less, but it was still miserable. the wind up? a condition that i could have lived with is now scaring the life out of me. they crushed my breast and must have damaged the benign papilloma growth. now i get terrifying pains and i'm worried that i'll die of some kind of creeping crud. i feel like suing them. who can say that they didn't CAUSE some kind of disease by crushing my breast so badly? there's something terribly wrong with women's health care in this world. can you imagine MEN sitting still for this treatment? NO. they'd insist that a more humane test be invented. until they get one, i am DONE.

I wish i had found this site before i had my mammograms, like you madammoose, i do believe that the mammograms have started something off in my breast.   They insisted i had a steriotactic biopsy, saying that my mammogram had picked up ' calcifications'

I did have this biopsy - done again with a mammogram,  only because they put the fear of god in me that i had cancer,   they could'nt get anything and so did it again, this resulted in 18 biopsy samples, with the result coming back as ' abnormal' but not definate.  Their conclusion??  we will give you a mastectomy, just in case.  How many women have had needless operations on the results of mammogram findings, especially when there are no lumps or other indications? 

The only conclusion i can come up with is that it is down to how much money the hospital gets for each operation.

Before this started i was fit, healthy and still consider i am, except that now my nipple is swollen because of the force of the mammograms and because of the steriotactic biopsy i now have a hard area where they punctured my breast. so i do not know if the mammograms have caused those 'abnormal' cells to now become cancerous.  They say that stress causes cancer, the mammograms i have had over the past 3 months, the question now is, i have to decide whether to have the operation or not?

My breathing is now not too good and they still cannot or will not come up with any explanation as to why my breast was badly burnt after 7 mammograms in one session.

All you get all of the time is ' mammograms are safe'  WRONG.  They say that mammograms saves lives, yes, but they could also cause cancer as been proved if you do some research on the internet. 

When will they admit that these mammogram machines are outdated, dangerous, give false/positive results and radiologists are human and do make mistakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Say what you want but Im not ever going to do that to myself again either. Had my first one today and my right breast has blasts of pain run through it and I feel horrible. I cant imagine squeezing something that bad is healthy at all plus the radiation cant help either. I've had several friends that ended up with breast cancer that never showed up on a mammogram so why put myself through it.

Please do not encourage others not to get a mammography. I am 42 and got had my first and it came back abnormal and I know am going in for a stereotactic biopsy. 4 out of 5 come back cancer free, but if it is cancer, it is early enough to treat it. Going on a chat room about mammographies and dismissing breast cancer saying you would rather die is thoughtless and selfish. Walk a day in someone's shoes who is suffering from breast cancer and you may change your tune.

My daughter was also injured by an incompetent, over=zealous or masochistic technician. have you found support or a lawyer yet. In Victoria B,C a woman won her suit against the technician