excessive breast pain after mammogram

I recently had a bad experience with a radiology technician too, only that my breast was dragged down my body, instead of up as in your case. I don't think women should avoid having mammograms because of the lunatics, because it is true that mammogram can save lives, and I have had another mammogram before and the technician for that one was good. However, I totally agree with you that "there are demented people in all sorts of occupations".

My doctor didn't really want to hear what happened to me, either. I really just went to her to find out the full extent of my injuries, and in order to explain why I was asking, I thought I had to explain what happened. Perhaps, she was worried that I would get her involved in a complaint process. Or perhaps, she just didn't want to hear bad news? Anyhow, she did try to remain professional. She diagnosed me with chest trauma, but I feel like she was emotionally distracted and did not give me a thorough diagnosis. I could tell in her eyes that she didn't even believe herself when she told me nothing was torn (I'm pretty sure at least the Cooper's ligaments are, if not some chest muscles) and everything will return to 100%.

I don't think going after the individual demented technicians is really the answer. At the end of the day, the medical professions / community would rather band together to avoid embarrassments associated to them in any degree, and new demented technicians will exist. There are a lot of good ones out there. I'm sure the majority of the radiology technicians are actually good, professional people. So, perhaps, it may be better to appeal to them to flush out the bad ones among themselves. Moreover, it is best if we can appeal to them to publish some -guidelines of do's and don'ts practices, such that women will be able to protect themselves from any demented technicians' instructions in the future. If I knew the plates didn't have to be lowered (dragging my breasts down my body) for their new digital machine in order to take an X-ray image, I wouldn't have stayed and incurred all 4 X-rays done in that fashion.

Also, we should push for self-video to be allowed. i.e. Private video by patients' cellphone or something. Why should they refuse, if there is nothing to hide. And, that way, we get to have control of our privacy. I don't know. Just an idea. Maybe I'm naive.

I never had a mammogram and never will.  I came off the breast screening program but had to sign a disclaimer as they are obviously afraid of being sued if the patient develops breast cancer.  Ah, the compensation culture in action if ever there was!

I don't trust mammograms for a few reasons even though I admit they can and do save lives. I have done my homework on mammography and conventional cancer treatments.

But saving lives is not my top priority; quality of life is, and if that involves a good life free of pain and fear but a shorter life then I will take that. 

My mammogram was 4 days ago. Left breast now has significan redness/ tenderness around nipple. I have regular mammograms as i work for an HMO. Redness seems to be increasing. ????

I agree. Tissue damage and inflammation plays a big role in cellular damage..Adding radiation-induced DNA damage turns it into a trifecta. Cancer is your jackpot.

I will never do another mammo. Clearly mammo guidelines are developed to help greedy medical millionaires get richer and convince boob-obsessed members of our society feel they are doing their part to "save their lives". Meanwhile, there is no definitive proof that all in-situ lesions will become invasive. Maybe it sits there for 40 years, never grows, and you drop dead of a heart attack or get hit by a bus.

Widespread screening = $. There is too much money in this machine for wide-spread reform (i.e. radiation-free evaluations) to take hold. Those who have gulped the mammo cool-aide will flame me for saying this.Go ahead. Call me irresponsible. What I call irresponsible is damaging and harming women with lies.

Furthermore...."Save the ta-ta's"? i really hate that stupid sophomoric slogan...probably invented by a 12 y/o to make mammos appear more fun, benign, & cuddly than they really are. But who am I to criticize a lucrative scam like the ta-ta campaign? It implies we have some "responsibility" towards saving our own breasts by subjecting ourselves to these mammogram$. Bunk.

if you have a lump, you probably should go straight to ultrasound and skip the risk and damage of a mammogram. If you don 't have a lump, you probably WILL have one after getting serial mammo damage....then you can come back on forums and say "see! It saved my life! So I wanna tell everyone: Go get a mammogram!"

let the flaming begin....

I just saw this thread today. Thought I was alone. I also had unbearable pain. Now, a month later there's a odd-looking sore and numbness. The tech was a little demeaning towards me. If only she knew I'm an attorney. I'm looking further into this.

I am 40 just had my first mammogram one week ago......although the initial mammogram itself did feel a bit uncomfortable later at night I started to experience pain under my left armpit area..........and my left breast hurt.   I got the dreaded call two days later ...I am needed for more tests........they want to have a few more images on my left breast as they spotted clusters.  They could not schedule me right away so here I sit on pins and needles stressed out. I have a full week to go until the next appointment.  I am scared to death......my mothers aunt had breast cancer.........my arm is now hurting so bad and my left breast is still really sore. I am freaking out....anyone else experience such pain and am I just making myself sick to my stomach with what is normal after mammogram pain?

Well you know how the saying goes! No gain without pain! :-D I too have pain in my breasts/chest after having my 2cnd mammo 2 days ago but when you think about the whole process it does make sense that one would feel a bit achey/sore :-/ it is a bit worrying but we have little choice but to have trust in the medical profession, not blindly ofcourse.
Hope everyone who is suffering pain feels better very soon :-)
sympathetic Sue. :-)

Wow, I had a mamo this past Spring, had to go back for a retake and a sonogram as well. I thought I was going to pass out during that and when they let me go (no findings I may add) I told my husband to get me out of there and take me to get a drink. I recently told my doctor if they could not do any better than this I would not be getting any more of these things. HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY

I am 53 and have had a lot of mammograms over the years. I went to a different lab about 4 years ago and the technician hurt me very badly. I went back the next year but asked for a new tech. She hurt me as well.
It doesn't hurt to lift anything or move my arms but I cant lie on my stomach without having pillows under my sides and head to keep the pressure off.
I went back to the original lab and it was much better. Unfortunately the damage was done and I have to live with the constant pain in my left breast

The title of this topic should be changed to Mammogram Trauma.

I, too, felt assaulted during the mammogram procedure today.  The procedure was excrutiatingly painful.  The technician had to take total of 6 imgages.  Each scan was painful.  I felt traumatized, weak and short of breathe after the 4th one.  The technician was sympathetic, offered water and allowed me to rest but couldn't make the last 2 scans any less painful.  After the scans were completed, my body felt like it just went through a traumatic event and needed to shut down.  The technician and receptionist offered food and rest but I just needed to escape that place ASAP.  Last year was my first mammogram, taken at a different clinic but experience was just as painful and traumatic, even though the technician tried to be sensitive and caring.  The procedure itself is just inhumane.  Until someone invent a better mammogram machine that is not abusive, I've decided not take any more mammogram in the future.

I HAD A MAMMOGRAM FROM HELL YESTERDAY AND MY BREASTS ARE SO SORE! aND THE lADY SAID I M SORRY I DOING THE BEST I CAN!!!! tHEN SHE CALL ME BACK TO DO MY LEFT Breast again! I never want her AGAIN!

I'm having exactly the same experience and have since found out that even if they find cancer your chances of surviving it are slim to say the least. My husband taked me inro going for the mammogram saying 'its a marvelous service. How wrong could he be. The first to appointments they made for me I had to decline but they just kept on going so that in the end I relented and went. I felt I was being bullied into it on two sides. Then the paranoia sets in and you wonder if you must go or your fool. What a mistake. This was my first and my last ever mammo. The nurse was nice enough but the pain was extruciating. And having had two babies on gas and air, I can tell you I know what pain really is. Frankly I'd rather have another baby than go through another mammo. The truth is that its all about government statistics. POLITICS. And money...they've invested in this machinery so now they have to use it, and you can bet your bottom dollar some one is getting rich out of it. Some friend of a politician, probably. My advice...check yourself for lumps regularly. Go to the doctor if theres something wrong but insist on ultasound or thermo. As for me, I'm sitting here in terrible pain that was never there before. I feel my breasts have suffered internal damage, infact I'm sure of it. Remember, it was only two hundred years ago they thought that bleeding people with leeches was sound medical practice. Doctors are people, not gods. And a lot of them get off on the power we often foolisly endow upon them. And for the record, there are many who believe that chemo is bad too. There are better ways...

I had never had pain after a mammogram until about four years ago when they called me in to do a second mammogram. The second one was very painful at the time, and hurt for over a year especially when I took a shower. They also did the ultra sound at the same time and they told me nothing was wrong. I waited four years to go in for another mammogram, mostly because of the pain. I went in a month ago it seemed like a normal mammogram at the time, but now, a month later, my breast still hurts. This mammogram was normal. Reading other posts, I think I will see if the imaging place will do the ultrasound without the mammogram as the pain is unpleasant and worrisome. I really think that squeezing your breast so hard does cause sagging and can hurt some people. My technician was lovely, and I do not feel that she intentionally tried to hurt me, but the discomfort I am now experiencing is not worth it.

Wow so I'm not the only one experiencing pain after a mammogram. I had my third one ever last week and I've had occasional pain ever since. sharp stabbing types of pains. I'm very small and it's not easy to even fit me into that machine. I go to an ND and had a thermogram over  a year ago that showed nothing. A few weeks ago I went for a routine physical and my dr. thought she felt a lump uner my left breast. So of course I freaked out and felt I had no choice but to have the mammogram. Everything was normal, I've never had any problems  with my breastsand now I'm wondering if I'll have permanent pain??? This on top of an already hellish winter. I'm so ticked off...never again! Wondered if others eventually recovered from this barabaric test??

Sounds exactly like my wife. She is always hurting after a mammogram, sometimes for weeks. She also had very tiny breasts. That was one reason I was attracted to her. Now at 70 they are larger for some unknown reason and the mammograms still hurt but not quite as bad.
Apparently they were rather sensitive anyway as she never liked to have me play with them except to lick and suck her nipples.