I had an AWESOME second half of my birthday thanks to Juliana and Tom and SA and Consuela.

Then I remembered that I am old and woke up in Atlanta a little after 4:00 am local time.

So now the younguns are off drinking and I am in bed.

I worry that the amount of valium I'll need to take to not freak out while a giant machine flattens some precious portion of my anatomy is also an amount that will make it difficult for me to remain standing during said procedure.

When I had my mammogram, the boob squishie part didn't really hurt. What hurt was the machine pressing on my sternum for one of the views. If you are endowed, it's not as painful, I understand. (maternal history of breast cancer, had to do a baseline at 35)

Perkins, I am cozy in my bed with my new Memory Foam pad, and I am happy to inform the board that Tom and SA are just as adorable as I remember. And Juliana is hot with her new blonde hair, and Perkins looks relaxed and cheerful after a week on the beach.

And if one ever wants to go drinking in SF, Juliana is by far the best person to do that with--she knows Everyone.

Yay for Perkins birthday! I wish I could have made it; alas, budget.
 
I did get all the things done today I intended to, which included Putting Away All The Laundry, which I hate. Well, I didn`t get the socks done because socks are my domestic nemesis. But other than that I did everything, it`s just that it took me until 11:30 to do it. And our band leader is still here doing his laundry, which, okay. But anyway, I am wiped.

My GP discussed mammograms at my exam this year (I'm just 40) and she said that new recommendations are not to have regular mammograms until 50, but it would be good to do a baseline one this year.

This might be a good time to mention that my last mammo (the one that found my still very small cancer) was also my very first mammo, so I am in support of starting at some point. I only did because almost 45 felt like a good time to start.

It also didn't really hurt.

I did my first, and so far only, mammogram at 40. I took an ibuprofen before I went and managed to schedule it at a time in my cycle where my breasts were least sensitive. (Mine get a bit sore during pms.) So with all that the squishing didn't really hurt. I'm also stacked like whoa so that probably helped.

My sister, who is 50, still hasn't had hers. I have to remember to nag her about that.

speaking of stacked, I feel I'm not getting the most out of my chiropractor because I simply cannot lay flat on the bench.

I hope I didn't come off as preachy. There's still a massive amount of med stuff I don't do that I should.

I guess what I am in favor of is having listened to the little voice in my head saying this would be a good time to do this for me.

Perkins, I'm glad you listened, and I'm vibing for you, and the birthday hug you'll get tonight will probably be squishier than a mammo.

Of which I've had one, which completely did not hurt at all, not even a little (and I'm not particularly stacked). I think a lot depends on the tech you have - mine was obviously very experienced and was able to get me in, get all the images she needed, and get me out again in five minutes. There was one weird angle that felt mildly uncomfortable, but for most of it the worst part was looking down and thinking, "My, this looks damn silly."

If you tell them ahead of time that you're nervous and you'd like to be scheduled with an experienced mammo tech who can do it quickly and with minimal discomfort, they should be able to check the tech shift schedule and accommodate you.