Smoosh!

I am stuck in the Doldrums of this cycle, the ongoing nothingness of waiting. Sure, I'm trying to maximize everything by taking the appropriate supplements, going to extra yoga classes, trying to get lots of sleep. My to-do list is full of cycle-related things, but they are usually the same every day - vitamin, wheatgrass, exercise.

I did finally get my first mammogram. I've heard that "it's not so bad" compared to the mammograms of the past, but I didn't really know what to expect. I went to a semi-fancy outpatient imaging center instead of a hospital, which automatically made things better since it didn't smell like pee and antiseptic. It was more like a spa, with orchids in the dressing room.

The mammography room itself was very clinical. The machine has an adjustable platform with a motorized control - like a dentist's chair- that the technician positions just at boob level. Then a top plate - also dentisty- comes down and very gently flattens you into a nice boob paillard. It only takes a second and the tech releases the plate from her station the instant the imaging is over, so you don't even have to wait for her to come back and let you out of the contraption. After doing each side in a sort of flattened out birds-eye-view, the tech adjusts the platform to a 45 degree angle and gets a diagonal view, too. That one squishes the chest muscle, squeezing the armpit-adjacent area. But again, it's quick and the release from the remote station should be given some kind of engineering award.

Since it was digital, the technician let me see each image as soon as it came up on screen. Of course, I'm not an expert, but there weren't any areas that looked particularly different from the rest of the image, which I figure is a good thing. The tech actually said that the doctor would send me an all-clear report in a few days, which surprised me since techs usually maintain completely inscrutable attitudes and defer all questions to the doctor. I figure it's pretty safe to assume that all is well, and relief to know that at least my boobs aren't malfunctioning.

Now I can go back to cajoling my other womanly parts into forced compliance.