Myth #2: Mammograms can only help and not harm.
Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 16:59 Let me make a note here: I’ve watched in dismay and horror as far too many women have allowed themselves to be frightened by one mammogram into a biopsy - and sometimes a surgical, invasive biopsy at that - or even a mastectomy on the basis of just one damn mammogram! It’s wrong.
Mammograms can be inaccurate or misinterpreted. Not all mammograms are created equally. The machines might be state of the art, but the technician might not be. Taking a good mammogram is equal parts art, science and experience. The same can be said of the radiologist reading them. If the radiologist is looking at broken bones and gall bladders as often as breast mammography, there may not be the critical level of experience you need before deciding a course of action.
A second or third mammogram, or ultrasound may be required. Even an MRI may be needed. And you should seriously consider getting them at a different facility and read by a radiologist that does only breast mammography. Think there’s nobody like that? Think again.