Carole Aydell, R.T. (R) (M) Edited by Tara Mullee
Carole Aydell, throughout her career as a mammographer, has heard countless excuses for why women refuse to get mammograms. The misinformation, rumors, fear, and denial she witnessed with her patients inspired her to write this book.
In Baring Your Breast, the author reveals the truth about mammograms: They are a life-saving tool that, if approached properly by both medical professionals and patients, are nothing to fear. Rather, they are one of the key ways to ensure the early detection of breast cancer—and breast cancer is curable if you catch it early enough.
This book was a labor of love for the author, who hopes only to motivate readers to be vigilant and proactive in maintaining the health of their breasts. Both women and men, from teenagers to adults, will find the information in this book helpful in explaining how to detect breast cancer early and how to ensure their mammograms are positive experiences.
Carole Aydell graduated from radiology school in 1987 and has worked as a mammographer for more than two decades. She taught the basics of radiology to fourth-year students at the Louisiana State School of Veterinary Medicine for three years, and worked in the area of emergency room trauma for five years. She also spent four months training at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Ms. Aydell’s experience in these fields has helped her relate to those who fear breast cancer and the technology that enables us to detect it. She has traveled to many cities working as a mammographer and educating women and men about mammograms, with the goal of creating a more positive reputation for this life-saving process.
It is Ms. Aydell’s hope that after reading this book, you will share the knowledge you’ve gained, as well as encourage—not discourage—your friends, family, and even strangers to get a mammogram.
YOU could save a life.
Questions and comments are welcome. You can reach the author at caydell@yahoo.com.
Introduction
Over the years, my patients have encouraged me to write a book that would change women's negative attitudes toward mammograms.
So many women misunderstand this life-saving process. My book is for all you who have had extremely painful mammograms and for all the women who are afraid of having their first one. This is not a procedure you should fear. We, as women, should be appreciative that we have the technology today to detect breast cancer at such an early stage.
After you're finished reading, I hope you'll have a better understanding of four interrelated issues: Why mammograms should not be painful and what to do about it if they are; the importance of breast self-exams; how we can drastically reduce the number of women we lose each year to breast cancer; and why early detection is your only protection.
By sharing this information with you, I hope you will realize you are not alone in your fear of mammograms. Learning about the mammogram process will help eliminate your fear and show you that it's a simple procedure that has suffered from a bad reputation.
The National Cancer Institute says one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. More than 40,000 women will die of the disease this year in the United States alone. It is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in American women.
You should encourage, not discourage, those you care about to get yearly mammograms and clinical exams, and to perform breast self-exams every month. By spreading the word to friends, co-workers, mothers, daughters, and sisters—and even men, who are also at risk for the disease—you can help save their lives.
