It was just 2003 when I lost my mother to what began as breast cancer. She’d been diagnosed in 2001 and went through all the procedures she needed to in order to fight the disease. She lost one breast in the process…but she had her life. However, after an elective surgery to “feel normal” again (she got a breast implant to replace the lost one), her cancer came back-this time metastatic cancer (Metastasis means the spread of cancer. Cancer cells can break away from a primary tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system (the system that produces, stores, and carries the cells that fight infections). That is how cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.).
When the cancer reached her bones and brain, she had to tell us that she was going to die. I remember mentally shutting down, becoming somewhat like a zombie-figuring that if I numbed myself I would feel no pain. However, as I watched my mother die slowly in pain which could only be subdued by endless amounts of Morphine, etc. just to make it day to day…I realized just how important preventative maintenance was. Mom didn’t check back often enough with her doctors due to lack of medical insurance. Being low income cost US her life.
I spoke with AscottJ about this, and he advised that I call Jeffery Williams of Cascade Radiology (he is the contact for media), so I did. I spoke to him about my concerns about cancer awareness. We spoke at great length, even discussing the fact that because my mother died at an early age (early 50′s) I am supposed to have an annual mammogram, but did not do so until the option of having the ultra-sound type of mammogram instead of the standard procedure of having my breasts pressed into a machine became available. The old way was too painful and so I had fears of going through that agony. Fear, however, prevents thousands of women from getting the screenings they need. He directed me to their blog (http://www.cascaderadiology.com/blog/ )
The good news is that times have changed. Advances in radiology have made fear of mammograms a thing of the past! With soft-touch mammograms, digital imagery is used (like an ultra-sound) in 2D or 3D, and the results are even quicker and more accurate! Cascade Radiology Imaging exclusively uses only state of the art Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM). This is similar to conventional mammography in that low dose x-rays are used and the breast is compressed for a few seconds for each image. However, instead of the images of the breast being displayed on x-ray film, the x-rays pass through the breast to a digital receptor and are then displayed on a computer screen. This gives the radiologist the ability to manipulate the images to change the contrast, magnify areas, and directly apply Computer Aided Detection (CAD) software to the image. Because of these options of image manipulation that Full Field Digital Mammography allows, a recent comprehensive study has shown that digital mammography may be more sensitive for detecting breast cancer in dense breast tissue.
As far as the obstacles faced in having low income, this company (and others like it) participate in many state programs which allow low-income people access to medical care-sometimes even at no cost!
