Mammograms
Hello! I know I haven’t posted in awhile, but I thought my mammogram experience was something useful to share, especially for women coming over from the US. Going forward, I think I’m going to post when something happens that seems legitimately helpful, not once a week simply because I must post on a regular schedule. That doesn’t make much sense anymore. Anyway, I hope this is beneficial information and a gentle reminder to not procrastinate and get a mammogram scheduled.
Shortly after I turned 40 (which happened during a covid lockdown) I got a call from my GP for a quick health check. One of the things we talked about was getting a mammogram. I said I would take the referral, and we both agreed that it wasn’t something pressing, but it was probably a good idea to do it given my family history. In the craziness that was 2020-2022, I never followed through on the mammogram, but I did do a little research on what to expect in New Zealand:
From the ages of 45-69, women are eligible for a free mammogram every two years, assuming they haven’t had breast cancer. There are clinics throughout the country as well as some mobile units that travel around to neighbourhoods. The mammograms are free and results take three weeks or less. If any follow ups are needed, the additional imaging, ultrasound, and/or biopsy is also free.
Fast forward to 2023. I’m now 41 and my doctor once again brings up the idea of getting a mammogram. This time I don’t have the “we’re in a lockdown” excuse, so I called a conveniently located satellite clinic of one of the main private radiology providers, Astra Radiology. Since I wasn’t yet 45, I needed to go private. I was able to book an appointment two days later and found out that my Southern Cross health insurance included mammogram coverage.
When I arrived, I was given the usual assorted forms to fill out and was given a choice between a digital mammogram (fully covered by Southern Cross) or a digital breast tomosynthesis (which would be an additional NZ$115 beyond what Southern Cross would cover). It felt a little sales-pitchy, but I decided to go with the fancier option after speaking with the technician about the differences. It was a very quick process, and I was in and out of the radiology office in about twenty minutes. Since this was a satellite clinic, they send all of the imaging to the main office in Greenlane for review. And so I went on my merry way, thinking that was the end of my mammogram experience for at least another year or two.
Until the next morning when I got a call from the radiologist at the main center saying I needed to come back in for my images and was I available that afternoon? To say that I freaked out was an understatement. Who gets called back that quickly? Unfortunately, I couldn’t come in at the time they had available, but I was free the next morning. I tried really hard to keep it together, but I was definitely nervous the next morning when I drove over to the main clinic in Greenlane.
Within minutes of arriving, I was taken to the exam room and put through another round of imaging. Then I was sent to an ultrasound room for more. While in there, the radiologist I had spoken to the day before came in to check out the images, and told me on the spot that everything looked ok and I could breathe again. I was out the door forty-five minutes after walking in with a clean bill of health, instructions to schedule annual tomosynthesis exams, and no additional bills to pay.
Throughout this experience, I was pleasantly surprised how smoothly and efficiently everything ran. My one experience with mammograms in the US included a several week wait for an appointment, US$495 out of pocket, and a nerve-wracking wait for results. The Kiwi process felt much less stressful - despite the callback - and I felt much less like a cog in a money-making machine.
