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Friday, February 17, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Mammogram abnormalities usually prove not cancerous DEAR DOC- TOR K: I just scheduled my first mammogram. What can I expect during the proce- dure? DEAR READ- ER: Unfortunate- ly, I can't tell you from personal experience. I know what every doctor knows, but only a person who has undergone a medical procedure first- hand really knows what it's like. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breasts, to look for breast cancer. Mammograms can identi- fy breast cancer at a very early stage when it is most easily treated and is not life-threatening. Mammo- grams can also help clari- fy whether a suspicious breast lump is cancerous or not. Mammography is quick and generally pain- less. It usually takes less than 30 minutes. On the day of your mammogram, avoid using deodorants, lotions or other products on your breasts or under your arms. These products may be mistaken for signs of breast disease on the mammogram. When you arrive at the X-ray facility, you will need to remove your clothing from the waist up. You will be given a hospital gown to wear during the test. Each of your breasts is X-rayed separately. You are asked to hold your breath for a few seconds while each X-ray is taken. When you breathe, your chest moves, and that moves your breasts. Movement of the breasts blurs the X-ray picture. For some X-ray views, your breast is compressed briefly between two plas- tic plates. This is some- what uncomfortable, and many of my patients tell me these plates feel very cold. But the test should not be painful. Compress- ing the breast spreads out the breast tissue. It pro- vides a clearer image of the thicker areas of your breast. If you have breast implants, tell the X-ray Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. technician. Breast implants affect the way your mam- mogram is per- formed and ana- lyzed. Don't be alarmed if some- thing on your mammogram requires addi- tional testing. This is not unusual, and most abnor- malities are not cancer- ous. In fact, around 90 percent of the abnormali- ties seen on mammo- grams turn out not to be cancer. This is called a "false positive" result. That means that regular mammograms produce a period of what proves to be unnecessary worry in nine women for every one woman in whom the mammogram spots a true cancer. Doctors are working hard to improve mammograms, or to find other tests that are more accurate. Most testing facilities will immediately take dif- ferent, larger images of the area in question. Sometimes a doctor may order a fine-needle biopsy of the suspicious spot. Breast cells will be removed with a needle and sent to a laboratory to determine if they are can- cerous. After your mammo- gram, you can get dressed and return to your normal activities. These days, the radiologists at many mammogram facilities tell you pretty quickly what the result shows. In some communities, the radiolo- gist reports the result to your primary care doctor, who then lets you know the result. If you don't get a report from the people who did the mammogram, check with your doctor for your test results after a few days. Mammograms are like some other medical tests: not entirely pleasant, but really important for your health. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Insistent in-laws instigate irritation Dear Annie: I have two daughters, ages 5 and 2. My in-laws favor the older girl. They buy her more pre- sents, give her more money and pay way more attention to her than to her sister. They almost seem obsessed with her. As soon as she walks in the door, they grab her and make her sit next to them on the sofa for the entire visit. If they give my children gifts when we are at some- one else's house, they become annoyed if I make the girls say hello to our hosts before they are permit- ted to play with their new toys. I feel it is only polite. We recently visited with them three times over a six-week period. We drove three hours to see them twice, and the third time, they came to us. My mother-in-law then became angry because I refused to visit again two weeks later. Both of my daughters get carsick, and they have to take medication in order not to throw up. My husband does not like to make waves, so he is of little help with this. I am not sure how much to say without ruining our relation- ship. — Annoyed in Atlanta Dear Atlanta: This is an issue of boundaries. Unless you are firm about them, your in-laws will keep pushing. The trick is to remain polite and sweet while you are say- ing no. ("We'd love to visit again, Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar but the girls get so sick when they travel that we don't want them to associate nau- sea with Grandma and Grandpa. Maybe we can try again next month.'') Mean- while, the Internet and the current crop of smartphones will allow the in-laws to see and speak to the girls often. You might even set up a time for a daily cyber visit. But please bring the bla- tant favoritism to their atten- tion before your younger child is old enough to notice. Tell them it is damaging the relationship they have with both girls (as well as their parents). Dear Annie: My wife and I are nearly 80 years old, and we are ill prepared for our future. We have no children, own no home or car, have no savings account or life insur- ance, and struggle from month to month just to survive. What can we do to make mini- mal preparations for our inevitable demise? It would be nice to have a memorial service, but that costs money. Even cremation costs more than what we have. I believe Social Security provides $250, which might get the match lit, but that's about all. As a Navy vet, I can be buried at a national cemetery, but there is no provision for my wife. Can you sug- gest any alternatives? — Hanging Loose in California. Dear California: First check with your local churches, funeral homes and the coroner's office. There are often discounts available if you ask. But also research donat- ing your body to a medical school. Some places will transport the body at no cost to you. As for a memori- al service, there is no reason to use a funeral home. You or your friends can arrange something at someone's home, church or nearby park. Dear Annie: This is in response to ''Confused in Connecticut.'' I, too, was an overweight child. I was bullied, ridiculed and laughed at. When I reached high school, the kids finally left me alone, but no boy would consider dating me. Then I graduated and realized that the grownup world is different. There are still some people who like to be cruel, but it gets a lot better. I found good friends and men who love some chunkiness on a woman. I am now very happily married with two wonderful children, and I look back on my high school days and laugh. Gaze in the mirror every morning and find that beauty in you, and don't let anyone take it away. — Lucky in Lubbock Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Free leads lead contractors to empty wallets SACRAMENTO — Better Business Bureau of Northeast California is urg- ing contractors to beware of telephone solicitations and online postings offer- ing free job leads. Over the past two weeks, BBB received over 60 inquiries about All Crews Now, a company reportedly based out of Sacramento, but whose website is almost exactly the same as three other Cal- ifornia companies: Con- tractor Support Manage- ment, Construction Crews and Commercial Crews. Two pending complaints against All Crews Now mirror the 119 complaints filed against Contractor Support Management. Contractors who com- plained allege the compa- nies call offering free job leads for bank owned prop- erties in need of construc- tion work in their area. All they have to do, the Bidwell Mansion fundraiser set in Chico The Las Senoras, tge official hostesses for the city of Chico and Annie K. Bid- well, Parlor 168, Native Daughters of the Golden west are co-sponsoring a "Save the Bidwell Mansion" Bunco Fundraiser on Saturday, March 10 at 1 pm. This unique and fundraising event will be held at the Casa de Flores Mobile Home Park, clubhouse. The Mobile Home Park is located at 701 East Lassen, Chico, between Esplanade and Cohasset. The cost is $10 per person. Snacks and drinks will be provided. We will have a large selections of items for the raffle. Plan to attend, contact Shar at 354- 3276 or Lorraine at 343-922 for more information or tickets. Tickets will be available at the door. complainants are allegedly told, is pay a $99 fee for a background check. After the fee is paid, complainants claim they receive no usable leads and have difficulty reaching the company. In other cases, con- sumers found the company on a classified advertise- ment website. "I paid for a background check to receive leads on bank owned properties," said a Red Bluff contractor who did business with Contractor Support Man- agement. "I never received any leads. I want them to refund my money for not providing the service they sold me." All Crews Now pro- vides a Sacramento address on its website. Mail sent to this address was returned. In its privacy policy, however, a San Jose address is listed. That address also appears on the websites for Construction Crews and Commercial Crews. The website for Con- tractor Support Manage- ment is not currently avail- able. The websites for the companies display the same images, text and testi- monials. "Upfront fees are always a red flag," said Gary Almond, president of BBB serving Northeast California. "Consumers should thoroughly research a business's background when fees precede ser- vices." BBB offers the follow- ing advice for companies seeking business leads: • Ask for references and contact them. • Read contracts care- fully. Promised results should be included in the contract. • If a guarantee is offered, get it in writing. •Be wary of anything using the term "free". • Search for the compa- ny on necal.bbb.org and through other search engines. •Beware of high pres- sure sales tactics. Do not let anyone rush you into mak- ing a decision.