Ouch

Had my first ever mammogram over five hours ago and I'm still sore. :(

This despite the fact that I followed some advice that I had read online and had taken a dose of Advil around an hour before getting the scan.

Thankfully, it was a short procedure, and you get immediate pain relief after the machine releases you from its hold. It's just really painful while you're clamped down and the machine is taking the scan. I had to dig my fingernails into my palms and take deep breaths just to keep myself distracted.

After going through all that, however, the doctor tells me that the x-ray is inconclusive because there's too much dense tissue... and that I need to have an ultrasound done as a follow-up procedure. Arrgh. All that pain for no apparent gain. NOT AT ALL FUN!