Keeping abreast of things

Now that I have reached the grand age of 50, I received an invitation from my health fund to have a mammogram. Right!!!!!! This is all I need - a mammogram. I've never had one before but have heard from other women, that it doesn't matter whether you are big or small chested, it hurts like hell as they squash your breasts in-between two plates of metal to take an image/scan. You would have thought with today's technology they'd have come up with a better and less painful test than this. I've got Gaucher and Parkinson's, surely there is no way I could get breast cancer too? What are the odds? The mere thought is just too much to even think about. I really don't want to take this test - and am certainly not interested in having my boobs painfully crushed, only to be told everything is fine. My body is racked with pain daily and goes through enough - I need this test like a hole in the head. Although there are no women with breast cancer in our family medical history, it would be negligent of me to ignore this 'delightful' invitation that was sent in a pretty pink envelope with flowers on it, as if this would make it all the more inviting. So I guess being the good patient, and not wanting to let down the side, I'll phone and make an appointment.