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HerScan is a breast cancer screening service using ultrasound. I found out about Herscan from a friend who is an RN and decided to book an appointment.

I had just turned 40 and my nurse practitioner left the medical office that I had been going to for the past couple of years. This is the 3rd nurse practioner in the past 4 years who have left the area. Instead of waiting around or calling around to schedule a check up that might take months for an availability, I figured I'd go ahead and schedule this breast ultrasound myself for $285 at HerScan (might cost more over time) . They were coming to Goleta (Santa Barbara area) and I didn't mind making that 1.5 hour drive for peace of mind. It also gave me an opportunity to have a "me" day and find a nice lunch spot somewhere close by.

HerScan does not take health insurance, which is something to consider. I've never had a mammogram before but I heard the compression from it is painful and if they notice a lump, they'd have you schedule an ultrasound anyway. I was no where near meeting my deductible and a breast ultrasound normally costs more than a thousand dollars, even with insurance unless you've met your deductible. This is what I heard from a friend. You should check your insurance coverage to make sure what it covers and doesn't cover.

Booking my HerScan Appointment

To book my time with HerScan, I went on the HerScan website and chose the closest location to me, which in this case was Santa Barbara, Goleta to be exact. I saw that they were going to have it at a hotel's meeting room less than a month away. I selected the time I wanted and then was hoping for an email confirmation but did not receive one that day. I figured I did it right because when I went back to the reservation page, the time I had selected was no longer available since I had taken it already.

About a week before my ultrasound date with HerScan, I received a reminder email and then a text as well! I responded to the text that asked me to confirm my time and I replied 'YES'. I was getting excited. A couple of days later, they sent me an update text telling me that they changed the venue from a Hilton Garden Inn to The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta. I was fine with that! The pictures of the new venue looked nice online.

Ultrasound Day

When it was the day of the ultrasound, I dropped my kids off at school and then made a drive to Goleta right away to ensure that I get there on time. I arrived 45 minutes early but I popped into the HerScan room really quickly to tell them I've made it and to make sure that I was at the right place. The technician marked my name from her list and asked me to wait in the lobby. She'd find me when it's my turn. There were a few appointments before mine. I realized I had some digital forms to fill out so I sat down in the lobby and clicked on the link from my text where HerScan sent me to fill out a couple of authorization forms. After I was done with that, I went to the restroom in the lobby. It was a nice restroom with many stalls. After I was done, I sat back down in the lobby and played some rounds of Royal Match until it was my turn.

The ultrasound technician called each name out in the lobby. When it was my turn, she realized she had been running 15 minutes, which I didn't mind because I didn't have any where I had to be within the next hour. However, she was very sweet about it and apologized to me.

While the lady before me was putting her clothes back on behind the curtains, the technician explained the process and said she could't let me know the results today but that a radiologist will look at my ultrasound and send me my results within 10 business days. I understood and then she asked me to pay. I paid by credit card and when the lady was done dressing, the technician sanitized and cleaned the room. Then, she alerted me minutes later to tell me that the room was ready. I only had to take everything from the waist up off.

She put warm gel on the ultrasound tool and started on my right breast and then to my left. I felt that she spent extra time on the left breast. I hope she didn't find a lump and I remembered that she couldn't discuss her findings or results that day and only a radiologist can have the authority to do that; and that the results will be emailed to me. So, I kept those thoughts to myself as I'm sure she doesn't want to have to repeat herself.

After all of that was done, she stepped out and let me put my clothes back on. When I was done, I said 'thank you' and that was it! It was a very easy and stress free process.

I'm sure HerScan changes the venue periodically but I enjoyed hanging out at The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta, where I had my Breast Ultrasound Screening done by HerScan.

I had lunch at a nearby pho restaurant and took some to-go food home for later. I even stopped in at Macy's on the way home for a quick look before returning home in time to pick my kids up from school. It was a good "me" day.

This blog post was not sponsored by HerScan or The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta Hotel. I'm just writing my review as an awareness to help other females navigate through life and life's hurdles.

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