Interview 35

Age at interview: 82

Age at diagnosis: 60

Brief Outline:

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979. Underwent a mastectomy and was given radiotherapy and Tamoxifen.

Suggests various reasons why the incidence of breast cancer appears to be increasing.

Today well we've got the better facilities for finding out.

People are more aware.

Also the fact, and I think this is a big factor, people are living a lot longer.

Also I wonder, they say not but I wonder, was it, is it sixties, seventies, they went mad with all these chemicals on the land.
 

Explains that she did not want breast reconstruction because it involves using other areas of the body.

Also, although I didn't have a choice, I wouldn't have had any implants or reconstruction because of my age then.

I've got a stable marriage and that was it. I can cope with the prosthesis.

But I will say this, anybody that's young and got a young husband and all that, I think it is more traumatic for them than it is, than it was for me.

Also we, sex and that sort of thing is out in the open now a lot more. We weren't brought up like that and that's a big, big difference.
 

Considers her withdrawal symptoms after completing hormone therapy.

So consequently I've been on these tamoxifen until January and that.

But since then the, my GP doesn't think so because I went back to him, but I personally think so, being on them for so long and stopping them like that I've had withdrawal symptoms a bit.

So I'll get, I've been getting hot flushes a bit. Not too bad but I'll have them again and that sort of thing.