Interview 41
Age at interview: 47
Age at diagnosis: 46
Brief Outline:
Diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2000. Was given chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiotherapy.
More about me...
Explains that she told her son the truth about her illness having experienced something similar...
Text onlyRead below
Explains that she told her son the truth about her illness having experienced something similar...
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
So I thought well, if we're honest and up-front with him he's got it to deal with from day one rather than finding out later and blaming us that we didn't tell him. And he was wonderful.
He just accepted it and you know' "Well we've got to get you well," and helped and did things around the house that he wouldn't have normally done. And he was scared and it was awful to have him look me in the eye and say' "Are you going to die mummy?" And I said' "Yes but not now," you know. Everybody's got to die, nobody gets out of this life alive. It's a fact of life.
So he had to know and I stand by that. I don't think it's done him any harm knowing rather than not knowing.
Explains why people's reactions towards her diagnosis surprised her.
Text onlyRead below
Explains why people's reactions towards her diagnosis surprised her.
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
But the converse is true, people who I wouldn't have dreamed would've even turned a hair were absolutely fantastic, overwhelming, you know. The people where my husband works, I don't even know them, they sent me all sorts of nice stuff.
Neighbours who I hardly know visited, offered to do laundry, offered to do everything you know. It's kind of one extreme to the other.
You know, people who you hardly know are falling over themselves to help and people who you'd expect would've had a kind word or even sent a get well card nothing, you know. So make of that what you will.
And apparently that, with the support group, that's quite common you know. People either run to the hills or they'll be right next to you standing by you.
Describes the benefits she believes she has had from T'ai Chi and green tea.
Text onlyRead below
Describes the benefits she believes she has had from T'ai Chi and green tea.
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
And before I had inflammatory breast cancer I was always covered in psoriasis. Now for anyone who has psoriasis please try green tea because I don't now whether it's the green tea or whatever, but I haven't got any psoriasis at the minute. I'm totally clear as you can see.
I don't know whether it's because I've stopped the coffee and the tea, and having green tea instead.
Explains that she sought out information on the internet and later set up her own website about...
Text onlyRead below
Explains that she sought out information on the internet and later set up her own website about...
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
So I started to research on the internet and I joined a support group called IBC Support.
I learnt as much as I can about inflammatory breast cancer, about how it happens, what mitosis and meiosis is all about, the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer and how to cope with it, the prognosis, the histology of it all, everything.
I've learnt an awful lot. Maybe too much time on my hands, may be not, I don't know but I needed to know. Knowledge is power and I needed to know that what was happening with me was the right thing. It turned out it was.
I've also set up my own website which has gota lot of helpful things on there for people with IBC or breast pain in general, just to rule out that they haven't got IBC.
They can chat live on there. They can post a message to the forum. They can see photographs of other people who are surviving and doing nicely thank you very much. And generally have a lot of information at their fingertips.
Describes some side effects of radiotherapy but has warm memories of the atmosphere in the...
Text onlyRead below
Describes some side effects of radiotherapy but has warm memories of the atmosphere in the...
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
From the radiation?
Yes.
Not that I can think of no, it was fine. In fact it was, it was quite nice because, with going every day, it was a bit of a bind but it got me out of the house. I was meeting different people and I quite missed it when we finished, you know.
There was a lady in the cancer treatment centre who had had breast cancer and she was doing a hooky mat, you know where you poke wool through, and she was making this big wool covering.
And I used to go in and wait for my treatment and just sit and make this mat with her. And it was lovely.
It was very, very supportive. And they were lovely people, the radiographers were lovely.
Explains how breast pain and an itchy nipple led to her diagnosis of breast cancer.
Text onlyRead below
Explains how breast pain and an itchy nipple led to her diagnosis of breast cancer.
HIDE TEXT
PRINT TRANSCRIPT
At the hospital I was given a barrage of tests, needle aspirations which didn't show anything conclusive.Then the next morning the needle aspiration was done again and there was a suspicious reading. I was then scheduled for a biopsy which was done about an hour later, so I got the feeling that there was a bit of panic going on around me.
By this time I should say that my breast was really red, sore and swollen and very, very painful. They did the biopsy, the biopsy was extremely painful. A mammogram, which was very painful, it's painful enough on a good breast but when your breast is invaded with inflammatory disease it was really, really painful.
Waiting for the results of this biopsy was like walking a tightrope to nowhere, it was awful. It was worse than actually facing the doctors with the bad news.