Interview 46

Age at interview: 45

Age at diagnosis: 44

Brief Outline:

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, under went a mastectomy.

Explains her concerns about her husband's reactions to her altered body image.

It wasn't so much losing a breast and being any less of a woman, it was getting rid of the cancer that was the main issue.

But having said all of that when you look down and see a nasty big scar where you used to have a nice breast, it's not nice. And it's something you've got to just get past, you've got to look down. I didn't want to at first, I didn't for the first 3 or 4 days, but eventually I did. I looked down and it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it to be. Although it was bad, I'm not going to flower it up, it was bad but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be.

And coming home and facing my husband with this was a bit of a trauma too because I just didn't know how he would feel, and I didn't know how I would feel if he was disfigured in some kind of way or whatever.

But I just beared up and showed him my scar and he kissed it and kissed me, and we were fine again and it was you know as if it really didn't matter.

Do you want me to talk about sex since I've had my mastectomy?

If you want to.

The first time, it's not easy. It's you know, but keep your bra on and just do it anyway [laughs]. It's still the same, you still feel the same and blah, blah, blah you know. My husband actually has just been, he never ceases to amaze me how marvellous he can be you know. He's just been so caring and so thoughtful and you know it's brought us closer together than anything else would've I think, you know.