Interview 15

Age at interview: 43

Brief Outline: Discovered lump at age 42. All tests showed lump was benign. It was surgically removed and found to be cancerous. Had treatment for cancer.

Background: Does voluntary and freelance work in cancer services. Married with 2 adult children.

She didn't care about the discomfort of the mammogram because she was so worried about what her symptoms might mean.

How did you find the mammogram? Did you know anything about...?

No, I'd just heard, I'd heard, because when, where I worked I had, was working with some mature ladies who had gone for mammograms and, you know, you hear stories, you hear, you know, all sorts of things. And it's not comfortable, that's the only way to put it. But at the time I think you're so worried and distressed that that is nothing. It is a small price to pay because you think, well what's a bit of discomfort if it's going to give you peace of mind?

All the diagnostic tests she had showed that the breast lump she found was not cancerous.

I had an appointment and they did, they checked me out and said, "yes, it's a lump and we need to look more, further into it." They did a mammogram, they did an ultra-sound, they did a needle aspiration to see if they could, sometimes they can disperse it and nothing. They said "no, we're still not happy, we need to do a biopsy to make sure what type." Because they couldn't get the result they wanted through the needle aspiration. So they did a biopsy, which proved clear and they said, "oh, it all looks okay and now you've got a choice of whether you want the lump removed or whether you want it left alone. Because that's what people decide, it's up to them because all the symptoms, all the tests have proved clear."

The mammogram also showed that it was clear?

Everything, everything, according to their initial tests, was clear. So the way I felt, I thought, well I would rather, I'd heard about people having breast, you know lumps and then it developing into something else or whatever so I thought, no I want to get rid of it. And that way, you've finished with it, that's the end of the subject and you can just move on. 

After having her supposedly benign breast lump removed surgically, she learnt that it was cancerous.

And we had our holiday booked so they said, "okay, go on holiday, when you come back you do it then." So we came back from holiday on a Sunday and on Monday I went in, had it removed in a day clinic and you get, automatically you get given a, when you leave at the end of the day they give you an appointment, a 10 day follow-up appointment. So I had this appointment and I thought, okay, I'll go to it and not having heard anything in between, you thought, well no news is good news because if they'd seen anything different, if there was anything to worry about then you would have heard. 

So I went on my own, that's the first time, you know, because when I initially went for my check-ups I went with my husband. And he looked at me and he said, "you've come on your own?" I said, "yes, because I've just come to get the results" and he sort of looked at me and it still didn't click and he said, "oh well, good job we took the lump out because there are cancerous cells there and we need to do a marginal clearance around, we need to remove more of it and do a marginal clearance depending on the size of the lump.

And we also need to test for the lymph nodes because with a breast you get lymph nodes under the arm" so he said, "we need to remove those to check to make sure it hasn't started to spread because with the younger women, it moves very fast." And it was, so I thought, okay. I was sort of like, all right, okay, if that's what needs to be done, it needs to be done. And I just really didn't think much about it. I think, I obviously must have been in shock but I said, "okay" and he said to me, "okay, I'll write you a prescription for Tamoxifen and go and get this and you can get started on that and we'll arrange a quick appointment for you." 

Encourages younger women to be breast aware and not dismiss any unusual changes because they are...

Well, anything you discover on your body that isn't natural or isn't, it shouldn't there, don't pretend, don't dismiss it, get it checked out. Because I know for a fact that if I had been, if I'd said, "oh well, it's just a lump, everything's clear, I can't be bothered. I'm too busy, I've got to go back to work" then I might not be here today telling you this. Because I know younger women who, with cancer that had moved so fast and, unfortunately, you know, they leave behind younger families because it just moves too fast. So don't, anything of concern, don't dismiss it. 

Get it checked out. We all get embarrassed, we don't, none of us like going to the doctors, but it's a very small price to pay. A very, very small price to pay. And, again, while it's there, you may dismiss it but it will be with you all the time and getting rid of it will give you peace of mind. It will give you peace of mind. And, you know, your family deserve it and you deserve it. More than anything else, you deserve a peace of mind. Yes, it will give you peace of mind, knowing that you've got it checked out.