Interview 16

Age at interview: 61

Brief Outline:

Had routine mammogram at 52. DCIS was discovered. Had lumpectomy. Mammogram 6 months later found more cancer cells. Had mastectomy, and tamoxifen. Was later diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background:

A retired civilian manager in the police. Married with no children.

She encourages women to attend for screening after 70 as they are still at risk of getting breast cancer.

At the moment I think the ceiling is 60 for mammograms but that is now being extended to 70. But if it hasn't in your area yet reached 70, there will be a number that you can get from NHS Direct where you can phone and refer yourself if you are over 60. If you're over 70 and you can still do that because some ladies think that because after, because the mammograms stop at 60 or 70 they're no longer at risk. But, unfortunately, the older you get the more at risk you are so because you're 70 don't think you're not at risk. So please, take these mammograms, it's only a few minutes pressure on your breast. It's only 10 minutes to go through the whole process and it's a life-saver and it could save you so much grief so please, please do have it.
 

Was frightened when she was recalled.

Then, I had a recall and I had to go in and I thought, oh no, what? Oh well, some years ago I had a little cyst removed and it's probably that or maybe something's wrong with the machine. But really, I was quite frightened by now because I'd never been, I had had a mammogram done before and I'd never been recalled before so I was really quite frightened. 

Her cancer was found early because of screening and she says that early detection means a greater...

It was fortunate timing for me because it was just at a very early stage, you know, and the timing couldn't have been better for me to have that mammogram. Because they obviously do areas and they'd obviously, the area, they'd come to where I live and if I'd lived somewhere else they may, I may not have been called for another 18 months or something. So the timing was very good because they caught the in situ so early that it was just beginning. The chalk deposits were just beginning to form, which is an early way that the cancer manifests itself. And they, I couldn't have had a better time. It was visible but not dangerous so I just think that somebody, somewhere, was really looking after me.

Well, I would say to them [other women], "please go and take the screening because it saved my life and it could save your life." I know some people are frightened in case they find anything but that's what you want them to do. That you want them to find it because if they don't find it, it isn't going to go away. And the sooner they find it, the much higher chance you have of completely successful treatment.

Had DCIS, then invasive breast cancer, and was worried that her cancer had spread.

So then I was told that that they'd got rid of the cancer, everything was fine, to go away and come back in 6 months for another test. So I went back in 6 months and they did me another mammogram and I was on my own again this time because I just thought, oh this is routine. But, to cut a long story short, this, a second mammogram, revealed another cancer so I had to, I was told that I had to have a mastectomy [of my left breast].  

He [surgeon] started giving me an examination and he found a lump under my right arm so I thought, this is it. Now, I've got secondary breast cancer and it's come back into the right breast and I'm definitely going to die. And I'm going to have harsh treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, I don't know how I'm going to deal with this. It was just the most awful time in my life. 

And he came and sat beside the bed and he told me that it was a Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and I thought, well, what does that mean? What does he mean? Fortunately, my husband was with me and he said, 'well, surely that's good news because that means that it's primary cancer. It's not a secondary, it's a different cancer?' And the surgeon agreed, yes that was the case. It hadn't been a secondary breast cancer; it was a Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and, again, I would just have to have some, some small treatments and I would be fine.  

Advises women to be breast aware and to see their GPs if they have any concerns.

I think I would like ladies to be very familiar with their breasts and at one time it was considered we had to feel our breast for lumps, particularly at certain times of the month. But I think the feeling on that has changed now and it isn't a matter of a certain time of the month and not always in the monthly cycles necessarily, nor for lumps either because I didn't have any lumps. But I want ladies to be as familiar with their breasts as they are with their face, you know. 

And I'm going to be getting a little lump here on my face or my eyebrows need tweezing, well be like that about your breast. When you're having a bath or a shower, just feel your breast with soapy hands, you can feel, you know. If you're making a cup of tea, you could just sort of feel yourself around the breasts. 

Look in the mirror and get familiar with the shape of your breasts and if you see one is slightly small, larger or, than the other one or one looks a bit swollen or you've got something wrong with your nipple, it's going inwards or there's some puckering around your nipple, it's probably perfectly all right but you and see your GP and let him know. So get familiar with your breasts and if you notice any changes at all, don't think, oh it's probably the time of the month or I've been wearing a bra that's too tight or anything. Anything at all that you feel that is different, go and see your doctor.