Norma - Interview 12

Age at interview: 68

Age at diagnosis: 61

Brief Outline: Norma was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and received surgery and chemotherapy. She had a temporary ileostomy which was reversed.

Background: Norma is a smoking cessation advisor. She is married with two children. Ethnic Background: White British.

More about me...

Norma was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, had a temporary ileostomy which was difficult as she had problems with the bags and found it uncomfortable. A nurse did come to help her with her ileostomy, but could have been more supportive and given her reassurance. She has a scar across her stomach from her bowel surgery, which she was very conscious of at the time but it’s now faded quite a bit. She also had chemotherapy at home for six months which she hated at the time, but she does think that it saved her life.

 

She went back to work about a month before her ileostomy was reversed. She now works as a smoking cessation advisor. 

 

She recently had a change in her bowel habits, which lead to her asking for a colonoscopy from her GP. She had to wait seven months from first seeing the GP to receiving her full test results. Although she has been fairly happy with her care, she thinks that this was too long to have to wait for her test results. Her doctor told her that ‘no news is good news’ but she just wanted to hear what the results were instead of having to assume that it was ok. 

 

Sometimes she talks to other people going through cancer and she tells them to be strong and to be positive. She can still sometimes get emotional about her cancer, it’s something she can’t completely forget about. Although it’s in the past, and she has moved on, she thinks it will always be there. It was the worst thing that she’s ever had to go through. Her message to other people is to always be positive. 

 

After having colorectal cancer 7 years ago Norma believes that life is for living; she has no...

Do you think that having had cancer has changed any of your views on life or how you view your life nowadays?

 

Oh, yes, life is to live. You know, the amount of people that would say to me, “Eh, I bet you wanted to go here and wanted to go there”. I said, “No, I just wanted to live”. Because you do read about people who do this, and I have met other people who say that, “Oh, we went to America because I thought I wasn’t going to get there”. That didn’t interest me. I just wanted my life here to carry on. It’s my girls and the boys and my husband, and that’s all I needed. I don’t think it’s a selfish attitude. I think it was what kept me going anyhow.