Interview OV37

Age at interview: 80

Age at diagnosis: 79

Brief Outline: Ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2002 following abdominal pain associated with gall bladder inflammation. Ovarian cyst found during investigations. Surgical removal of gall bladder combined with removal of both ovaries, followed by chemotherapy.

Background: Retired state registered chiropodist; widowed; one adult child.

The more chemotherapy she had the more ill she felt.

It would be about 10 days later I started chemotherapy. I had chemotherapy starting on the 5th of June, every 3 weeks. I had 3 hours of Taxol and an hour of carboplatin. The first 3 treatments, they weren't pleasant but I managed to handle them, but then the last 3, they were quite difficult. I found them very tiring, they would start about 2 days after the treatment and right on for about a fortnight I wasn't a very well person, very limited in what I could do. Towards the end of my treatment I discovered that there was maybe one or 2 days I wasn't even able to put on my clothes.

Was left with bad bruising on her hands from having cannulae put in her veins for chemotherapy.

Perhaps one thing, I forget the name of, when you're getting your chemo you get this, I forget the name of the thing, put into your vein. But this is the one and only thing I would say to the well-trained doctors, make sure that the young doctors who are putting that into the vein, they should have far, far more experience, because my hands were in a dreadful mess. Now, I had, out of my 4 treatments, I had one excellent doctor who made a perfect job, and the other 4, 2 in particular they just butchered me. And I was going about with hands, I mean okay, from a cosmetic point of view I wasn't worried, but if you had seen my hands after the mess those 2 doctors made of my hands, you'd have thought I'd had 10 rounds with Mohammed Ali without my gloves on. They were, they were butchers. Now that's the one and only thing I would say, make sure that those young doctors that's doing that job can do it properly because that is a nasty experience.  

Family, friends and doctors commented that she never complained about her illness.

How did your friends and relatives react, those that you told, how did they react to the diagnosis?

Very upset, very sorry for me. But they all said that I've handled it well and I never complained. Several of the consultants said that I took everything that was thrown at me, I was very positive and I never complained. That's how they saw it, and I'm glad if that was the way that I acted, I'm glad I didn't bother anybody.

Is that how you feel that you acted?

I suppose so, yes. I can't see there's much point in complaining. I mean people will only be sympathetic for a short space of time. I was very conscious that everybody was doing their part to help me so it was up to me to try and handle the situation as best I could without complaining.