Interview 34: Breast cancer

Age at interview: 67

Age at diagnosis: 49

Brief Outline:

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983, underwent a mastectomy.

Background:

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Explains why she preferred not to have the responsibility of making a decision about surgery. She...

They didn't have lumpectomies so it wasn't so popular at that time.

 

And I know I was recommended a book to read afterwards on breast cancer and it said if you're told you're going to have a mastectomy ask for a second opinion.

 

I found that amusing as I'd already had mine when I read this. But I didn't think of asking for any other treatment or anything. I just took it that doctor would know, or the surgeon would know best, and I never sort of knew that there were different treatments. But I did find out, we had a talk from the breast surgeon and they sort of divided the breast up into sections and mine was right near the nipple. And apparently that area they prefer to do a mastectomy anyway rather than just a lumpectomy.

 

So I was quite relieved about that. I thought' "Oh well, I did have the right treatment then," you know. And I was grateful because really it's a case of a gift of life more than anything. So I'd never ever think that a surgeon was giving me the wrong treatment.

 

I think it's difficult for people nowadays if they're asked which sort of treatment they like because it's quite a responsibility. And often people, although the surgeon explains, I think it's often people feel they'd rather just be told what the surgeon would like to do.

 

Apparently nowadays that is the choice, well it is in our breast clinics - that they can have a choice of just whether they want the whole breast off, whether they want a lumpectomy, or whether they'd like to leave it to the surgeon to think what he'd like best.

 

And I'm sure I would leave it to the surgeon for what he thought was best if I had choices like that.