Michelle - Interview 31- Jewish Health

Age at interview: 41

Brief Outline:

Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy and chemotherapy. She was shocked to discover she has a mutation on the BRCA2 gene and has since had another mastectomy and her ovaries removed.

Background:

Michelle is a tutor and housewife. She is married and has 3 children. Ethnic background/nationality - Jewish

For more clips from this interview click here.

Michelle's skin saving mastectomy was chosen for her and she had little input in this decision. She did not fully understand the consequences and in the future would choose a different procedure.

 And are you having the same procedure?

 

No, no because that was hateful. That was hateful, now if I knew then what I know now, I’d never have had that surgery. It was horrendous.

 

Why did you choose that procedure in the first place?

 

I didn’t choose it. It was chosen for me. Based from my surgeon, based on, oh, because I had something called a skin saving, or skin sparing mastectomy which mean that they just took out everything but left my skin. And you can’t put, just put, you could just put an implant in there, right, but I don’t think it would have… and at the time we didn’t know I had BRCA. Although he had feelings, he didn’t share them. So in order to match it up with my other breast, he felt, and everyone else around him agreed, and me, but I was like a lamb to slaughter in those days, didn’t have a clue. I was just in a state of constant drug induced panic. Horrendous. It would be the best way of getting a good shape to match my existing breast and they take like, it’s like an ellipse shape from your muscle of your back. And that is…. I mean it’s incredibly clever … they wrap it round. They sort of thread it round under your arm and make the shape which is amazing. I mean I’ve got a great shape there which I would not have had without it. But it was very, … and looking back I suppose I’m grateful that I’ve got a great shape. But so painful, so painful, and the recovery was not great. And knowing that I had to down the road of chemotherapy, only six weeks later, gloomy, miserable and because they take away this muscle from your back, your body naturally is missing something. So, it fills the hole with fluid every ten days. You have to go to the hospital to get it aspirated. I mean, honestly. I don’t like needles. I’m needle phobic. This hole where they took the muscle from fills with fluid basically, and you have to aspirate it literally every two weeks. For about five months. It hurts. When it’s building up it hurts like you’ve got a leech there, like… I mean grim, grim. So no. However, and I’m not having it this time. No. However, and I’m not having it this time. No because I don’t care.