Interview 53
Ovarian cancer diagnosed in 1997 in the course of infertility treatment. Treated by surgical removal of ovaries and womb followed by chemotherapy.
She and her husband had been trying for a family for some time. They had decided to try IVF and were on their sixth attempt when the doctor noticed a cyst during a scan. Her doctor wanted to investigate the cyst further and took some fluid. She had been reassured that she shouldn’t worry. She rang the hospital regarding the outcome of the IVF and was informed her consultant wished to speak to her about her test results. She was unable to get an appointment as soon as she would have liked so the consultant agreed to a telephone consultation. Her consultant informed her that they had found some cancerous cells in the fluid they’d taken. She felt devastated as the thought of cancer had never entered her mind. She was referred for a biopsy. She felt numb and unsure as to whether she had cancer. She explained that questions came flooding in once she had hung up the phone. She tried to ring back but was unable to get through, however she was able to speak to another doctor. She and her husband hadn’t known much about cancer, and what they did know hadn’t been positive. They found the wait agonising but tried to stay positive.
She soon underwent a full hysterectomy. The doctor felt it had been a successful operation and was confident that the cancer had not spread. She felt relieved by the outcome and that it was the right time to tell her family and friends. She was home within 3 days. She described how the surgery had affected her more physically rather than emotionally. She explained that the thought of not having children was overtaken by something bigger and that it just didn’t seem that important at the time. She started chemotherapy to eradicate any remaining cancerous cells. She was able to speak with the oncologist at her first treatment session and found being able to ask questions invaluable. She had been aware that chemotherapy was likely to make her feel unwell and that there was a good chance she would lose her hair. She decided to have her hair cut before she started chemotherapy and bought a wig. She explained that her decision meant she avoided any added stress when her hair fell out after 2 weeks. She eventually felt comfortable without the wig. She felt extremely sick after chemo and was unable to eat and sleep. After the first 2 to 3 days of treatment her energy would come back. She had a lot of ups and downs during chemo but tried to make the most out of the experience by making new friends. She explained that knowing she would see friendly faces at treatment each time made the experience easier. She found that her side effects worsened throughout the treatment and she was relieved when it was over.
She was happy to have had such great support and regular visits from her husband, friends and family. She found that the relationship with her husband was strengthened by this experience, and that they are still able to have a normal and happy sexual relationship. They faced it together and he was an invaluable source of support. They had initially been unable to adopt due to her diagnosis but she contacted a journalist and petitioned for those with cancer to be able to go forward for adoption. They went through an appeal procedure and the decision was overturned, so they were able to go forward 5 years after diagnosis. She decided it was important to go on holidays to recuperate and have something to look forward to. She felt that after her illness she needed to take time to come to terms with it all before heading back to work. She found her employer supportive and was grateful that she was able to have a phased return to work. She had always been an active person and was even more so after having cancer. She took up golf and running, and has done several charity runs.
She is happy to share her experiences with others and has talked at conferences and on nurse training days. She believes it is important for health professionals to understand the patient’s perspective and how the little things that health professionals can often overlook matter. She found that openly talking about her experience helped her come to terms with it. She found information on ovarian cancer was too medical and statistically quite depressing. She would have liked to talk to someone who had been through the same experience. She found it useful to talk to cancer charities/foundations and has become involved a number of organisations. She also joined a support group with other patients from the hospital which she found a great comfort.
She explained that her experience increased her confidence and that she is extremely lucky. She feels that she has faced a lot and come through it with a good outlook on life. She believes that things can only get better and looks forward to seeing what the future holds. She explained that it is important to have a positive attitude and that you shouldn’t treat each day as if it’s the last but take each day as it comes, and face how you feel on that particular day. She believes it is important to get back to some form of normality and not to worry.