Well this was the first mammogram I’ve ever had and I didn’t feel at all anxious about it. I mean you know that when you reach 50 yore going to have a mammogram and, in some ways, because I work with sort of women of my, the same age, we all sort, you know we talk about it, theres no anxiety involved at all. But also, because we are dealing with patients who have cancer, breast cancer, we realise the importance of having it now. You know, if it’s detected early enough that the treatment is positive.

Well, it’s sort of considered to be a sort of, how can I put it? A rite of passage, really. You know when you reach fifty, that’s it, you go for your mammogram and I don’t know, we just talk about it here and, you know, some people say “oh, it’s painful” and no, we just, how can I put it? We just accept it, it’s no big deal and. As I say, we all sort of enquire how it all went and you know, the results and things like that.

I knew that when I was 50 I would be able to go and have a mammogram. And when I was 50 I contacted the Local Health Authority and they said that I was too late because of where I lived in a rural area. They only had, they only came out every three years then, so I would have to wait till I was 53. Which I did do, and it was in August 1999 that I had a letter to say would I go to [town]. I had a letter to ask me to attend for a mammogram and I was quite pleased about that.

I knew, you know, it was important and I was a little bit disappointed and disillusioned when I was told I’d have to wait another three years. But I was very busy and it’s just one of those things you accept;

Did you talk to your GP at that stage or did you phone the breast clinic?

No I didn’t, I didn’t speak to anybody, no.

Who told you that you have to wait another three years?

The person I spoke about them coming round for the next time, that they would come in this area would be three years. It was a mobile screening unit you see;

Yes; OK; And so you waited another three years;

Yes;

And when you were invited, did you get a letter to go;

Yes, I got a letter;

You were expecting a letter from the NHS to go for a mammogram once you had turned fifty?

Yes, I expected to be called. I wasn’t actually, I actually booked the private one before I was fifty I made an, because I phoned up about two months before to the NHS knowing that I was going to be fifty and ask them when I could expect to be called, and it was when they told me “Well any time within the next three years”, I thought that’s too long. And I don’t know why I thought it was too long Suman, I just thought it was too long and that’s why I organised the private one.

Did you know much about breast screening before that, you knew you were going to get a letter, did you know about that through friends or through things you’d read?

I think with, I’ve always known that you can get mammograms once you reach the age of fifty on the NHS and you should be called routinely. And I thought it’s coming up to my fiftieth birthday. This is my fiftieth birthday present to myself.

So I actually paid for a mammogram privately as a fiftieth birthday present.

My first experience of breast screening is through Marks & Spencer, they have a programme of screening women after the age of 40 and we were invited to go the private hospital in London… And we just had a mammogram there and they actually followed it with an examination and a chat with a nurse who was specialised in breast screening. And they asked you lots of other things about your health and whether you were on HRT, etc. And I had about 3 or 4 of those, I think it was every 2 years, and each time I was clear and I was just sent a letter saying that everything was okay. And since I was 50 I retired from Marks and Spencer but I am still on the programme and I had one last year, at the [private hospital], and again everything was clear, thank God. And I’ve just had my first one on the NHS at the age of 53.

So when these two sisters were diagnosed, I think it was just after Christmas I went to the GP, and started discussing with him that I wanted to go on some kind of screening program. He was very helpful and didn’t try to deter me from it at all, very helpful and referred me to the hospital straight away. So within about six months from going to the GP I was on a screening program;

It was three years – this was my third screening, this one in 2003, so it was 2000, so I was 34, yeah, 34. So I joined the screening program and just went every year, so I [first] went in 2001;;

So when you went to hospital, did you pick up any leaflets or, your very first mammogram did you have any expectations or any concerns or questions?

Yes, I didn’t know what to expect. And I didn’t actually pick up a leaflet when I went in, I’d rather experience it first hand and then I picked up leaflets on the way home. And I thought it was very thorough, it did hurt slightly but I thought, well a little bit of pain like that didn’t really matter as long as it detected anything that might be there. And I felt very confident about the whole thing.

So, you didn’t pick up any information beforehand. Was it because you might have become worried if you’d picked up the leaflets?

Yes, I’m a little bit like that, yes [laughing]. But once I’d experienced the mammogram I did pick up leaflets and read about, you know what they were looking for. And it’s all very easy going so that’s okay.

So when you get a letter every three years what does it actually say?

They just sort of said that it’s the breast screening unit thing and would you like to, you know it tells you a date and if you don’t want to go or you can’t go on that date would you please ring this number and say that you don’t, you know you don’t want to go. Same as on the last one I got, and I can’t remember whether it was too early for me or something, I think it was so I just rang them up and I said “Can I change it?” And she said “Yeah.” And I said “Well can I make it on a Tuesday?” and about, well you know dinner time, after eleven or something and she said “oh yeah.” So they made it for was half past twelve weren’t it, yeah, yeah. So they’re quite good at that, they will change it, I think that’s twice I’ve had to change it yeah.

Have you ever missed an appointment?

No, no I’ve always sort of rang, I think this is just the second time when I’ve, I think there was another time. Something happened and I thought oh I can’t go on that day so I just rang up and I said “Can I come,” I said it again “can I come on a Tuesday please?” and she just looked at it on Tuesday “Oh yeah so and so,” if you say, like you want to go after eleven or something I mean they’re quite good, they will get you in you know yes. I mean actually when I cancelled it I think I was only about two more weeks you know after that before I could go again, so it wasn’t too bad then. Because I thought oh it’ll probably be about five or six weeks but it wasn’t, it was only about two weeks so it was good yeah.

Well this was the first mammogram I’ve ever had and I didn’t feel at all anxious about it. I mean you know that when you reach 50 yore going to have a mammogram and, in some ways, because I work with sort of women of my, the same age, we all sort, you know we talk about it, theres no anxiety involved at all. But also, because we are dealing with patients who have cancer, breast cancer, we realise the importance of having it now. You know, if it’s detected early enough that the treatment is positive.

Well, it’s sort of considered to be a sort of, how can I put it? A rite of passage, really. You know when you reach fifty, that’s it, you go for your mammogram and I don’t know, we just talk about it here and, you know, some people say “oh, it’s painful” and no, we just, how can I put it? We just accept it, it’s no big deal and. As I say, we all sort of enquire how it all went and you know, the results and things like that.

Well this was the first mammogram I’ve ever had and I didn’t feel at all anxious about it. I mean you know that when you reach 50 yore going to have a mammogram and, in some ways, because I work with sort of women of my, the same age, we all sort, you know we talk about it, theres no anxiety involved at all. But also, because we are dealing with patients who have cancer, breast cancer, we realise the importance of having it now. You know, if it’s detected early enough that the treatment is positive.

Well, it’s sort of considered to be a sort of, how can I put it? A rite of passage, really. You know when you reach fifty, that’s it, you go for your mammogram and I don’t know, we just talk about it here and, you know, some people say “oh, it’s painful” and no, we just, how can I put it? We just accept it, it’s no big deal and. As I say, we all sort of enquire how it all went and you know, the results and things like that.