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She finds the mammogram uncomfortable, but quick.
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So when you went for your first mammogram, did you know what to expect of the actual procedure?
Yes, I mean because being in the medical profession, you've been to lots of lectures about screening and what happens and things so I knew what to expect. Obviously you don't know, different people have told you different things, some people say it hurts, some people say it's uncomfortable. I actually didn't find, I couldn't have used the word "hurt" or "painful". I would definitely use the word "uncomfortable" [laughing]. But because it, you know, it's a very short time and it releases, I was, I think the worry is that you have to wait for the radiographer to come back into the room and release it but, of course, it releases automatically once they've taken the film so the pressure, although it is uncomfortable, it soon releases. |
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She says that, for medical reasons, fifty is a good age to start breast screening.
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Ideally, would you like to see screening starting at a younger age than 50 or?
No, I mean I accept that, you know, the medical reasons for not being able to properly image breast tissue in younger women makes it very, very difficult to screen. I mean, obviously, younger women who can feel a lump, it's entirely outside of screening but from a screening perspective, I think it's probably the right age. I mean, they've extended the age upwards now, at least, which is a good thing. But I accept the medical reasons for not being able to screen at a younger age. |
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She'd have routine screening after 70 if her doctors advised her to and says that it would be reassuring.
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I would follow what the programme sort of suggested because I think, if I'd been sort of 15 years clear at that time, then, you know, I would accept that probably my risk is no greater than anybody else's at that time and do whatever the programme suggested. I'm very much a, I'll follow medical advice, I'll question it if I feel the need to [laughing] but, you know, you're not the expert in everything; you have to listen to what the experts say sometimes.
If they say it's up to you after the age of 70 whether you want to go for 3 yearly mammograms or not, would you want to continue?
Oh, probably. I think there's probably that prop needed that says, you know, just like that little bit of reassurance that.... |
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She wanted her core biopsy results quickly and feels that results should be available as soon as possible.
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And then he said that he wanted to put a needle in, to use his words. I had to know a bit more so I asked him if he was going to do a fine needle aspirate. He said no, that that wasn't policy in that particular hospital but that he would be taking a sample for histology so he'd be taking a core sample. And he would go and try and make the arrangements with the radiologist.
But he came back to say it was too late that day to do it. I was a little bit annoyed at that time because I thought that they ought to do the whole assessment in one. So he said, "come back next week," for the biopsy, which I wasn't too happy about but despite sort of making my opinions known I had to go back the next week. And I had the core biopsy. I really got annoyed at that time because they told me to go back the week after for the results and I knew, I'd already spoken, I knew the histo-pathologist was a friend, a colleague; I'd already spoken to him and he'd said that he would report it, if it went down that afternoon, he would process it overnight and report it the next morning.
So I made my feelings known and managed to get the results the next day, which really was only because I was in the know. Most women wouldn't have had that opportunity.
If you could make any changes to how things were done, ideally, what kinds of things would you suggest?
Oh, I'd do everything in a one- stop visit, for the assessment clinic definitely. I mean I know it's difficult because histology takes time to process whereas fine needle aspiration, you can get the answer almost straightaway. But I would have made that such that everything was done on one day and the results were available the next day. I don't think it's acceptable to keep women waiting for results. |
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Had further tests after her first mammogram, which showed breast cancer.
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Well I went for routine breast screening, I was actually called, I was on holiday in Canada. I got home and I'd had my 50th birthday on holiday and there was an invitation for screening. So I went for screening and really didn't think anything about it.
Working in screening anyway, you tend not to think too much about it. And then I got a letter to go to the assessment clinic. I didn't read it; I didn't read any of the leaflets. I had this attitude that it would be something wrong with the film and they'd just need to take more mammograms and so, I think I read the leaflets the day that I went for the assessment, realised that perhaps it wasn't quite just going back for a repeat mammogram so went for assessment.
And went back to the assessment clinic, got the results on the Thursday afternoon. They'd already made an appointment with the surgeon for the next day so although it was slow to start with, I actually got, you know, things moving quite quickly.
And I went to see the surgeon on the Friday, after being told that it was malignant. His view at the time was that it was a relatively small lesion, unlikely to have spread but that he was going to do a wide local excision. |
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Worried about micro-calcifications found on her first post-operation x-ray, which were harmless, and no longer worries about having mammograms.
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I think the first couple of years, the first one that I had found some areas of micro-calcification and I did a bit of a wobbly then when I got that result [laughing] but spoke to my breast surgeon and asked him to take it to the MDT, the multi-disciplinary team meeting where they could discuss the x-rays and everything. And I went to see him and he more or less said not to be a silly girl[laughing]. But, you know, you expect or you hope that you'll just go for that and be told it's normal, exactly as you do for screening. You don't actually go for screening ever expecting that there's anything wrong. You go to be told "everything's fine," you know. But the year after that I was a bit nervous but now I don't worry too much about them. I more or less think it's just a routine and, you know. |
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Some of her relatives don't attend for screening and this can be because of fear.
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Unfortunately, even some relatives of mine still don't go, even though they know my history so you can't always convince everybody, but...
Why do you think people don't go, even relatives when they know what ...?
I think it's fear of knowing. I think it's the fear that, you know, whereas most people who go think they're going to be told everything's okay, perhaps there are a certain group of people who fear that they're going to be told everything isn't okay and that's why they can't face going, I don't know. But it's much better to know early than late. |
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Says women shouldn't be afraid to ask questions.
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I think the advice would always be to go for screening when you're called. Don't be afraid to ask questions, be demanding if you need to be. You know, because I think there is this attitude that, within the medical profession, that they always think they know best [laughing] so I think if you do need to be, you should be prepared to stand up for yourself. And ask the questions yeah, that would be my advice. |
