Interview 29  

Interview 29

Age at Interview: 55
Background: A housewife, married with 2 adult children.

Brief outline:First routine mammogram 1999. Recalled but told mammogram was clear. January 2000, malignant lump discovered. Treated for breast cancer. In 2002, told cancer had been present since 1999 mammogram but had not been picked up.


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She suggests that radiographers should give more care and explanation to women having their first mammogram.

 



I felt that the girl, that very first time, that did it, didn't really appreciate that this was my first time for this. I know these girls are turning people over, one every ten minutes and to notice which ones that it is their first is probably difficult. But just that one time I felt, I didn't know what was expected of me so I didn't know how to stand or how to hold my arm or that sort of thing. I'm an expert at it now [laughs]. 

Did she explain it at all or did you...?  

It, a wee bit of manhandling. A little bit of the move... you know sort of just moving me around to seek the machine. Which she's doing, as I say every ten minutes, but I think just on that first day, a little talking before you do it would be useful.

I think the people who are going for the, it is their first time, should have a red star with their name or something, when they're being passed in to whoever's doing it. After all she's only receiving a list of people, they don't have faces and she may, I mean she probably did say, "Is this your first time? Oh right." You know, but I think they need a wee bit of extra handling to get used to what it's all about. And the machine's an odd machine, I'm sure you've seen one, maybe you've had a mammogram but it's an odd sort of machine. It's not like an x-ray machine and I mean maybe people, unlike me, wouldn't even have seen an x-ray machine. It's an odd way you've to stand and move and turn and that could be explained to the first, on the first visit. 

Jenni Murray - Cancer
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