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Lung Cancer

People's stories

Aged 51-60

Interview LC45

Interview LC45

Age at Interview: 58
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 58
Background: Housekeeper, married, six children.

Brief outline:Diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2003, and had diathermy resection to open an airway on 15th August. This operation was followed by radiotherapy.

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The diathermy resection made it much easier for her to breathe.
Print After that [the diathermy resection] I could breathe and I sat up, and I couldn't believe it, that I could breathe again. It was amazing, really, you know, an amazing feeling. So the operation had improved the situation? Yes You know I didn't even feel rough or anything afterwards. I just felt great. I think I remember waking up because I had my dinner not long after.

Recalls her pain and panic when she could not breathe because her airway was blocked.
Print I started to get pains, I couldn't breathe. My chest was gurgly like I'd got a microphone inside, gurgly [pause], it felt like somebody was squeezing my chest together and I couldn't squeeze out. Can you summarise how you felt about the breathing? How did it feel exactly? Frightening, really scary. One minute I could walk about and do things, and then three days later I couldn't do anything, I'd got no strength. And you couldn't get your breath? I couldn't, "no", you try to cough and you think it would go away, but it didn't go this time [pause], the worst part was not being able to breathe, that's what frightened me the most. I really thought I was having a heart attack. That was strange. Because the pain is horrendous. Where were the pains? Across my chest. When you breathe in it was tight and I couldn't breathe out, and I think that was the panicky thing, that I couldn't breathe, and I'd never known anything like that before.

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