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Ovarian CancerArrow
7-14 years since diagnosis
Interview OV36  

Interview OV36

Age at Interview: 61
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 54
Background: Retired headmistress, married, one grown up child.
Brief outline:Ovarian cancer diagnosed in 1997 following abdominal pain, tiredness and bloating. Treated with bowel surgery then surgical removal of ovaries and womb, and chemotherapy. Recurrences treated with chemotherapy, accompanied by further bowel surgery.


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Felt unattractive and wore a wig in bed but feels that a sex life needs to be preserved.

 



My own image of my body was horrendous for weeks and weeks and my husband was always very reassuring and he would say to me “you don't have to wear your wig, you know”, when we went to bed. And you think “well it is a bit silly isn't it wearing a wig in bed” but, you know, you're...  I was so thin and scrawny and, that you don't really feel attractive even if you felt you had the energy for a wildly exciting sex life, you don't, you, you often have to make yourself remember that this is quite an important part of your life and that if you don't preserve it, it isn't going to come back when you feel alright. 

I think that's really the way it's affected it, that often you maybe find yourself perhaps with less enthusiasm than you might have, but you know there is going to come a time when you are going to feel better, but as you get older you might think, “gosh I let this go” and so perhaps more self-consciousness about it. But mostly, largely because it's very difficult, it's been very difficult for me to think that I want to be seen outside of voluminous night-dresses or pyjamas, you know, terrible, pancake bottoms and things.
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