Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
From an occupational perspective, such an experience represents an
occupational disruption, where the established activities and
routines that confer purpose and meaning on an individual’s life are
compromised. This disturbs the careful equilibrium (homeostasis)
that the person has worked so hard to establish as an expression of
selfhood and self-mastery. The loss of this competence and sense
of control can exert serious ramifications on sense of well-being,
with resultant impact on mental health.
Breast cancer will in almost all cases result in physical bodily
changes that cause deep distress to the women concerned.
Treatment regimens such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation
therapy and hormonal therapy will impose demands on time and
routine, and precipitate side effects such as anorexia, weight loss
or gain, insomnia, nausea, diarrhoea, fatigue, pain, vaginal dryness,
hot flashes, infection, infertility or sub-fertility, menopausal
symptoms or early menopause, compromised skin integrity,
alopecia, oedema, lymphoedema, lowered immunity, and decreased
stamina and mobility.
These in turn will exert an influence on participation in occupational
routine, that is the everyday valued activities associated with
normality and wellness. Young (2005, p.93) observes that “many
medical professionals seem not to be sensitive to the deep identity
issues that many women face with breast loss”. This may be for
several reasons such as professional time pressures or perceived
lack of opportunity to bring sensitive matters up for example. This
means that health professionals may be working with less than the
whole story. This may result in significant influential issues
remaining unaddressed with associated clinical impact on issues
such as compliance, recovery and in some cases, prognosis.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The qualitative study “Living to Tell the Tale” seeks to understand
the embodied lived experiences of a group of women living with
breast cancer using a phenomenological approach. Through
entering their subjective worlds, the effects of deep illness on their
identity, lifestyle and agency from an occupational therapy
perspective are examined. This work investigates for the first time
in Ireland, the occupational biographies of a group of women living
with breast cancer.
METHODOLOGY
A naturalistic inquiry approach was adopted with strategic
recruitment conducted via advertisements in a Dublin cancer
support centre. All participants self-selected. Ten women have
participated in in-depth interviews to date. All are Irish.
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