We need your help!

petrk059

Hello my name is Kate Petrshin. Currently I am working on my Senior Thesis for Parsons School of Design.  We are asked to pick a topic that is meaningful to ourselves and work on it for an entire year.  My partner Lauren Rossi and I have chosen post-surgery breast cancer care.  At the end of the year we hope to come up with a product or service that impacts the lives of those affected by breast cancer.  In order for us to achieve our end result we want to try to fully understand those most directly impacted by breast cancer (the patient).  We want to understand your needs and wants and make a product that impacts your recovery. 

Don’t feel like you have to answer all of the questions, we know there is a lot.  We are mostly looking for what you need/ could have used in your journey. If you would prefer to email me or speak to me in person, you can contact me at petrk059@newschool.edu   


We love you all and would really be grateful for your feedback.  Thanks for your generosity and sharing your insight. 

Best wishes,
Kate


Overview:

When were you diagnosed?

How old were you when you were diagnosed?

Is breast cancer in your family history?

What stage was your breast cancer at when you were diagnosed?

What kind of surgery did you have?

What kind of treatment did you receive? (chemotherapy, radiation, etc?)

Did you receive any reconstruction? If so, what did you get?


How long was it from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were finished with treatment?

How often did you go to the doctor leading up to your surgery?

Did you have a job before you were diagnosed? If so, what was it?

What was your life like before you were diagnosed? (married? had kids? Etc)

What was your body image like before breast cancer? 

Were you able to work during treatment? If so, what was that experience like?

How long was it from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were finished with treatment?

Surgery and Treatment:

While going through radiation what were the side effects like? (dizzy? Etc)

What did you do to get ready for surgery? Why?

How long did you spend in the hospital after your surgery?

After surgery, what was your range of motion like and why?

Did you have a drain? How did you deal with that?

How did you keep your wounds clean after surgery and during radiation?

What were your major physical restrictions? Why?

What motion was the most painful? Why? (reaching, bending, etc)

How long were you in pain for after your surgery, and why?

Were you just in pain at the surgery site? Or was the pain all over?

What did you do to combat the pain? (durgs? Massage therapy? Etc.) 

Did you have to have someone help you with everyday tasks post-surgery? If so, why and what did they do?

What was the hardest physical struggle after surgery? Why?

After surgery did you undergo any additional therapies? (nutrition, weight training, journaling, massage?)  If so, was this effective?

How often did you see your doctor after surgery?

What was your body image like after surgery? Why?

Did your doctor give you a compression garment before leaving the hospital? If so what did you think about it? (uncomfortable, easy to put on, etc?)

Did compression help reduce pain?

Did you buy a bra before your surgery for after your surgery? If so, what kind and did you buy a different size than normal?

What kind of bras did you wear before breast cancer? Why?

What kinds of bras to you wear now? Why?

How long after the surgery did it take before you could wear a bra again?

Give an example of one task that used to be everyday and mundane but you could not perform after surgery. (i.e. washing your hair) How did this make you feel?

Did you have skin sensitivity? If so how did you deal with this?

Did you worry about reoccurrence?

London-Virginia

As I have alrady posted elsewhere, you need to go through the Moderators before ytou post this.

Had you spent any time whatsoever looking into this site, you would have gathered that already.

This may be meaningful and helpful for you, but many people on this site don't like students using us as guinea pigs.