First Peoples: Treatment

Glenda The first time I went in I remember going in sitting on the sitting on the bed and then I broke down you know because it's all new but as for you know our pride and whatever our parts are that a lot of people miss them but I always said I don't want them

Andrea Writing down questions when you go to the hospital they give you a diagnosis they give you a heap of information and we all know that you only take in a certain amount

Leah Normally also if you're if you're going through a hospital there's a aboriginal liaison officers they can also help you with some of the questions

Lilah At first I was nervous I mean I didn't know what to expect you know laying on this chair waiting you know having everything put on me whatever you know they had to do and it was a heavy  dose of chemo I was doing it every fortnight I think that was going for two ten months I’m not sure and then after that they had to put me to do another 12 weeks I understood that I have to have it because I know it's going to fix me at the end you know

Natasha Before you go in for the treatment they sit you down and they give you education about what you are have to expect and they talk about it and they tell you and it all happens all in one day and then you have your first treatment I was told that I would have a various amount of different possibilities of different repercussions from the treatments and what I was to do and how I was to go with art et cetera

Lilah They say that if I ever feel any pins and needles to let them know so the next visit I went to I told them they said okay well we'll have to put you into  the operation you know quickly

Sally I went through you know losing my hair and all that sort of stuff and you know every time after my  treatment because i had the three weekly cycles I’d be pretty much spend a week in bed

Lilah The first day I went there I was so nervous and looked at the machine and what I had to do and lay down and everything the second day came along because I had to do radiation for three weeks and it was every day for 15 minutes

Glenda Last month before I saw the radiation doctor and she had a look she said oh it's healing and she said your skin will get it will harden and get tighter so that was yeah head spinning

Leon I thought it was going to hurt but it didn't hurt and it was just like  is it sort of like a boon you know like it's a heated feeling but yeah I was fine you know  they just get me to lay still and they put the body column on me and move it around and that and  and then I think I was they were doing it for about 20 minutes at a time and  and after a while you know like when I come out in that I might feel heated you know maybe for a day half a day or something but I never had no reaction at all.