Ignoring Symptoms

The Process of Normalising Sensory Experiences after Cancer

in Anthropology in Action
Author:
Tone Seppola-Edvardsen University of Tromsø tone.seppola-edvardsen@uit.no

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Mette Bech Risør The Arctic University of Norway mette.bech@uit.no

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Abstract

This article explores the process of interpreting bodily sensations after completed cancer treatment. We base our analysis on repeated interviews over a period of 12 months with eight participants who had different cancer diagnoses. By using the concepts of ‘sensation schemas’ and ‘sensation scripts’, we explore how sensation schemas of cancer dominated in the first period, while schemas of late effects and reduced tolerance for daily life activities gradually became more important as time went by. Scripts, or actions taken to reduce unpleasant sensations, gradually turned from seeking medical advice and check-ups to ignoring and waiting for it to go away. Later, adapting daily life to the new health situation became prominent, such as balancing rest and activity to avoid becoming exhausted.

Contributor Notes

Tone Seppola-Edvardsen holds a PhD position at the University of Tromsø in the research project ‘SenCancer’. She focuses on life after cancer, especially bodily sensations and symptoms, health seeking, mastering strategies, and the social context of cancer and life after cancer. E-mail: tone.seppola-edvardsen@uit.no

Mette Bech Risør is a professor in medical anthropology at the University of Tromsø, and has a main interest in research on symptoms and sensations in clinical encounters as well as a focus on illness experiences and health-seeking practices, especially concerning functional disorders, cancer and lifestyle diseases. Her position at the General Practice Research Unit of UiT creates a basis of interdisciplinary approach to both her research and teaching. E-mail: mette.bech@uit.no

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