Ann McPherson is used to seeing the inside of a doctor's surgery. But when she discovered a lump in her breast, the GP had to get used to life as a patient.

The biggest irony was that the discovery came just as she was writing the chapter on breast cancer in her book on women's health.

She said: "I was writing the breast cancer chapter when I got ill so I had to delay the book. I think that chapter in the book is very helpful."

Switching from practising GP to awkward patient took the mum-of-three a bit of getting used to.

"It was quite different being a patient but I wanted good information and to be cared for.

"I wanted to take part in the decision-making and some people might say I was an exacting patient. But it was more difficult being ill than being a patient."

As well as working as a GP - she has a surgery in Oxford's Beaumont Street - Ann was devoting much time to researching the Woman's Hour Book of Health.

The shock discovery meant she had to postpone everything. She took eight months off to recover and had a lumpectomy, along with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

She was no longer a doctor during this time, but forced to live life on the other side as a patient which took some getting used to. Once she recovered, Ann started on the book again with the help of journalist Nancy Durham, a journalist renowned for her coverage of war and politics from a human perspective.

Without Nancy, the book would have been delayed for a long time because of Ann's illness. It contains everything women need to know about their health, including the menopause, hormone replacement therapy, premenstrual tension, cancer, cystitis, anorexia and bulimia.

Ann is a leading expert on the health of women and adolescents. Her previous publications include Women's Problems in General Practice, and she was co-author of the best-selling Diary of a Teenage Health Freak.

"I'm now well and back at work. ," said Ann, who has three grown up children.

"When I was ill, I wanted to hear what experiences other people had had but didn't want to go for group discussions where people talk about their experiences."

Ann believes even men will take an interest in the book because it will give them an insight into women's health.

The women's experiences featured in the new book came from BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, in which women talk about their most intimate physical and mental health experiences. Ann wanted the book to inform as well as talk through medical evidence, together with people's own accounts of their different experiences of illnesses and conditions.

She said: "This book tries to give a lot of information through women's eyes of how they have experienced it.

"We have tried not to preach - it is not a dictionary but very readable.

"I had written the breast cancer chapter when I discovered I had it myself. It reinforced far more that one of the best ways to get information is through patients' experiences."

Ann eventually wants to set up a database of all patients' experiences mixed with good information and in the book, she along with Nancy have based it on medical evidence from Woman's Hour.

"We have researched the evidence and looked at the pros and cons of taking HRT and looked at what is available,"Ann explained.

Even the section on diet is informative and looks at the many options without telling women which to choose and whether it is right or wrong. "It's very difficult to weave your way through and say what is right and wrong. My two girls have been very helpful and critical.

"It was stressful but one of the nice things is that it's complimentary to my work."

Woman's Hour Book of Health, published by BBC Books, costs £12.99.

Dr McPherson is currently researching a new book for parents - The Agony and The Ecstasy - about teenagers. If you would like to contribute, you can write to Dr McPherson at 19 Beaumont Street, Oxford. HEALTHY WOMEN A poll of women aged over 16 showed:

Only one in ten say their health is excellent

One in ten do not feel in control of their lives

Headaches are women's most common complaint

We worry more about breast cancer than anything

Younger women complain more about their health than older women

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