Breast Cancer Life

Sleep disruption and insomnia can be an overlooked part of life after breast cancer. In this episode of My Breast Cancer Life, I share my personal experience realizing that my sleep problems had become more serious than I initially understood.

After years of waking up one to three times during the night, starting a new job with earlier mornings made the impact of my disrupted sleep impossible to ignore. I share what prompted me to seek help, how I approached the conversation with my medical oncologist, and what I learned along the way.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

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Breast cancer life and survivorship comes with the expectation that you follow up with your medical oncologist on a set schedule. What I did not expect is to have so many other medical appointments now that it has been a few years since my diagnosis. A retina specialist is needed to determine if tamoxifen is affecting my eyes. Another gynecology appointment is needed to determine what can be done to manage symptoms that could be from tamoxifen or attributed simply to menopause. I blame the cancer history and tamoxifen for the appointments that fill my day in this episode.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

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It has been three years since my left skin-sparing, nipple-sparing mastectomy for the diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer). I just had my annual follow up with the breast surgeon. The breast surgeon is really focused on catching any new breast cancer. She does a breast exam on the side where there wasn't any cancer, in addition to checking the area around the implant and in the left arm pit (the side where I had the cancer). The breast surgeon also reviews my most recent breast imaging results. Leading up to this year's breast surgery appointment, I definitely was exhibiting a bit of an attitude towards my breast surgeon. I reference prior episodes where I recommend always getting a second opinion for the breast surgery and making sure you're the first or second surgical case of the day. Both of these episodes are based on my experience with the breast surgeon. At this appointment, the breast surgeon dove deep into discussion about approaches to screening and how to handle anything in the future that comes up as needing to be biopsied. I wasn't expecting this, but felt deeply reassured in her approach to my breast cancer screening. I was reminded that my breast surgeon is truly an expert (how could I ever forget this?) and although it is true I am always waiting more than an hour to see her (including on the day of my surgery), it doesn't take away from the value that she provides me in my breast cancer life.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

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I've been thinking a lot lately about my surgery back in 2023, when I was diagnosed with invasive carcinoma in the left breast. At that time, I chose to have a left mastectomy. I'm sharing what I have come to realize recently about that surgery and how I have honed in on one of the reasons it may have been a disadvantage to be the last surgical case of the day for my breast surgeon. The recovery process could have been impacted by the approach the breast surgeon used. I was going to surgery at 4PM (although my original surgery time was 2 PM) and my surgeon, I'm quite certain, was operating all day long before she got to me. Immediately after the mastectomy, I went through a pretty rigorous recovery process to avoid losing the skin over my implant. I recently visited a plastic surgeon for consultation about a prophylactic right mastectomy. During this recent consultation, I learned more about what could have been the reason there was concern about the adequacy of blood flow and potential wound healing complications at the time I was in the operating room with that left mastectomy. What I learned added one more reason to my list of points as to why it's important to have your surgery in the morning and not be the very last person of the day. The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host. If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list! LET'S CONNECT:

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This episode I share what I learned recently that would've helped me more when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and seeking the guidance of plastic surgeon and the breast surgeon. My care ultimately was good enough But I realize that getting a second opinion, and looking at more than one surgeon for each part of the surgery would've benefited as really work to make an informed decision On which doctors would be best for each part of my initial cancer care.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host. If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list! LET'S CONNECT:

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It's been almost 3 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. What has happened over the past few months is that I really took a pause from recording episodes. It really was not intentional that I put off making new episodes and sharing new content. It just worked out as I got busy with life and sort of put all this breast cancer stuff behind me. I talk about in this episode my radical acceptance the breast cancer experience and how I realized I can handle whatever happens in my future. I also share some thoughts about whether or not it would have been helpful to be working full-time when I was initially diagnosed, in 2023. I know now I'm coping better than ever with having a history of breast cancer, and I attribute a lot of that to being busy during my days with my career. As I cover a lot of different reflections that are from my recent experiences and deeply tied to when I was diagnosed, I hope you'll listen to the end to hear how I feel I am doing now at this point in survivorship. The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host. If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list! LET'S CONNECT:

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I finally got the results of my breast biopsy and I talk about it in this episode. I waited almost 2 weeks, and at times it was very difficult. At some point before getting the results, I experienced a deep sense of acceptance, in terms of how I would cope with the results.

At the moment when my stress dissipated, I felt a full acceptance of this entire breast cancer experience and I realized I can get through whatever it is that's going to be happening, just like I did when first diagnosed, 2 1/2 years ago.

I also talk about the importance of me doing the work now to make a decision about a mastectomy on the right, because what I really want do is prevent a future invasive cancer and I know that I'm high risk for that happening again.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

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It's something I never thought would happen although I was aware that I wanted to prevent it didn't hit me that it would be reality that I needed another biopsy because something showed up abnormal on my mammogram. This episode is about my shock and disbelief about the potential of another cancer haven't really ever thought of myself as a two-time cancer survivor, but it is a possibility so I share my thoughts and feelings in this episode.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

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Episode mentioned: Natalie Ditri: No fear of a cancer in my other breast

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The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

LET'S CONNECT:

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After having a history of breast cancer, it makes you think about future dates differently. It may be that before I had cancer I thought about the next year's Christmas or birthday and hoped that everything would be the same as it is now. Definitely after the breast cancer diagnosis, when a holiday or in my case, planning a trip for next summer, comes to mind, I think to myself, and sometimes out loud to my family, " I hope everything's OK and the cancer is never back at that tome.". I also think about how I better just get things done that I really want to do because next year or two years later might be the longest timeline I should count on for some of the small stuff that might mean a lot for family and traditions that we experience in our lives. This episode talks about how this is a problem, in that you never know what the near future (like next summer) brings. Those unhelpful thoughts accidentally creep into my head even though I've said I want to forget about all that's been happening related to breast cancer ( since being diagnosed). You can probably relate to feeling as if the cancer robs you of your future if you have had a diagnosis of breast cancer. Just know that you're not alone and we have to make our dreams reality today, tomorrow, and every day after that.

If you'd like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to have you on the list!

LET'S CONNECT:

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