Breast Cancer Life

There are many facets to what makes us who we are in our own world. To fit in all that is necessary to live our life as we hope to, it takes work. I share strategies that have guided me in fitting everything together, and I hope they inspire and support you on your own path. Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis...

It has happened a lot: I come up with what I call surviving and thriving phrases. The phrases (perhaps vignette is a more beautiful word to use) have helped me to organize a lot of what has consumed so much of who I am and how I live my life since the screening and diagnosis began and now as a survivor. In this episode, I share more of these phrases.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breas...

It has happened a lot: I come up with what I call surviving and thriving phrases, that characterize my breast cancer experience. Since the screening and diagnosis journey began, these phrases have helped me to organize a lot of what has consumed so much of who I am and how I live my life. In this episode, I start to share these phrases that describe breast cancer life.  Breast Cancer Life is a pod...

The core principles of my self-care are adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.  I have a new job and am back to work after some time off. As I adjust to a new schedule of going to work, I am in transition with all aspects of what is really important to me in my efforts to control what I can in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence. In this episode, I provide an update on a different week...

After breast cancer, everything is something even if it is really nothing. Routine breast cancer screening continues for me because I have one remaining breast (the other side is an implant). I talk in this episode about when an MRI report raises the alarm bells. Then there is the additional monitoring because of possible gynecologic side effects from tamoxifen that landed a second (planned) healt...

The core principles of my self-care are adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.  I have a new job and am back to work after some time off. As I adjust to a new schedule of going to work, I am in transition with all aspects of what is really important to me in my efforts to control what I can in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence. This episode focuses on my realization that I am not get...

In this episode, I share what I learned about my implant at the 12-month follow-up appointments with the breast surgeon and the plastic surgeon. Despite high satisfaction with the outcome of my 1 surgery, I was not without questions about how the reconstructed breast looks and how the incision healed. In my follow-up appointments, I heard from the doctors some information that would have been help...

I was working up to this anniversary in a lot of ways. Largely, it was a major accomplishment (and healing) to get to the point of one year post diagnosis and surgery. When I was almost there, I felt so good and so recovered. I have shared in recent episodes:   One Year of Breast Cancer Survivorship: Facing Fears and Reaching Recovery When the actual date arrived this year, I looked at my watch at...

Tamoxifen side-effects are often described by health care providers in broad terms. Natalie shares specific side-effects from taking Tamoxifen in this episode.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis, and the person who knows someone facing the reality or real possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis. Nothing cou...

Recovery is possible after a breast cancer diagnosis! As I celebrate my first year of survivorship, I reflect on the biggest fear factors I had to overcome.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis, and the person who knows someone facing the reality or real possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis. Nothing could...

Natalie shares her experience at a special weekend event dedicated to teaching breast cancer survivors the sport of rowing. The learn-to-row weekend was hosted by We Can Row DC . Despite the heat and the threat of storms, the serenity on the water allowed no space for the unhelpful thoughts that can come up after a breast cancer diagnosis.  Search for a cancer survivor rowing program - Survivor Ro...

This episode was recorded when recovery from breast cancer surgery was still the primary focus in my life. Post-op life was a little less hectic at this point in time. There certainly seemed to be fewer health care appointments than right after surgery or in the month right before surgery. Despite fewer appointments, life was anything but routine, because recovery from breast cancer surgery is not...

Natalie shares her reflection on what it was like one year ago, when she received the biopsy results confirming breast cancer. Listen to her story of what it felt like at that moment, filled with fear and unknowns, to now. Natalie shares where she is now, moving forward as a survivor.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing...

It has been almost 1 year since my breast cancer diagnosis and it has taken many months to get comfortable being a survivor. Now, I feel a good sense of how I go forward. In this episode, I share important realizations that have helped me to lessen my survivorship fears and allow me to focus on the amazing life I have been given. Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. T...

A year ago things were about to get real serious. It will be a year on May 11th since the MRI guided biopsy that came back as invasive cancer. So now I have been reflecting on what I was doing a year ago on select dates in the past several weeks.   What I really want to share is about how I am moving on. That did not seem possible at all for most of the past year. Especially, when I realized how s...

This episode was recorded two weeks after surgery. The surgery was a nipple-sparing, skin-sparing left mastectomy. My reconstruction (placement of an implant) was done at the same time as the mastectomy. The treatment I had on the day of this recording was hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This therapy was needed to make sure there was good blood flow over the implant (in the skin and nipple area). I sha...

It was a mostly smooth process planning for my breast surgery. In this episode, I discuss the process of going between the breast surgeon and plastic surgeon in the time leading up to my mastectomy and right after.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis, and the person who knows someone facing the reality or rea...

I am talking about how I shopped around for the best price on Tamoxifen in this episode. The drug is generic and should not cost much, if anything. The pharmacy prices, including the mail-delivery pharmacy from my insurance company, were all over the place.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis, and the person...

I have been exercising regularly for many months. For several months, I have been aware of how much I crave a good sweat and an opportunity to get my heart rate up into the high 120s and a little beyond. I would not say I am strong but I do see evidence that I am becoming stronger. I keep showing up and telling myself this is my best medicine.  Recently, while searching for some information about...

In this episode, I share resources and strategies I implemented to get information as soon as possible. This meant using a few tools and advocating for myself at a time when the full extent of the cancer was not yet known. Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer experience. This is for you, the person who may be facing a diagnosis, and the person who knows someone facing the reality...

It was my first screening mammogram since being diagnosed with breast cancer. This mammogram was being done on the breast that did not have cancer in it at the time of my initial diagnosis. After reading the report from this mammogram, I wandered off into the world of searching for more information online. It turned out to be counterproductive and I developed a strategy to direct all of my thought...

I have turned a corner in my life as a survivor. Perhaps this could be called "acceptance" of the life I am living now. Coincidentally, I am at the point in time where it has been a year since the journey of screening and diagnosing this cancer began. In this episode, I discuss my experience using the website " Predict Breast Cancer " to obtain survival statistics for my specific cancer diagnosis....

Being diagnosed with breast cancer has elevated my awareness of how much I must advocate to receive the highest standard of health care. I am a unique patient and one individual healthcare consumer. The "one size fits all" state of healthcare is not tailored to meet all the needs of individuals. As I continue on this Breast Cancer Life journey, I am reminded of the need to share experiences, in ho...

I am sharing my experience at the medical oncologist (breast oncologist) that took place the other day. I talk about why I get emotional at each of these visits and how surreal it is to be the breast cancer patient. It is my hope that this information will highlight the importance of this visit as an opportunity to communicate what you are feeling and ask questions. This visit is the face-to-face...

Now that I have had a few appointments with my medical oncologist, I have figured out the routine of how the appointment generally goes. I have developed a few helpful strategies I use to prepare for each visit. I share these with you in this episode because I want to provide information you can use to get the most out of these doctor visits.  Breast Cancer Life is a podcast about my breast cancer...