INTERLUDE: Cancer Stories with Dr. Teplinsky

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Dr. Laila Agrawal and we are talking all about sexual health. Dr. Agrawal is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky and runs a sexual health clinic for women with cancer. She graduated from medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine, completed her internal medicine residency at...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Erin Perkins. Erin is a mom of two, a wife, a writer and was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of 34 in January 2021. She talks about her treatment which included chemotherapy and a bilateral mastectomy, her decision to go flat and how she had to learn to advocate for herself in that space, survivorship, her writing, and parenting...

On today’s solo episode, I am talking all about joint pain in breast cancer survivorship. Joint pain is a very common side effect of cancer treatment especially in breast cancer where aromatase inhibitors, one of the most commonly used medications, can cause a lot of joint pain. I provide an introduction to joint pain and how it is problematic and can impact health, pharmacologic options to...

On today’s solo episode, I am talking all about hot flashes in breast cancer. Hot flashes are very common in patients with breast cancer and can negatively impact one’s quality of life. I share what hot flashes are, why they are problematic and how they impact health, pharmacologic options to treat hot flashes, non-pharmacologic options including physical activities, behavioral therapi...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Amanda Quick. Amanda was 29 years old and living in NYC when she was diagnosed with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Amanda shares about the symptoms that led to the diagnosis, the work-up, how she began to process the diagnosis in order to begin treatment. She talks about what treatment is like, how she has reconciled her diagnosis with the life mil...

On today’s Interlude Podcast episode, I am speaking with Scott Capozza. Scott is a physical therapist, specializing in oncologic physical therapy. He currently works as a physical therapist in a multi-disciplinary cancer survivorship clinic and as an outpatient physical therapist dedicated to oncology rehabilitation. On today’s episode, we speak about everything related to oncology PT-...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Larissa Morgan. Larissa was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2021 after going for her first mammogram. On today’s episode, she talks about her diagnosis and treatment – side effects such as neuropathy, how she made treatment decisions, impact on her mental health, relationships and asking for help, exercising during treatment, par...

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and on today’s episode, I am chatting with four other breast experts who are part of the care team for a patient going through breast cancer treatment. (This is the audio from an Instagram Live on 10/13/2022 so you can also watch the video on IG!). Our experts are: Dr. Robyn Roth, breast radiologist (@theboobiedocs), Dr. Jovita Oruwari, breast surgeon...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Mardi Kaplan. Mardi was initially diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer in December 2017. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and endocrine therapy with ovarian suppression. In December 2021, she was on her way back from a trip to Sri Lanka and the Maldives when she felt a mass on her neck and in March 2022, she was diagnosed...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and on today’s episode, I am speaking with Jean Sachs, the CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that connects people with trusted information and a community of support. LBBC offers so many incredible resources and programs for patients throughout the entire spectrum of breast cancer from...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Kristi Hunter. Kristi’s daughter, Carson, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 7 in 2021 and Kristi shares the story of her diagnosis, treatment, life after cancer and how Carson is doing now. We speak about the impact of Carson’s diagnosis on the entire family including her two sisters, Kristi’s experience as a parent to a child w...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Dr. Dhivya Srinivasa. Dr. Srinivasa is a double board certified plastic surgeon and completed a fellowship in microsurgery. She specializes in breast reconstruction, offering the most advanced approaches to implant and microsurgical procedures. She is the founder of the Institute for Advanced Breast Reconstruction in the Los Angeles area. On today’s epi...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Theodora Blanchfield. Theodora is a Los Angeles-based writer and an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. In November 2015, just before Theodora was about to run the NYC Marathon, her mother, Carol, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She went through chemotherapy and surgery and was cancer-free in the summer of 2016. However, the celebration was shor...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Ria Despi. Ria was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in 2018. She underwent chemotherapy, anti HER2 therapy, mastectomy with an implant that became infected and was ultimately removed, and remains on endocrine therapy. We have a candid discussion about survivorship and life beyond cancer. Ria shares the impact of her cancer diagnosis on her body imag...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Mary Jane Glade. Mary Jane is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Creighton University where she focused on identification and management of women at high risk for breast cancer. Her experience is in family practice, rural medicine, women’s health OB/GYN, cancer genetics and cancer risk assessment. Mar...

On today’s solo episode, I am talking all about life as a medical oncologist and answering your questions. I discuss the training needed to become a medical oncologist, my day-to-day life (everything you wanted to know including just how much time I spend after hours on work), how I keep up with everything including the latest research, burnout, work/life balance, managing my mental health,...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Rori Zura. Rori is a triple negative breast cancer survivor who used fitness to help navigate both cancer treatment and the unknown after cancer. She became a certified personal trainer and a cancer exercise specialist. Rori is the owner and founder of Foobs and Fitness, where she aims to educate and empower those affected by cancer on living a more act...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Dr. Elyce Cardonick. Dr. Cardonick is a high-risk obstetrician at Cooper University Health Care and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. She specializes in the care of women who during their pregnancy receive a diagnosis of cancer. Cancer in pregnancy is rare, occurring approximately once per 1,000 pregnan...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with April Stearns. April was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and after she completed active treatment, she started looking to connect with other people who had gone through similar experiences. At the time, the online cancer communities and social media platforms did not really exist and so Wildfire Magazine was created – a magazine both f...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Jennifer Finkelstein. Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2005, at the age of 32, weeks before her wedding. She found herself unable to connect with anyone who had shared a similar diagnosis at such a young age. As a result, she created 5 Under 40, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing support to women under 40 facing br...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Stacey Young. Stacey was diagnosed with a BRCA mutation and stage 2B breast cancer several years ago and on today’s episode, she shares her story of her diagnosis , treatment, and life after cancer. We speak about mental health after cancer, the importance of giving yourself space, feeling safe and lessening guilt during the healing process. We discuss...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Trish and Tiffany from Hip Hop Happy Hour. Trish and Tiffany are breast cancer survivors who are passionate about cancer survivorship and advocacy. During the pandemic, they started going live on Instagram to play music and talk about cancer, pop culture, world events. It was a place where you could have cancer or a chronic illness but it wasn’t what de...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Jackie Hellyer. Jackie is a fourth grade teacher, a mom, a wife, an avid runner and was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in the summer of 2021. She talks about her treatment which has included chemotherapy, anti-HER2 therapy, surgery and radiation. We speak about how cancer involves a loss of self and how it is necessary and important to both...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Christina Kosyla. In 2018, Christina was diagnosed with a very rare tumor called a desmoid tumor (also known as Desmoid-Type Fibromatosis). These are rare tumors that grow from the connective tissue in your body. In her late 20s, Christina noticed a decrease in her range of motion especially when doing yoga and then a friend noticed a lump by her collar...

On today’s episode, I am speaking with Marissa Thomas. Marissa was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 at the age of 35. As she went through treatment, she turned to social media to connect with other women and found that there was no dedicated online community for women of color. In 2019, she attended the Young Survival Coalition Summit and at that meeting, Marissa connected with Jasmine S...