Shows
Breast Cancer StoriesDay 326: It’s a Reminder I’m Alive [Dr. Tita Gray]Returning to life cancer-free hasn’t been easy, but Tita stays positive and isn’t letting anything take her spirit down. Her chest is healing, and she doesn’t feel like any less of a woman without breasts. Rather, it reminds her that she's alive and kicking.She continues with regular immunotherapy, and it's doing wonders. Feeling more like herself, she’s working out without any joint pain, and her hair is growing back. About Season 3After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita Gray found a lump in her bre...2024-09-1726 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 233: I'm the Most Happy & the Least Happy [Dr. Tita Gray]When she first looked down after her double mastectomy, Tita didn’t panic. But adjusting to life without a bra has been strange. Nothing could prepare her for the emotions of losing a part of her body. But her tumor is gone, and no cancer was found before it was removed. Tita reflects that while chemo saves your life, it takes a piece of your life with it. She finds peace by focusing on her spiritual side to heal.About Season 3After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita...2024-08-2727 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 220: The Pizza and Pasta Phase [Dr. Tita Gray]Tita's finally starting to feel like herself again after six grueling months of chemo. With no more nausea, she can actually enjoy pizza and pasta without feeling sick.Her mastectomy is coming up soon, and her oncologist is calling for radiation. She's not exactly thrilled about it, but she’s determined to never have to deal with this cancer again.About Season 3After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita Gray found a lump in her breast, leading to a biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. In season 3 of Breast Cancer St...2024-08-2022 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 178: I’ll Be Replacing My Breasts With Tattoos [Dr. Tita Gray]Tita's latest MRI shows her tumor is shrinking. She's planning a butterfly tattoo after her double mastectomy to symbolize her metamorphosis. She shares what keeps her strong and optimistic: a job focused on helping others and a supportive circle of friends and family. She believes the key to staying positive is surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and share laughter.About Season 3After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita Gray found a lump in her breast, leading to a biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. In se...2024-08-1333 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 117: It Is What It Is [Dr. Tita Gray]Tita’s white blood count drops so low she has to reduce her chemo infusions to every other week. Zarxio injections and immunotherapy help keep it in a healthy range.The new schedule extends her treatments through May, leaving her mentally drained. Always perceived as strong and optimistic, it’s tough to be in tears. Empathy from her doctor is a huge help.Although the lump is shrinking, it's still cancerous, so a double mastectomy is the plan. Tita remains positive, grateful for her support system, faith, and otherwise great life.Learn more about Invi...2024-08-0628 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 73: One of Those Mondays [Dr. Tita Gray]Feeling worse than usual and suspecting her chemo dosage might be too high, Tita asks her doctor for another mammogram and ultrasound to check visually for signs of cancer.Dismayed to find out she needs two more months of chemo than expected, she schedules an appointment with a surgeon to discuss whether a double mastectomy can remove any remaining cancer.About Season 3After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita Gray found a lump in her breast, leading to a biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. In season 3 of Breast Cancer...2024-07-3023 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 45: It’s Too Much [Dr. Tita Gray]After her second triple infusion of chemo, Tita is feeling worse than ever—no appetite, headaches, achy joints, the whole side effect shebang.The silver lining is that her oncologist can no longer find the lump. She checks herself regularly, hoping it stays gone.Emotionally drained, she cuts all her hair off herself and thinks through her reasoning for wanting a double mastectomy when the time comes.After her mom's death and some family issues, Dr. Tita Gray found a lump in her breast, leading to a biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. In season 3 of...2024-07-2323 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 25: Stop Asking Me How I’m Feeling [Dr. Tita Gray]Triple negative breast cancer means aggressive chemo, and for Tita, dealing with everyone else's worry on top of it is too much. With her first chemo session completed, she's determined not to let cancer overshadow her gratitude for the good things in her life.After her mom's death and some family issues, Tita found a lump in her breast, leading to a biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. In season 3 of Breast Cancer Stories, Tita shares her journey through a triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis, aggressive chemo and immunotherapy, and choosing to go flat after a double mastectomy.C...2024-07-1629 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 1: A Horrifying Diagnosis [Dr. Tita Gray]Following the loss of her mother and some traumatic family drama that came with it, Dr. Tita Gray discovered a lump in her breast.Scared but determined, she moves quickly to get a biopsy and finds out she has breast cancer. Further scans show it’s worse than initially thought, so her doctor recommends aggressive chemo ASAP. LinksHow Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger Breast Cancer Stories is a podcast about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with b...2024-07-0937 minBreast Cancer StoriesKristen Update: I’d Prefer to Have a 2nd Type of CancerThe results of Kristen's PET scan showed two lymph nodes lighting up, one in the gastro-hepatic area of her abdomen and the other in the lining of her esophagus.While it could just be inflammation, Dr. Ali wants her to see a gastroenterologist but the earliest appointment is almost two months away.Puzzling through the scenarios (as if she has a choice), Kristen hopes for a second, new kind of cancer rather than stage four, metastasized breast cancer.Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcastSubscribe to our newsletter This podcast i...2024-06-2725 minBreast Cancer StoriesKristen Update: Shouldn’t I Be in the Hospital?After a fiasco in Escondido involving multiplying rodents and toxic air quality, Kristen’s on the move again. The pulmonologist found ground glass lungs and an enlarged heart, then Dr. Ali found an enlarged lymph node between her liver and stomach and asked for a PET scan.With recurrence always lurking, we play the old, familiar waiting game.====Season 3 is coming soon and we need your help! Tita Gray’s story is different, but the same. Listen for a preview of what’s to come in June 2024. Support the Breast Ca...2024-05-2930 minBreast Cancer StoriesNatasha Update: Recurrence is a Nonstop ObsessionsAbout to turn 60, Natasha is in a dark place thinking of other things that can go wrong with her health if she’ll have to go it alone. Even though a routine MRI is clear, she obsesses about cancer spreading to other areas that aren’t being checked. Following her mother’s recent lung cancer diagnosis, Natasha worries more for her than she did for herself. Staying close to her, she plans to visit and help her navigate the impossible decisions that come with having cancer.Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcastSubscribe to our...2023-11-0727 minBreast Cancer StoriesAlicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 2 - After Surgery]5 months after her DIEP flap reconstruction surgery, Alicia returns with an update. Although the original plan was to do a DIEP flap on both sides, it didn’t turn out that way and she still has an expander on the other side.Still unsure what to do next, Alicia is taking her time to decide. If she had known things would go the way they did, she believes she would’ve just stayed flat. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcastSubscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe Abou...2023-10-2334 minBreast Cancer StoriesAlicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 1 - Before Surgery]With the BRCA mutation and a family history of breast cancer, the “clock” started ticking for Alicia with biannual screenings at age 30. She tried to keep up with the screening schedule, but had young children and decided to go to nursing school. Nine uneventful years went by until she was diagnosed with Stage 2 HER2 negative hormone positive breast cancer in March of 2021.Although her mastectomy was over two years ago, Alicia’s reconstruction had to wait because of the extreme damage done to her breast tissue by radiation. Her surgeon recommended the DIEP flap reconstruction, in which tissue and va...2023-05-1126 minBreast Cancer StoriesNatasha Update: Out, Dang Port!Natasha’s port is out and is huge, resembling a miniature computer mouse. She still believes getting a port was the best decision she’s ever made and now that it’s gone, she can wear her old clothes again. While she enjoys living alone and is back at work five days a week, advice from her oncologist has her rethinking her relationship with alcohol.Fatigue sometimes holds her back, but she still makes the most of life knowing she’s not getting any younger and recurrence will happen someday. On a whim, she decides to take a t...2023-05-0230 min
Breast Cancer StoriesDefeating Stage 3 Breast Cancer: Kristen Vengler’s Courageous Battle on Cancer U Thrivers with Andrea Wilson WoodsIn this episode of Cancer U Thrivers, hear Kristen’s interview with author, speaker, entrepreneur, and patient advocate Andrea Wilson Woods on her podcast Cancer U Thrivers.Kristen walks Andrea and her audience through her experience with stage 3 breast cancer, from finding her tumor in the shower, to chemo, her mastectomy and reconstruction, to radiation and beyond. Listen to more episodes of Cancer U Thrivershttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cancer-u-thriversSupport the Breast Cancer Stories podcasthttps://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.su...2023-04-1441 minBreast Cancer StoriesKristen Update: The Last of the Post-Treatment Horrors and Indignities (We Hope)After a hard fall, Kristen breaks several ribs and at a scan to check for a ruptured implant, the radiologist sees a Skittle-sized spot near her breast implant just in time for the two year anniversary of her diagnosis.On the heels of a brand new set of post-treatment horrors and indignities, Kristen returns to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, including why she moved *again* and how she ended up willingly living with roommates at the age of 58.Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ Subscribe to...2023-02-0933 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 295: The Trauma Has Made Me Softer [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]Natasha adjusts to post-treatment daily life, continuing with hormone blockers and finally seeing a mental health professional. While working with less fortunate patients who don't have mittens or cold caps, Natasha looks back with gratitude on how privileged her treatment experience was.At work, she finds herself pushing patients much harder to advocate for themselves around symptom management and advises them not to accept puking and feeling like crap the whole time.Cold weather leads to cold feet which leads to worrying about the onset of neuropathy. She experiences a constellation of odd side effects including tingling, arrhythmia...2023-01-2632 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 246: Here, Have Another Biopsy [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]After a scan shows a 1.2 cm nodule on her thyroid, Natasha goes for a biopsy which comes back with complicated results. Not wanting any more surgery or radiation right now means there’s a difficult decision to make. Three and a half weeks of radiation end without any terrible burns or skin issues, but celebrating feels phony because it’s never really over. Transitioning back into work is feeling good, and she finds the experience of having gone through cancer is immediately useful to her patients and fellow nurses. If you have just been diagnosed, and are...2023-01-0532 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 203: I Still Choose to Show Up [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]The radiation oncologist sends Natasha to a psycho-oncologist (did you know that was a thing?) because her antidepressants aren’t working, making self-care too hard. This forces her to confront the mental health struggles caused by the abrupt end of her time in Malawi, the surprise end of her 25-year marriage, and a cancer diagnosis all happening at the same time. Missing her old pre-cancer life, but not necessarily the marriage, she is engulfed in sadness and nostalgia but chooses to still show up. ==A special thank you to Doctors Without Borders for listening to th...2022-12-1532 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 175: Healthcare Nonsense and Red Tape [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]Natasha is given three options for radiation treatment, but it’s a challenge since everyone has been making decisions for her up to this point. She decides on three and a half weeks of radiation to the breast and the lymph nodes in the armpit. Down to just 104 pounds, she feels like a scarecrow in her clothes. Hoping to gain 10 pounds by the end of the hormone blocker infusions, she finds high calorie meals, drinks shakes with over 500 calories, and chooses “Pepsi heavy” instead of diet. Now back to work with a new perspective, she feels guilty about getting upset over h...2022-12-0142 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 160: Cancer Free But Now What? [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]It’s been two weeks since Natasha’s lumpectomy and because no evidence of cancer was found during surgery, she has been declared “cancer free” by her surgeon. The day of surgery was long and a little emotional from the anesthesia, but recovery has been less painful than expected. Food has flavor again and in her words, “it’s about bloody time!” The road ahead includes more hormone blocker infusions every three weeks, radiation in two weeks, and going back to work next week. As she problem solves how to fit daily radiation into her work routine, she recognizes a new and deeper...2022-11-1733 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 146: Covid Ruins Everything Again [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]After Natasha and friends travel to Mexico to celebrate the end of chemo, it’s her turn to catch COVID which delays her lumpectomy surgery for a week. Her nerves are shot from constant fear of the unknown. Because there’s nothing visible on her most recent mammogram, she worries they’ll find all kinds of horrors during surgery and with chemo behind her she’s scared the tumor will grow back.LinksSupport the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribeAbo...2022-11-0329 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 111: Covid Ruins Everything [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]Thanks to the incredible cold cap technology, Desert Essence shampoo, and seldomly using a brush, after six rounds of chemo Natasha still has her hair. Meanwhile, everything else is falling apart. Plans to celebrate at a fancy restaurant are wrecked when her date gets COVID and none of her friends can go. An insurance snafu just 2 days before her last chemo causes her to run out of Zofran and getting a refill requires some creativity. Natasha has another MRI to see if the chemo worked, and realizes only after reading the results alone that if it had been bad news...2022-10-2729 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 100: Fake Celebrations & IV Hydration [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]With five sessions down, Natasha feels less like a nurse and more like a patient. Her final chemo treatment is next Wednesday, and the planned end-of-chemo celebration feels fake because surgery and radiation are still ahead. Because food tastes even worse than before, she lives off rice and beans. To keep the weight loss from further eroding her self esteem, she downloads an app to send her daily affirmations.LinksSupport the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/newsletter/About Breast...2022-10-2022 minBreast Cancer StoriesThings You Need For Surgery with Dana DonofreeDana Donofree & Kristen outline the essential shopping list for surgery and recovery, from what to bring to the hospital through the different stages of recovery. Support the podcast by ordering your AnaOno favorites through our links! As an affiliate of AnaOno, we earn a few dollars if you purchase any items and our listeners also get 15% off with the promo code STORIES15.LinksSee Dana and Kristen's full list of things you need: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/blog/yay-its-october/Shop Ana Ono Intimates https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1388189&u=3242014&m=90154&urllink=&afftrack=2022-10-1346 min
Feedback with EarBuds: The Podcast Recommendation PodcastWhen Someone You Love Has Breast Cancer: Podcast RecommendationsWelcome to Feedback with EarBuds, the podcast recommendation podcast. Our newsletter brings you five podcast recommendations each week according to a theme, and curated by a different person. Our podcast is an audio version of the newsletter.Subscribe to the newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/cIcBuHThis week's theme is When Someone You Love Has Breast Cancer. The curators are Eva Sheie and Kristen Vengler.Why did Eva and Kristen choose this theme? "Since 1 in 8 women in the U.S. is diagnosed with breast cancer, every one of us will know someone with it...2022-10-0512 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 79: How to Win Yourself a Trip to Urgent Care [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]After her 3rd chemo, Natasha is too tired to eat. All food loses its flavor and only texture remains, so peaches and sushi taste the same. She becomes so dehydrated that she wins herself a trip to urgent care for fluids. Wondering if she metabolizes chemo more slowly than others, she plans to set a hydration date after the next infusion. She used to tell her chemo patients that they’d react to each chemo treatment the same way, but learns in yet another horrible discovery as the nurse-turned-patient that nothing could be further from the truth. On the bright si...2022-09-2925 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 43: Things Are Unraveling [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]Natasha attempts a somewhat normal life by continuing to work and dating someone new. But behind the scenes, things are unraveling. She receives news about the alarming masses on her liver and thyroid. After her second chemo, unusual and disturbing side effects lead her to wonder how many other unexpected surprises are headed her way.LinksSupport the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribeAbout Breast Cancer StoriesBreast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at...2022-09-2232 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 20: Oh Wait, It Might Be Stage 4 [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]Horrific acid reflux is keeping Natasha up at night. None of the remedies recommended by her doctors make a difference, except for handy dandy marijuana. Radiology detects spots on her liver and thyroid and calls her in for an emergency MRI. The oncologist explains that if the liver lesions are looked at and she actually has stage four, her chemo treatment is completely wrong. When her doctors recommend 30 minute daily walks, Natasha adopts Pippa, who is already a light in her life as a companion blissfully unaware of her cancer. She feels as if she has an unfair advantage by...2022-09-1536 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 1: Chemotherapy and Cold Caps [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]On the eve of her first chemotherapy infusion, Natasha hauls a pile of new prescriptions home and questions why so much harm must be done to be “healthy” again. After meeting her oncologist Dr. Chen, a specialist in HER-2 positive breast cancer, the clinical trial that originally sounded promising turned out not to be a good fit, leading to a much less invasive chemo recipe consisting of Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin, and Perjeta spaced three weeks apart, but thankfully no need for Taxol. To save her hair from falling out, Natasha’s dad graciously volunteers to cover the cost of cold caps...2022-09-0935 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 0, Part 2: The Pathologist Never Calls With Good News [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]As a nurse, it was easy for Natasha to think of all the things the almond-sized lump in her armpit could be other than cancer, so she moved along with her busy life. When she realized it was not going away, her doctor sent her for a mammogram. It took six weeks to get there and then her busy schedule delayed it again. The mammogram saw nothing in either breast, but since they could see it and feel it, they sent her for an ultrasound. When the pathologist called, she knew it was bad news before she even answered the...2022-09-0140 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 0: I Found My Own Tumor and Ignored It [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]While leading a Doctors Without Borders mission in Malawi, Natasha’s husband of 25 years blindsided her by ending their marriage in a text message. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually with the help of her friends she pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either brea...2022-08-2524 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 549: If This Is What Kills Me, At Least I Lived a Good Life [Kristen Vengler]Persistent foot pain caused by chemo forces Kristen to spend hours each day on physical therapy, taping, and stretching her feet at home. Wowing her friends with her ingenuity, she reveals that flesh-colored socks with the toes cut out are the trick to wearing flip flops to a wedding. A few weeks before her final reconstructive surgery in a moment of darkness she candidly asks, “if this is what kills me, have I lived a good life?” Answering this question leads her to reflect on just how much her perspective has changed through this experience. If someone you love has canc...2022-08-0426 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 526: The Last Night Before The Last Surgery [Kristen Vengler]On the eve of the final reconstructive surgery, which coincides with the 1-year anniversary of her mastectomy, Kristen reflects on how far she’s come and how many things are different from what she expected. Finally relenting to the damage in her feet, she applies for a handicapped placard and shares her relief over no longer having to schlep across enormous parking lots while protecting her chemo toe and tolerating persistent pain in her feet. While looking forward to the final surgery and excited about the aesthetic part of the surgery, there’s a lingering sadness over how far she stil...2022-07-0827 minBreast Cancer StoriesThings to Know Before You “Just Get a Port” with Dr. Aaron FrittsThe list of things to do before starting chemo includes the seemingly ordinary task of getting a port (sometimes called a medi-port). Get your blood work, pick up groceries, wash the car, get a port… But port placement is actually surgery and being unprepared for the procedure can result in some unpleasant surprises or unexpected pain.
Interventional radiologist Dr. Aaron Fritts explains the procedure and answers our questions about ports, including a step-by-step walk through of the surgery, the options for sedation, and what you can and can’t do with a port.
Before you get...2022-06-3040 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 463: Porn Star Sized Breast Implants Were Never On My Bucket List [Kristen Vengler]Six weeks after the (evil) expanders are out and new 700cc “porn-star-sized” breast implants are in, Kristen shares what it feels like to be on the other side of the painfully long process of stretching her skin to make room for the permanent replacements. After falling into the bushes while climbing the path to her beloved apartment near the beach, she faces the harsh realization that her body is not going to be back to “normal” anytime soon. Because hormone blockers cause brittle bones, Kristen can’t risk even the slightest injury and the challenges with the uphill driveway and steep step...2022-06-2318 minBreast Cancer StoriesTwo Nurses Turned Patients: Author Theresa Brown, RN & Natasha Curry, NPAs a nurse, you never truly understand the level of terror your patients are experiencing until you become one yourself. New York Times best-selling author Theresa Brown, RN, shares her breast cancer treatment journey along with details about her new book, “Healing.” Diagnosed with breast cancer in fall of 2017, Theresa underwent a lumpectomy and four weeks of radiation before starting Tamoxifen, which ruined her life for three and a half years before she quit.With our Season 2 Breast Cancer Stories co-host Natasha Curry, we uncover similarities and surprising differences in treatment as nurses-turned-patients. We were shocked to discover that...2022-06-1537 minBreast Cancer StoriesNatasha’s Story: Nurse Becomes Patient [Season 2 Trailer]Natasha Curry is not your everyday average nurse. As a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, she cares for the poorest and most vulnerable at what is often the most challenging time of their lives. Many patients are homeless and also struggling with substance abuse and mental illness, in addition to cancer and other life-limiting diseases. It’s tough and heart-breaking work.Last year, while leading a Doctors Without Borders cervical cancer mission in Malawi, Natasha’s husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for...2022-06-1406 minBreast Cancer StoriesBeating Lymphedema with Lymphatic Massage Expert Christine Galione, MSPT, CLTWhen and if lymph nodes have to be removed in the course of breast cancer treatment, lymphedema is a persistent aftereffect that must be treated and cared for following surgery, sometimes for many years. Special guest and lymphedema specialist Christine Galione, MSPT, CLT is a physical therapist and expert lymphatic massage practitioner at Scripps Memorial La Jolla who has been helping breast cancer patients with lymphedema therapy since 2004. Christine helps us understand what the lymph system does, how it functions, and the issues that can arise after removing them, including: What cording is and how they treat it When to...2022-05-2739 minBreast Cancer StoriesThings You Need for Radiation with Jen DelvauxTo help make radiation go a little better, Kristen teams up with guest Jen Delvaux to talk about their radiation experiences and share the little things that made them more comfortable. Most women head into radiation not knowing the process or what to expect. Intimidating machines, tattoos, buzzing noises, orders about how to move (or not move) are overwhelming. Taking a backseat to treatment needs are ease and comfort—not that anything about radiation is particularly comfortable. If you’re also recovering from surgery, motion is limited and dressing in ANY clothing is a challenge. Whether you’re just starting or are...2022-05-1347 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 422: The Weight is Off My Chest [Kristen Vengler]It’s the day after Kristen’s surgery to replace her expanders with permanent breast implants, and she’s already feeling much better. For the last 33 weeks, Kristen lived with a constant 2-4 pain level from the uncomfortable and awkward expanders. Today her chest looks normal again, even if it will never feel the same. Kristen trusted her plastic surgeon Dr. Sal Pacella to choose the size and shape of implant that looked best in her body, and was amused to find out that she is the proud owner of Mentor 700cc high profile silicone gel implants, also known as “porn sta...2022-04-2822 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 420: Goodbye Franken-Boobs [Kristen Vengler]It’s the night before Kristen’s implant exchange surgery. After 9 long months, the painful, lopsided tissue expanders will be replaced with silicone gel breast implants and her constant pain will come to an end. At her pre-op appointment with Dr. Pacella, Kristen imagines choosing the new boobs will be like walking into a candy store and exploring an array of breast implants. Adding to the already full plate of post-chemo and post-radiation health issues, a series of surprisingly bad effects from the Zometa infusion leave her wondering what’s temporary and what’s regular living now? At an appointment with her...2022-04-2124 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 403: What They Don’t Tell You About Hormone Blockers [Kristen Vengler]Nobody told Kristen just how horrible the side effects from the hormone blockers would be. The neuropathy in her feet causes her to walk like an old woman and she struggles with simple, everyday movement like standing up from the couch or walking up stairs. To combat calcium loss from the hormone blockers, Kristen has a Zometa infusion which causes severe and prolonged side effects, prompting Dr. Ali to order a CT and setting off a cascade of anxiety while wondering if the cancer has returned. But you know Kristen. She's not giving up without a fight.Other...2022-04-0834 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 365: I'm Still Here [Kristen Vengler]Kristen returns to Austin during the holidays to help a friend recover from surgery, clear out the last of her old things from the storage unit, and close the door on 26 years of her life. A stinky side effect leads us to invent a new dance move, and in honor of the 1 year anniversary of Kristen’s diagnosis, we attempt a round of rapid fire questions which completely backfires thanks to “chemo brain.”LinksSupport the Breast Cancer Stories podcast https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/breastcancerstoriesMeet Kristen’s doctors: surgical oncologist Dr. Louis Rivera (https...2022-03-2428 minBreast Cancer StoriesDeconstructing Kristen’s Breast Reconstruction with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella (Part 2)In part 2 of our conversation with plastic surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella, we go behind the doors of the operating room to understand how the team functions and learn some surprising things about surgery. Looking back on Kristen’s extraordinary pain in the hours following surgery, we get real answers about how and why her pain was so extreme and what could have been done differently. Dr. Pacella walks us through what to expect during the exchange surgery and subsequent nipple reconstruction coming up soon.Learn more about Dr. Salvatore Pacella https://www.drpacella.com/ Follow Dr. Pacella on In...2022-03-1022 minBreast Cancer StoriesDeconstructing Kristen’s Breast Reconstruction with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella (Part 1)Kristen’s plastic surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella joins us to deconstruct her breast reconstruction and help us understand his strategy for the multi-stage approach in which the expanders are placed at the time of mastectomy and replaced with breast implants following radiation. We ask all the unanswered burning questions, including whether he can even recognize Kristen with her clothes on and how the recent consumer trend of moving fat to increase the size of one’s rear end has had a positive impact on reconstructive surgery. From the decisions made at the beginning of the process, to the ignorant things peop...2022-03-0327 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 301: Another Day in the Valley [Kristen Vengler]Two months after radiation, Kristen’s chest isn’t looking like such a hot mess anymore. But in mental health terms, we’re in the valley now and nobody knows how deep or wide that valley will be. Kristen learns the hard way what happens if she misses a dose or two of her hormone blockers, and explains what her physical therapist is doing to prevent lymphedema. We wonder about past decisions like using birth control pills and estradiol patches and theorize about whether some dumb lifestyle choices combined with the traumatic events of 3-4 years ago caused her breast cancer...2022-02-1722 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 248: Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again [Kristen Vengler]Despite increasing pain and burns from the most recent round of radiation, Kristen manages to keep up with work and spend time with a friend at the beach. With only five days left until the end of radiation and “no evidence of disease,” surely there’s a celebration in store? On one hand, yes, and maybe even a silly Halloween costume in the works. On the other hand, one does not just bounce back after breast cancer and Kristen is surprised to find that she’s never going back to who she was before. We confront the hardest question yet… how do you...2022-01-2828 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 198: Why I Decided to Have Radiation [Kristen Vengler]Weary and desperate for a break in the relentlessness of breast cancer treatment, Kristen makes the decision whether or not to proceed with radiation. While the medical team followed a tight protocol during chemo and surgery, suddenly now to receive advice, statistics, or data she has to ask the right person and the right questions to inform her next steps. Kristen describes the first radiation appointment, which is not a treatment but a team of “nerds” including a physicist who painstakingly measure and permanently mark her body with tiny dot tattoos. Like the laser dance scene from Oceans Twelve, the tatt...2022-01-1338 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 176: This Is Not The Outcome We Wanted [Kristen Vengler]Kristen goes into the operating room hopeful that this milestone is the end of her cancer, but wakes up ten hours later realizing the number of drains in her chest means the worst possible outcome. The next morning she learns that 11 lymph nodes were removed for testing, which means it’s probably not over and she went through chemo for nothing. Communication missteps, pain control issues, and brain fog added to the challenges of the hospital stay. While recovering and waiting two long weeks for those biopsy results, Kristen theorizes about what may have caused her cancer and discovers the br...2021-12-3032 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 160: What Snacks Do You Bring to a Double Mastectomy? [Kristen Vengler]How do you prepare to have a part of your body removed forever? What snacks do you bring to a double mastectomy? For Kristen, the list starts with a good pillowcase, her Anna Ono robe, her softest Kyte Baby jammies, slippers, her YETI cup, and shirts with places for drains. As her surgery date approaches, it’s not the loss of her breasts that makes her fall apart sobbing, it’s imagining herself unable to pick up the baby she nannies for the next 2 months.Now enjoy a haiku in memoriam of Kristen’s original boobs:Kristen battle...2021-12-1617 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 151: How I Got Mentally Ready For A Double Mastectomy [Kristen Vengler]Kristen readies herself for the impending double mastectomy and reflects on her original thought process in which the bad old boobs are swapped for good new boobs and that’s the end. While watching Nightbirde, a young, single woman with cancer on America’s Got Talent, she realizes that the absence of people or material things cannot control her happiness.Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribeWatch Nightbirde on America’s Got Talent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJvBfoHDk0)Meet Kristen’s doctors: surgical oncologist Dr. Louis Rivera (https://www.scri...2021-12-0213 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 131: I Regret Not Noticing This Sooner [Kristen Vengler]Kristen is exhausted and ready to be done with chemo. When Scripps' entire computer system goes down from a ransomware attack, her appointments come to a screeching halt. A chemotherapy session is delayed by a day, but the frustration is short-lived as she realizes her brother can be there to see her ring the bell. Chemotherapy comes to an end, and Kristen’s attention shifts toward the looming double mastectomy and reconstruction. As she moves out of her beloved beach house while desperately ill, a friend comes to the rescue to help organize and finish the awkward transition. Even in th...2021-11-1221 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 77: Did the Tumor Shrink? [Kristen Vengler]After 11 long weeks of chemotherapy we’re at the clinic to see Dr. Ali, the oncologist. Kristen is hopeful because she can see her tumor and it appears on the surface like it’s getting smaller. But the only true measure of whether the tumor has grown is the MRI, and Dr. Ali delivers the news. Kristen can’t shake the question of why shrinking the tumor even matters if it’s going to be removed with surgery in a few weeks. She forces herself into a different mindset about treatment. In this episode, we go with Kristen to the actual a...2021-11-0518 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 60: Strange Chemo Side Effects That Nobody Tells You About [Kristen Vengler]Kristen adjusts to Taxol, the drug used in the second phase of chemotherapy, which brings bizarre side effects requiring special booties and mittens to prevent permanent nerve damage in her hands and feet. Her beachfront living arrangement is upended, and while moving is stressful, her home is replaced with an even better beachfront home through the generosity of a friend. Being single, having cancer, and wondering if you’re going to die alone is scary. As the days go by, it becomes clear who’s really in her corner for the long haul.Subscribe to our newsletter here: http...2021-10-2818 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 28: This Might Be What Kills Me [Kristen Vengler]4 weeks after starting chemo, the “new normal” is here. Kristen describes what it feels like to have no hair and as the physical effects of chemo present new challenges, she realizes that breast cancer could be what ends her life. Kristen’s ongoing determination to quickly learn as much as she can about her situation leads to weird facts about real hair vs. nylon wigs and practical information for navigating nonprofits to qualify for financial support. Ever the Pollyanna, she remains hell bent on approaching each day with positivity and courage as the chemo wears her body down.Subscr...2021-10-2120 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 13: Why I Cut All My Hair Off 3 Days Before it Fell Out [Kristen Vengler]At the end of the day following Kristen’s 2nd chemo treatment, she recalls her dream the previous night and describes how her hair hurts. Between the first and second chemo treatments, several surprise infections appeared along with disappointment over how quickly her formerly iron-clad immune system failed. While adjusting to all these strange happenings within her body, she decides to cut her hair before it has a chance to fall out, resulting in the comical realization that with short hair she looks like her son and a surprise boost of self-confidence. When a deeply meaningful gift from a dear fr...2021-10-0832 minBreast Cancer StoriesDay 1: How My Doctor Missed My Breast Cancer Symptoms [Kristen Vengler]When Kristen noticed her right nipple felt different, her first thought was "what the F is this?" Her second thought was that her life was about to change. So she did what everyone does in this situation... she jumped out of the shower, went to Google, and diagnosed herself with a rare form of breast cancer called Paget’s Disease.But Google’s never right about these things, so a few days later when the radiologist suggested a biopsy for Paget’s, shit got real. Overnight, life became a tightly-woven schedule of appointments wedged between work: a biopsy, an MRI...2021-09-3037 min