Breast Cancer Stories
56 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsBreast Cancer Stories is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer or love someone who has, this podcast is here to help you through the shock of diagnosis and treatment.
The first season of Breast Cancer Stories follows Kristen Vengler, a 56 year old single empty nester in San Diego, from her diagnosis of hormone positive breast cancer through chemotherapy, double mastectomy & breast reconstruction, radiation, and whatever happens after that. In 2020, Kristen moved from Austin to San Diego to start her life over after a life-shattering workplace trauma. A few months later she had that terrifying moment in the shower we all hope we never have.
The second season follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, throughout her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Like Kristen, Natasha was working to overcome a massively traumatic event at the time of her diagnosis. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. 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 breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Kristen Update: The Last of the Post-Treatment Horrors and Indignities (We Hope)
February 09, 2023 17:00 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBAfter 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 podca...
Day 295: The Trauma Has Made Me Softer
January 26, 2023 05:00 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBNatasha 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 ...
Day 246: Here, Have Another Biopsy
January 05, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MBAfter 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 pa...
Day 203: I Still Choose to Show Up
December 15, 2022 11:00 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBThe 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 ...
Day 175: Healthcare Nonsense and Red Tape
December 01, 2022 05:00 - 42 minutes - 59 MBNatasha 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 ...
Day 160: Cancer Free But Now What?
November 17, 2022 17:00 - 33 minutes - 46.7 MBIt’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 sol...
Day 146: Covid Ruins Everything Again
November 03, 2022 15:00 - 29 minutes - 28.4 MBAfter 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. Links Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ ...
Day 111: Covid Ruins Everything
October 27, 2022 15:00 - 29 minutes - 28 MBThanks 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 re...
Day 100: Fake Celebrations & IV Hydration
October 20, 2022 15:00 - 22 minutes - 21.5 MBWith 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. Links Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriesp...
Things You Need For Surgery with Dana Donofree
October 13, 2022 18:00 - 46 minutes - 43.4 MBDana 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. Links See Dana and Kristen's full list of things you need: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/blog/yay-its-oct...
Day 79: How to Win Yourself a Trip to Urgent Care
September 29, 2022 15:00 - 25 minutes - 24.8 MBAfter 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-...
Day 43: Things Are Unraveling
September 22, 2022 15:00 - 32 minutes - 31.2 MBNatasha 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. Links Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancersto...
Day 20: Oh Wait, It Might Be Stage 4
September 15, 2022 15:00 - 36 minutes - 34.4 MBHorrific 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 compa...
Day 1: Chemotherapy and Cold Caps
September 08, 2022 23:00 - 35 minutes - 33.3 MBOn 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. ...
Day 0, Part 2: The Pathologist Never Calls With Good News
September 01, 2022 15:00 - 40 minutes - 38.2 MBAs 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 befor...
Day 0, Part 2: The Pathologist Never Calls With Good News
September 01, 2022 11:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBAs 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 bef...
Day 0: I Found My Own Tumor and Ignored It
August 25, 2022 17:00 - 24 minutes - 24 MBWhile 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 Nata...
Day 0: I Found My Own Tumor and Ignored It
August 25, 2022 13:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBWhile 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 Nata...
Day 549: If This Is What Kills Me, At Least I Lived a Good Life
August 04, 2022 18:00 - 26 minutes - 25.6 MBPersistent 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 ...
If This Is What Kills Me, At Least I Lived a Good Life
August 04, 2022 14:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBPersistent 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 mu...
Day 526: The Last Night Before The Last Surgery
July 08, 2022 20:00 - 27 minutes - 26.1 MBOn 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 e...
The Last Night Before The Last Surgery
July 08, 2022 16:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBOn 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...
Things to Know Before You “Just Get a Port” with Dr. Aaron Fritts
June 30, 2022 11:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBThe 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...
Day 463: Porn Star Sized Breast Implants Were Never On My Bucket List
June 23, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes - 18.3 MBSix 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, Kri...
Two Nurses Turned Patients: Author Theresa Brown, RN & Natasha Curry, NP
June 15, 2022 15:30 - 37 minutes - 35.9 MBAs 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 Cance...
Two Nurses Turned Patients: Author Theresa Brown, RN & Natasha Curry, NP
June 15, 2022 11:30 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBAs 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 Canc...
Natasha’s Story: Nurse Becomes Patient [Season 2 Trailer]
June 13, 2022 23:00 - 6 minutes - 6.94 MBNatasha 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, ...
Beating Lymphedema with Lymphatic Massage Expert Christine Galione, MSPT, CLT
May 27, 2022 14:00 - 39 minutes - 37.8 MBWhen 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 syst...
Things You Need for Radiation with Jen Delvaux
May 13, 2022 19:00 - 47 minutes - 44.6 MBTo 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 a...
Day 422: The Weight is Off My Chest
April 28, 2022 15:00 - 22 minutes - 21.7 MBIt’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 ...
Day 420: Goodbye Franken-Boobs
April 21, 2022 15:00 - 24 minutes - 23.9 MBIt’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 ...
Day 420: Goodbye Franken-Boobs
April 21, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIt’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 effect...
Day 403: What They Don’t Tell You About Hormone Blockers
April 08, 2022 11:45 - 34 minutes - 32.5 MBNobody 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...
Day 365: I'm Still Here
March 24, 2022 15:00 - 28 minutes - 27.3 MBKristen 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.” Links Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/breastcance...
Deconstructing Kristen’s Breast Reconstruction with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella (Part 2)
March 10, 2022 19:00 - 22 minutes - 21.4 MBIn 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 co...
Deconstructing Kristen’s Breast Reconstruction with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Salvatore Pacella (Part 1)
March 03, 2022 17:00 - 27 minutes - 26.3 MBKristen’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 ...
Day 301: Another Day in the Valley
February 17, 2022 17:00 - 22 minutes - 22.1 MBTwo 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 choi...
Day 248: Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again
January 28, 2022 17:00 - 28 minutes - 26.9 MBDespite 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 bef...
Day 198: Why I Decided to Have Radiation
January 13, 2022 17:00 - 38 minutes - 36.7 MBWeary 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...
Day 198: Why I Decided to Have Radiation
January 13, 2022 12:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBWeary 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 painstakingl...
Day 176: This Is Not The Outcome We Wanted
December 30, 2021 17:00 - 32 minutes - 30.8 MBKristen 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 f...
Day 160: What Snacks Do You Bring to a Double Mastectomy?
December 16, 2021 17:00 - 17 minutes - 17.6 MBHow 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 Kri...
Day 151: How I Got Mentally Ready For A Double Mastectomy
December 02, 2021 17:00 - 13 minutes - 13.3 MBKristen 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/subscribe Watch Nightbirde on America’s Got Talent (https://ww...
Day 151: How I Got MENTALLY Ready For A Double Mastectomy
December 02, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBKristen 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. Links Watch Nightbirde on America’s Got Talent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJvBfoHDk0) Other Links Meet Kristen’s doctors: surgical ...
Day 131: I Regret Not Noticing This Sooner
November 12, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutes - 20.5 MBKristen 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 ...
Day 131: Compare Your Nipples
November 12, 2021 12:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBKristen 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 desperatel...
Day 77: Did the Tumor Shrink?
November 05, 2021 01:00 - 18 minutes - 18.3 MBAfter 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 epis...
Day 77: Disappointing Tumor Update
November 04, 2021 21:00 - 18 minutes - 17 MBAfter 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 e...
Day 60: Strange Chemo Side Effects That Nobody Tells You About
October 28, 2021 15:00 - 18 minutes - 17.7 MBKristen 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...
Day 60: Booties, Mittens, and Full Body Itching
October 28, 2021 11:00 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBKristen 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 clea...