October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so we’re shining the spotlight on survivors all month long. Beth Wankerl is a survivor from Madison, WI. Read her story below.

    1. When were you diagnosed and at what age?

    October 2007 at the age of 41

    2. How was the cancer initially detected? (i.e. through a BSE, a CBE or an annual mammogram)

    I went to urgent care with unilateral bleeding in July. I was seen by a male doctor who didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about and was sent home.

    3. How did you feel when you first received the news?

    The worst part was waiting for the biopsy results. After I learned I had cancer, I was devastated for about 24 hours. Then I decided it was up to me to fight through what I needed to do to survive.

    4. Is there a family history of breast cancer?

    No.

    5. Did you have a support network? If not, how did you overcome it or find it?

    I tried a women’s breast cancer group and was immediately “turned off”. It was a pity party and consisted of comparing pathology reports. Not for me. I used exercise to cope. I ran a full marathon 165 days after my last chemo.

    6. Tell us about your treatment process.

    First, mastectomy with an expander installation for future reconstruction. This hurt horribly. Then it was 3 different “cocktails” which consisted of 3 rounds of each 2 weeks apart. I was always wiped out 2-3 days after the treatment. And then it compounded after each treatment. During this time DO NOT eat your favorite food. You’ll never eat it again.

    7. Did you face any obstacles during your treatment process? If so, how did you overcome these obstacles?

    I didn’t miss work during this time. It was hard, but I pushed through it. Again, exercise helped.

    8. How long have you been in remission or cancer free?

    13 1/2 years with annual check ups and mammograms.

    9. What message would you like to provide women in the community?

    You need to be your own advocate. I should have trusted my instincts when I was sent home from urgent care. If I wouldn’t have had a scheduled mammogram 3 months after my urgent care visit, the outcome could have been very different.

    You can’t compare yourself to others. Just because someone else doesn’t have severe reactions doesn’t make you exempt. Focus on your treatment and respect your prognosis.

    Lastly, I realized early on that you need to repeat yourself at every appointment. During the intake process at every appointment they ask what meds you are taking, symptoms, etc. I would have thought this history would have been reviewed by each health care professional. Not necessarily. In my case, I was taking medication that I wasn’t instructed to discontinue after my diagnosis. My sister, a registered nurse, discovered this and had me mention to my oncologist which he immediately instructed me to discontinue.

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