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Sheena's Battle with Breast Cancer and Empowering Lessons for Moms
Welcome back to another episode of The Mom-entum Podcast! I’m your host, Tanya Valentine, and today, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m joined by my best friend, Sheena Giordano, who is not only a mom of two beautiful girls but also a breast cancer survivor.
In this episode, Sheena shares her deeply personal journey—from discovering her first symptom, to her diagnosis at the young age of 31, to her treatment and recovery. As a mom of a 1-year-old and 3-year-old at the time, Sheena had to navigate the emotional and physical challenges of breast cancer while still being present for her family. She reflects on how important it is to listen to your gut, do regular self-exams, and advocate for yourself, even if it means getting a second opinion.
We dive into how we, as moms, often gaslight ourselves and ignore warning signs because we feel we don’t have time. But Sheena’s story serves as a powerful reminder that taking care of yourself isn’t just worth it—it’s necessary. The time you take for self-care could end up being the most important time of all… your life.
In addition to sharing her personal story, Sheena offers guidance and encouragement for anyone going through a similar experience. If you’d like to reach out to her for support or ask any questions, you can find her on Instagram at @sheen56.
In this episode, we discuss:
• The symptom that led Sheena to seek medical treatment.
• What it was like to be diagnosed with breast cancer at 31.
• The treatment and recovery process while being a mom to young children.
• The importance of trusting your instincts and advocating for your health.
• How we moms often neglect ourselves, and why self-care should be a priority.
Resources Mentioned:
• How to perform a breast self-exam
• How often should you be screened for breast cancer/breast cancer screening guidelines:
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Sponsor Shoutouts:
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A huge thank you to all the amazing businesses that supported the breast cancer awareness event I attended last week, hosted by my cousin Nicole and her newly launched foundation, Organized Angels (@organized.angels). This was the first of what I believe will be many impactful events she puts on. They are going to do so much good in the world, and I’m excited to witness it and hopefully help out with future events as well!
• Kendra Alley from Barre Alley @barrealley: Offering virtual Barre classes. Check out her Instagram for updates and free classes on her YouTube channel.
• Fungtion (@letsfungtion)(website: letsfungtion.com): Selling functional mushroom supplements for energy, focus, and calm, plus some amazing merchandise. Their sweatsuit is my go-to, with its super comfy fit and convenient zipper pockets.
• Sara Justice (@sarajusticepmu): A luxury cosmetic tattoo artist based in Atlanta. If you’re in the area and looking for eyebrow or eyelash enhancements, Sara is your girl!
• Amber Klein (@heart.centered.journey) : A massage therapist offering somatic bodywork and breathwork. Her chair massage at the event was beyond relaxing.
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@jusgetsfit @bondiboost @charettecosmetics @cleanskinclub @cymbiotika @drinkpoppi @elemis @kinfield @lesserevilsnacks @drinklmnt @olaplex @thepatchbrand @setactive @smartsweets @weezieatlanta @skin_pharm @regenmd_
Thank you to everyone who made this event a success! You can find more information about each of the sponsors by clicking on the corresponding links!
Tune in for this inspiring conversation and take away the reminder that your health and well-being matter. Don’t forget to do your self-exams, get regular checkups, and most importantly, trust yourself!
FREE RESOURCES
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TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Mom-entum podcast, the show dedicated to inspiring, uplifting and empowering women on their journey through motherhood. I’m your host, Tanya Valentine, and I’m so excited you are here with me today. So I’m now officially on my biweekly schedule of releasing new episodes, meaning I will be releasing new episodes every other week instead of the previous weekly schedule. I hope you all will continue to listen and it is my promise to you that I will always be here for support, guidance, love, whatever you need, don’t hesitate to reach out.
I also want to give a big shout out and thank you to my cousin Nicole, who invited me to be apart of the breast cancer awareness event she hosted yesterday (which at the time this podcast airs it will have been a week ago). But she put on the most amazing event. And so much thought and detail was put into it from the back drop to the decorations, and the activities she had planned for everyone to the food. It was all amazing! And a big shout out to all of the vendors and the sponsors who donated the money, time, effort and products for this event, you all are amazing and generous and a big thank you to you.
I’ll be sure to include these businesses in the show notes for this episode but off the top of my head Kendra ALLEY was there from Barre Alley, make sure you follow her, she teaches virtual Barre classes which you will find her stuff on her IG but she was saying that she plans on posting more free classes on her YouTube channel. So if she hasn’t already started doing that, keep an eye out for that because I know you will love her and you will get such a good work out, but it’s not like running or anything that’s hard on your joints, it’s more like for lenghtening and sculpting your body I would say.
And then fungtion was there. They sell functional mushroom supplements for energy, focus and libido, as well as a separate elixir that’s for calming, and heart opening, they also have really cool merchandise. The sweatsuit I have from them is actually my favorite pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that match. They are first of all, super comfortable, and second of all I love the look of them. My favorite thing about them are the pockets, the sweatpants have zipper pockets and the sweatshirt even has a zipper pocket for your phone, which is super convenient.
So they were there, who else? Sara Justice was there, she lives in ATL (which that’s where the event was BTW) but she does luxury cosmetic tattoos, and I was able to speak with her and get to know her a little bit and she is absolutely beautiful inside and out, and she gave me some excellent recommendations for my eyebrows and eyelashes which I am so grateful for. She told me about these products I can use to help my eyelashes and eyebrows grow thicker, so if you're interested in knowing the name of those products just send me a DM and I’ll let you know. And if you are in the Atlanta area and looking for cosmetic tattoes, Sara Justice is your girl, go find her. Also, I had the most relaxing chair massage by Amber Klein. She does massage, somatic body work, breath work and so much more.
As I said, I will post everyone’s information and links in the show notes which you can check out by going to tanyavalentinecoaching.com/57. And if you are interested in seeing footage from the event you can find that on my IG and FB page.
Now, onto today’s show. So speaking of breast cancer awareness, in honor of this being breast cancer awareness month I asked my best friend, Sheena, who is a Mom of 2 girls and breast cancer survivor, to come on the show and share her story. She was so generous with her time, squeezing this in while her daughter’s were in dance class. And I’m so appreciative that she took the time to do this. This is such an important topic to both Sheena and myself, and we hope that whoever listens to this episode walks away feeling empowered enough to make the decisions that will ultimately lead to the best outcomes for their health.
In this episode Sheena shares what it was like for her to receive the diagnosis at the age of 31 when her girls were only 1 and 3, and she shares the importance of advocating for yourself, listening to your gut, and not being afraid to get a second opinion. Let me just stress that the intention of this episode is not to instill fear. I mean Sheena was diagnosed so young.
However, she was able to catch it early enough that she was able to ensure the best outcome possible, she has her life, she didn’t need chemo, and she is healthy today 5 years later.
But really what we want women to know is, you are not alone, and if you suspect something, you are worth taking the time to take care of yourself. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Go for your regular check ups, and do your self examinations, I mean not obsessively that this becomes the focus of your attention. But just be aware and know that you are worth taking the time to take care of yourself.
Alright, without further ado, here’s my conversation with my beautiful, bold friend, Sheena Giordano.
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Tanya: All right, Sheena. Ready? All right, Sheena! Welcome to the momentum. Podcast thank you. So so much for coming on today.
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Sheena Giordano: Thank you so much for having me.
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Tanya: I appreciate you taking the time to do this, and on a Saturday.
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Sheena Giordano: Anytime.
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Tanya: Yeah, it's class absolutely
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Tanya: alright. Well, can you 1st start by introducing yourself to the audience.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, sure. Of course, my name is Sheena. I am 38 years old. I live in Massachusetts. I have 2 girls.
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Sheena Giordano: One is 6, and one is 8, and I am married.
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Sheena Giordano: and
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Sheena Giordano: that's a little bit about who I am.
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Tanya: Yeah, and then the reason. Why? Well, 1st of all, you are my best friend. And it's been a whole year that I've been doing this podcast now. And
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Tanya: I can't believe a whole year has gone by and I haven't even had you on. But the reason why you're on today is because it is October
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Tanya: and in honor of breast cancer awareness month
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Tanya: with you being a breast cancer survivor. We were talking, and we thought it would be perfect to have you on the show and talk a little bit about your experience.
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Sheena Giordano: So I'm honored to be a guest for such
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Sheena Giordano: a big month in my life that I never knew was going to be that significant in my life. But yes, breast cancer awareness. Month is October.
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Sheena Giordano: and I thank you so much for having me as a guest. Speaker on your podcast
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Tanya: Yeah, I think this is gonna be really powerful and
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Tanya: just eye opening for the women listening. Because,
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Tanya: I think we all can fall into this way of thinking where
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Tanya: on one side of it, we might. We could worry too much about. You know the bad things that could happen.
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Tanya: And on the other side of it
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Tanya: you have this way of think or not, you. But we all have this way of thinking that you know bad things don't happen to me. They only happen to other people, or you know it.
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Tanya: That'll happen like we. I don't have to worry about that now like that is like, only that only happens to older people.
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Sheena Giordano: Right with that, like one size fits all mentality. For example, I you're supposed to get mammograms at 40, and why.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: You know, what's the logic like? Did they just throw a dart at a board and was like, alright 40 is the magic number, you know. Why not implement
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Sheena Giordano: early detection? Why not 30, you know, even if you do have dense breasts at a younger age.
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Sheena Giordano: Okay, so do the MRI. Don't do the mammogram, but for everybody with a history of without
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Sheena Giordano: had myself, had I not had a symptom
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Sheena Giordano: here, I would be roughly approaching my 40th birthday, and my life would be
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Sheena Giordano: well. I don't know. I would.
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Tanya: Don't hold.
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Sheena Giordano: Would probably be leading towards being dead, because at this point, and it sounds drastic, and it sounds like Oh, my goodness.
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Sheena Giordano: that's a little dramatic, but in my instance
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Sheena Giordano: it will, when we discovered it was everywhere, so had I just waited and let it manifest and do its thing, and just followed the protocol of 40 year old mammogram.
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Sheena Giordano: It would have been a totally different life for me, so
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Sheena Giordano: I guess the biggest message in
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Sheena Giordano: sharing with you today as well as whoever else listens is.
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Sheena Giordano: don't be afraid to go, for you know, early detection or a baseline, and I know it gets difficult because we have insurance, and then we have some doctors that don't want to push for the, you know, insurance to pay for, say, a mammogram or an MRI.
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Sheena Giordano: But why not right? What's what's the harm? And doctors know how to work insurances by this day and age you write a certain thing, and most likely it will be covered. You pay a percentage whatever, however, it factors out, but as being
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Sheena Giordano: your doctor and making sure that you know to keep your mind at ease. Just write the sentence that says, you know patient is
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Sheena Giordano: experiencing discomfort or pain, or whatever whatever is going to get it covered. So just to give your patient peace of mind, because I would think
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Sheena Giordano: from a clinical standpoint, you would want to know. You did everything for that patient because of all those. What ifs that can just.
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Sheena Giordano: Wander in your mind after the fact.
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Tanya: Right.
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Tanya: and prevent future complications and.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah.
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Tanya: It's easier
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Tanya: pro in the prevention part of it, rather than dealing with it
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Tanya: after it's gotten out of control.
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Sheena Giordano: Exactly exactly where the.
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Sheena Giordano: No return it it might just be like, Oh, let's maintain till whatever you know next happens.
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Sheena Giordano: So in my own case
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Sheena Giordano: it was, and once again, everybody who goes to medical school, or any kind of school that pertains in the medical field. We're all given books, and those books are just a general baseline of
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Sheena Giordano: potentially a good amount of things that have happened, that they can then test their theories on and then present and educate
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Sheena Giordano: their students. But same time it's limited, right? Everybody's individual. Everybody has their own story. Everything doesn't go by textbook. So a lot of times cancer, we are educated that is not associated with pain.
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Sheena Giordano: In my case
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Sheena Giordano: it was, and, thank God, it was because that is the only way. I ended up getting
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Sheena Giordano: a mammogram, and then a whole series of events after that.
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Sheena Giordano: which simply was
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Sheena Giordano: Yes, sorry.
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Tanya: No, I was. Gonna say, yeah, can you talk about how old you were and like, how did it all began like, what were your what were your symptoms.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah. So I was 31 years old. I am active. I go to the gym anywhere from 4 to times a week, 4 to 5 times a week.
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Sheena Giordano: Teach.
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Sheena Giordano: this is me at age 31 teach spinning classes. Weightlifting cardio.
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Sheena Giordano: I eat healthy, you know, of course, with the occasional
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Sheena Giordano: sweet here or there.
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Sheena Giordano: And I kept getting a sharp pain.
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Sheena Giordano: and it would go right through my nipple, and it wasn't debilitating.
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Sheena Giordano: It was me thinking like, oh, it must be coming to that time of month. I must be getting my period, or I have my period, or maybe I did too much at the gym. Too many push ups.
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Sheena Giordano: So nothing enough to me to ever think like I have breast cancer.
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Sheena Giordano: So I just remember vividly my husband and I. We were making the bed. It was, you know, in the morning.
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Sheena Giordano: and I was like, Oh, I was like I felt it again, and he simply said, Sheena, please go get checked. And of course the mom brain turns on. And you're like.
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Sheena Giordano: I don't have time. When am I gonna figure this out. Who am I gonna get to watch the kids.
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Tanya: Yeah, as Covid.
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Sheena Giordano: You know it's like that. Guilt.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Jeez. So we all do it to ourselves. But we really need to just pause for a second and be like, Yeah, but my kids need me. So if I
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Sheena Giordano: don't do something, then why so? Luckily I called
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Sheena Giordano: and explain my symptoms, and it was at Mgh.
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Sheena Giordano: Boston, the Avon breast center, they
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Sheena Giordano: right from whatever I had explained to them that I kept getting a sharp thing that would go through my nipple. They set me up automatically for an MRI,
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Sheena Giordano: not an MRI. I'm so sorry a mammogram, so I show up that day.
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Sheena Giordano: I get you know, my family to watch the 2 girls, and I show up that day positive mindset. They're just gonna tell me I pulled a muscle and everything's good, and I'm gonna walk out here no big deal. That's my mindset. I usually think, like, you know, the positive side
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Sheena Giordano: I go in. One of my really good friends is working because she's a mamo tech.
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Sheena Giordano: She was supposed to have me as a patient. She gave me to somebody else because she didn't
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Sheena Giordano: want to have bad news to tell me if it was the case, and in a sense it kind of was worked out right.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: So
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Sheena Giordano: the technician takes the memo.
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Sheena Giordano: She then says the doctor, the oncologist is going to meet with you.
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Sheena Giordano: Is it okay? If you stay. So they take me into this little cubicle private office and shut the door.
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Sheena Giordano: and they don't say I have it or I don't. They just simply say, Is it okay? If you stay for a biopsy, we saw some things on the imaging, and I just want to make sure that it's clear.
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Tanya: Oh, wait! Stop! What was going through your mind at that moment?
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Sheena Giordano: That given moment, I still was kind of like, okay, this has happened to my mom before my app before other people in my family before
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Sheena Giordano: they sleep in, especially one of my good friends has been a mammo tech for a long time, so even in her case, like
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Sheena Giordano: a lot of times you have like calc deposits, or you might have like some kind of like
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Sheena Giordano: suspicious thing. But a lot of times they'll take a biopsy. It's benign, and off you go. So still in this mindset, I'm kind of like
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Sheena Giordano: positive thinking, no big deal like, sure. Okay.
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Sheena Giordano: so I stay for the biopsy
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Sheena Giordano: and then, as I'm like
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Sheena Giordano: approaching like the biopsy room, then I think finally, like something came over me where, like, you know, just a tear came down my eye that I was like, Okay, what's going on like, you know?
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Sheena Giordano: The biopsy was not fun.
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Sheena Giordano: They, you know, have you lay on a table, and it's like this long needle that has to go like into your boob. And of course they numb you. But jeez like
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Sheena Giordano: they can't numb you that far.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: They go in. They take the biopsy Soapia. All right. Now I go home.
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Sheena Giordano: I'm waiting results.
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Sheena Giordano: This is the same day that I find out that my 6 year old
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Sheena Giordano: severely allergic to peanuts and pistachios. So here I am coming home. I'm like exhausted. I my mind is running wild.
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Sheena Giordano: I didn't eat all day, so I take like a little spoonful of peanut butter. I eat a few cashews, the little one who's 1 and a half at this time.
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Sheena Giordano: and the older ones, 3 and a half is like, Oh, can I have some? Sure?
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Sheena Giordano: I give her some now we're sitting on the couch. All of a sudden her face blows up. We're running to the emergency room.
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Tanya: Oh, my God!
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Sheena Giordano: And prednisone ambulance, pediatric emergency. Luckily, is she. Everything worked? And she resolved, within the 8 h that we had to stay at the emergency. But it was just like, you know, isn't that how life goes like? Just throw everything at you.
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Tanya: Right, yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: So crazy. So series of events waited for the results.
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Sheena Giordano: and they wanted to take a larger biopsy. So this larger biopsy required me to go for an MRI, and then also be put under this time because they wanted to take a larger biopsy
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Sheena Giordano: to make sure what they have is
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Sheena Giordano: legit, or you know, they can come to the conclusion of what it actually is. So
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Sheena Giordano: after that
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Sheena Giordano: I then wait for those results, patiently waiting for the doctor to call me
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Sheena Giordano: vividly. Remember, I'm at my Nana's house, and I get my little pop up message in my email saying, you have new test results. So obviously I open it.
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Sheena Giordano: And right back there it says.
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Sheena Giordano: you have ductal carcinoma in Situ Stage 0. That's when life just hit me right in the face. And I'm like, Oh, my God, I'm gonna die! I'm like, Oh, my God! Like cause you don't like, you know. You just see cancer. And you think that I don't know in me.
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Tanya: Scariest thing like the worst.
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Sheena Giordano: I have a 1 and a half and a 3 and a half year old.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Those are my babies like, I'm a new young mom like I'm it's too early to be taken out of their life. And for this to be happening?
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Sheena Giordano: so, needless to say.
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Sheena Giordano: the oncologist, after I called and left a message of I just got my result that I have cancer through the portal
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Sheena Giordano: she then called, could not apologize enough, and it was very straightforward. She says you have basically one option.
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Sheena Giordano: and it's to do a mastectomy.
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Sheena Giordano: and I was like, Wow, okay, I was like at this point, like, I'll do anything because this, if this is gonna give me my life like.
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Sheena Giordano: I then generate like you just do. Whatever is that the doctor says? Right.
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Tanya: What whatever it's gonna take. Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Exactly so at that point, she said, and it's up to you if you want to do a double mastectomy, or if you just want to do one. It's up to you. But at this point it's a little white dots that are everywhere
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Sheena Giordano: in your right boob.
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Sheena Giordano: and it's in the ducts. So it's ductal carcinoma, because it's in the ducts, and it's stage 0 because it has not left the ducts.
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Sheena Giordano: So no chemo, no radiation.
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Sheena Giordano: just a double. A double mastectomy is what I chose to do with reconstruction. So I did go through the double mastectomy, and then had implants placed
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Sheena Giordano: and in that like I accepted it.
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Sheena Giordano: There was moments, of course, that it hit me because they're not. And then the next phase is like, Am I gonna make it out of surgery like once again, like you know you think of all.
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Tanya: Yeah. Thanks.
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Sheena Giordano: Of course, and
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Sheena Giordano: you just go through it. So
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Sheena Giordano: I remember I go to Las Vegas every year with one of my good friends.
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Sheena Giordano: and I was like, All right, whatever I was like. Can I hold the surgery off? Because I found out, like Con confirmed in April?
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Sheena Giordano: And they said, you definitely want to do it. But I'm not saying you have to do it tomorrow, I said, well, I always go to Vegas with my best friend, I said, is it possible that I could hold off? For when I get back to Vegas from Vegas, she said, absolutely. So we go to Vegas every July
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Sheena Giordano: I had myself a grand old time. We had fun, and then I came home. I was home for like 3 days, and
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Sheena Giordano: I went in for surgery.
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Sheena Giordano: and what that entails is, they basically take out all the breast tissue inside. So you just have nothing.
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Sheena Giordano: and they place expanders with drains. The drains are to remove the fluid around. You know the expanders and and what's left, basically, just to make sure, like you don't get infection. Everything's healing nicely.
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Sheena Giordano: You have to empty the dreams once this little bag of you know, this thing fills to a certain amount.
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Sheena Giordano: and medications were like your typical narcotics
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Sheena Giordano: no antibiotics.
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Sheena Giordano: and the drains had to stand for longer than expected. I think it was 2 weeks that it was expected, and then 3 weeks. And then that's when Tanya came to save the day
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Sheena Giordano: to help me. Because you now think again. I have a 1 and a half year old and a 3 and a half year old those ages. You still want to pick your kids up and hug them and hold them.
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Sheena Giordano: I couldn't.
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Sheena Giordano: and.
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Tanya: And they need help getting into the car and getting into their crib.
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Sheena Giordano: Everything right, and then they don't understand, like, you know, I have these drains hanging off of me. But obviously I had shirts on, and I had all these little contraptions so they wouldn't hang down to, you know, below the shirt that I could like, you know, hook them onto like this necklace thing. I don't know. You just make things work. But
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Sheena Giordano: you know, when Tanya came to help me, it was a huge help, mentally.
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Sheena Giordano: because you get in a phase of like, I can't leave the house. I can't drive. I can't even hold my kids. And just to have that distraction and just to feel normal to. Oh, I'm with my best friend, Tanya. I can go out and have dinner with her, like, yeah, I have drains, but I'll hide them, you know.
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Sheena Giordano: Help me, you know, get the kids in the morning, and you know it won't be because it's her taking care of them, like you know she loves them. It's 1 of those that it was just easy when you came to help, because the love was there.
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Tanya: Yeah. Well, you had a lot of other help, too. But.
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Sheena Giordano: I was just.
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Tanya: Talk about yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: I'm like, Oh, my!
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Tanya: Yeah. Your aunt and uncle, right?
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Sheena Giordano: My aunts, my uncle, my sister, my mom, my dad I mean you name it. It was a team effort, because, for I had to be out of work for almost 3 months.
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Sheena Giordano: And just limited with everything driving. I couldn't drive, for I think it was 10 weeks.
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Sheena Giordano: so it was a lot so thank God for a family, because my sister especially, who came with me to sit with me on the couch. She made me watch this god. Awful show! Chernobyl, which was so depressing.
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Tanya: Oh, my God! I've never seen that! I would not.
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Sheena Giordano: You pick. You want me to watch this while I'm like, in this state of mind, comedy and everything which we still find but jeez, like all all in all like, thank God for the family, and also thank God for the kids, because
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Sheena Giordano: they.
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Tanya: Interaction, right.
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Sheena Giordano: Want to like.
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Tanya: You could. Just yeah, yes.
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Sheena Giordano: Thank God for my husband, because I want to also push for him because I love our family. I love our, you know, dynamic. I love everything you want to live for that. So you go through the series of the drains. Then the drains are removed. And now it's just kind of odd healing process where you go in every 3 weeks, and they fill these expanders with saline
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Sheena Giordano: because they're trying to stretch out your tissue to get you ready for implants, and some people say, Well, you already had boobs before. Why would they expand for some reason? They want you to be able, I guess
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Sheena Giordano: comfortable, and it's an easy transition if they expand your tissue, which I have to say once I got to that final stage which actually, it's coming up on the anniversary of it, which is October 12, th where I had, like my final
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Sheena Giordano: surgery, where they took out the expanders
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Sheena Giordano: And placed the implants, which was in 2019.
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Sheena Giordano: It was simple, I mean, I think I did that on like a Thursday, and I think I was back to work by like Monday or Tuesday, so I expected it.
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Tanya: Lee.
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Sheena Giordano: Severe, but because they get you ready. Everything's like straightforward. It wasn't that bad. It was easy, it was good.
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Tanya: So they took the expanders out, and did they put the implants in at the same time?
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Sheena Giordano: They did. Yeah, no. Take expanders out implants in. And because you're basically ready, of course, I went back to work, and I was very mindful like I I'm a dental hygienist. I probably should have said that. So
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Tanya: Holy.
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Sheena Giordano: Pushing of the X-ray machine. The simplest things like just to put the suction into where the suction is held.
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Sheena Giordano: Just using those muscles in your chest like you don't.
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Sheena Giordano: but they get tweaking.
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Tanya: Normally, though.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, so just those kind of things just tweaked a little bit. But I was fine, like I manage. And then everything was pretty much smooth sailing
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Sheena Giordano: sense.
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Sheena Giordano: Now going forward. My checkups don't require mammograms, because there's nothing there. If I do have some kind of issue going on, they'll do an MRI. But typically it's just annual
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Sheena Giordano: breast exams with the oncologist.
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Tanya: Okay.
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Sheena Giordano: You know, this past year ago October.
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Sheena Giordano: I was having like just a shooting pain, and I was like, Oh, shit! I was like, here we go again. I was like.
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Sheena Giordano: I really hope it's nothing.
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Sheena Giordano: I ended up going for an MRI. And one of my implants popped so there's 2 capsules as an outer capsule, and there's an inner capsule. The inner capsule popped so it wasn't like in dire need. I needed to do it
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Sheena Giordano: asap. But in the.
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Tanya: To be done.
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Sheena Giordano: So this past April 2024. I then had it changed out and put back in. So I guess the the overall picture like
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Sheena Giordano: having implants, you know whether you need them or not. It's not what it's always cracked up to be, because even when I'm sleeping, it's like having, like, you know 2 boulders underneath me.
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Sheena Giordano: I mean, I can't sleep on my belly. It's a little uncomfortable. I'm always like maneuvering myself sleeping wise but as a woman. I'm also not ready just to be like alright. Take them out. I'll be.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: It, and no boobs.
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Sheena Giordano: I like, you know, having oops. So I still would like to continue having my implants, you know, and I'll deal with my sleeping and just figure out different ways to sleep. But I guess the overall message is, don't be scared of early detection. If you are questioning something.
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Sheena Giordano: Go with it. If you feel like your doctor's not listening to you get another doctor, you know, and I know getting another doctor
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Sheena Giordano: easier said than done. But also you have to think this is a specialist. So this is referral base. So you don't need a Pcp, you're, you know, a primary care. Physician, you need, you know, say, an oncologist or
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Sheena Giordano: a place that does mammographies, or, which would be easy.
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Tanya: Yeah, usually there are breath centers.
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Sheena Giordano: Exactly. There you go, right. So you should be. It should be a little bit easier. You just need the referral. If that's how your insurance works to get into like a system where you can get into a breast center. But I guess that's mainly. Do your you know your breast exams. Mine was not palpable, so once again I would have had no idea had I not had this.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: You know.
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Tanya: That pain.
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Sheena Giordano: That it was just literally like a shooting pain that wasn't debilitating.
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Tanya: Coming back.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, it would happen like, say, maybe once every other week or so. And it was just like, Wow.
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Tanya: How long would it last for, do you remember like? Was it like a second, or like.
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Sheena Giordano: 2 seconds! Zap.
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Tanya: Really.
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Sheena Giordano: On onto the rest of my day, but it was such like a zap that you felt it in your nipple, and you know, like you just get that like gut feeling. And then, even like in the back of your throat, that you're like, Oh, my gosh! Like, what is that? It's just weird, right? I don't know. It's just it was weird and then, you know, my friend, that works in Mamo. Discussing my case with her.
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Sheena Giordano: she said. You are so lucky, you are such a rare, rare case, she said. You had so many calc deposits, which are those little white dots that we were seeing, and a lot of times they're benign and a lot of times you don't have that many. There's maybe like 4 or 5, or there's like a little cluster of them, but she's like for you to have them almost sprayed everywhere, and then also for them to be
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Sheena Giordano: Dr. Carsonoma in Situ stage 0 she was. You're such a real case, and you're so lucky that you caught it when you did so, even to hear that from her, because, you know she's behind the scenes, so she sees a lot of stuff.
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Sheena Giordano: She's 1 of my good friends, so we can, just, you know.
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Sheena Giordano: shoot the shit and just talk about stuff which.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: She has a lot of knowledge in that area that it, you know, even reconfirms like, thank goodness, I went.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Oh!
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Tanya: Can you listen to your body?
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly.
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Tanya: So I'm so glad that things turned out the way that they did. Obviously, you are too like what a blast thing! Oh, my goodness
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Tanya: exactly.
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Tanya: and I hope that somebody else can take that away from this is like, listen to your body. And.
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Tanya: like Sheena said
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Tanya: in the beginning, like she had all these things going through her mind like I don't. I'm not. Gonna how am I gonna find the time to do this? I think that we all are guilty of this, myself included. Like, I'm just like last, like, there are certain things that are a priority to me. But like.
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Tanya: but yeah, like going to see a doctor. It is not convenient in the least bit but just like, listen to your intuition, and like, think long term like you want to be here for your kids.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah.
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Tanya: And your husband, your family, everybody.
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Sheena Giordano: To live. Everybody wants to live.
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Tanya: You know.
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Sheena Giordano: I would think they would. It's like.
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Tanya: Yeah, yeah.
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Tanya: So with that, what did you learn from this experience?
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Sheena Giordano: So much.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: I guess so much, but I guess overall just as you said like, listen to your body. Don't be scared to go forward and make an appointment
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Sheena Giordano: just to get checked out.
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Sheena Giordano: And then
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Sheena Giordano: I also.
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Sheena Giordano: I'm happy that I can help people. So a lot of my patients
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Sheena Giordano: I've been seeing for years, and
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Sheena Giordano: we know so much about each other.
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Sheena Giordano: They end up turning into therapy sessions.
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Sheena Giordano: But a lot of everything I experience I can generate through my patients to one, bring awareness to them. But also, if they're going through a moment where they just got, you know.
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Sheena Giordano: not the best news in regards to something cancer related.
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Sheena Giordano: They feel like
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Sheena Giordano: when I share this right. They're not alone. They have a shoulder to lean on. They can reach out to me
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Sheena Giordano: well past. You know our appointment time.
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Tanya: That is so nice.
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Sheena Giordano: It's it's nice.
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Sheena Giordano: It's nice to be understood.
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Sheena Giordano: And then also it's nice to be
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Sheena Giordano: able to help right. And I'm not just like a bystander where I you know I knew somebody or a family member. No, I am the
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Sheena Giordano: I I've been through it.
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Tanya: Yeah, it was.
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Sheena Giordano: You know. There's all different kinds, of course, but regardless I've been through it, and I can help somebody, and that, I think, is the biggest thing overall that I'm so happy that
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Sheena Giordano: I can help you.
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Sheena Giordano: whether you want me to just listen to you. You want me to share you. My story with you, and whatever you get out of our conversation, if it helps. I'm happy, you know, and I'm happy that in some way I gave you some kind of
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Sheena Giordano: peace of mind. I guess you know.
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Tanya: Yeah, I think that that's really
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Tanya: that describes perfectly. I think
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Tanya: what I think is the reason why any of us experiences any challenge
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Tanya: is that we can
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Tanya: then help others.
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Tanya: And report back like
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Tanya: this is what I went through. You're not alone.
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Tanya: Like there is help out there. Here's what I learned so that you can maybe have a smoother path than I did
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Tanya: right? Or just
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Tanya: anything that can help like it. Just I think it helps
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Tanya: into. It's 1 thing when you know you're going through something, and you're talking to somebody who's never been through it.
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Tanya: and they're like an ear to listen. And that's wonderful. That's a beautiful thing.
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Tanya: But it's also another thing. When you're talking to somebody who has
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Tanya: been through it before.
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Tanya: It's a totally different experience, and
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Tanya: I would say, it's
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Tanya: it is
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Tanya: so cathartic, I think, is the word I want to say.
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Tanya: just that feeling of being understood cause you don't feel
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Tanya: really, truly understood until you know you're speaking with somebody who's literally been through it before.
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Sheena Giordano: Absolutely.
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Tanya: You know what you're going through.
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Sheena Giordano: Absolutely, totally, agree.
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Tanya: So do you happen to know? And if not, that's fine, how often should someone be screened for breast cancer.
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Sheena Giordano: I am not.
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Tanya: Do my research on.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, I how often I mean, I know when you go for your gyno, which
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Sheena Giordano: they've changed those rules, too, because I think you're supposed to go to your gyno annually right? And then insurance did some kind of change which they give you the option which I'm happy about, that that you don't need to see the gyno for 3 years, but I still insist going annually. Because why not? But I know when you go for
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Sheena Giordano: your gyno, they're supposed to do a breast exam.
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Sheena Giordano: but in addition, you should be doing your own breast exams at home right? And that's just palpating, you know. You start in a circle, work your way from your armpit, and just kind of keep on making a circle all the way until you get you know to your nipple.
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Sheena Giordano: Even go into your armpits, feel any lumps or bumps. Obviously report to your doctor.
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Sheena Giordano: But as far as having a doctor screen you?
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Sheena Giordano: I don't know. I would think it would just be at your, you know. Annual. Gyno, but at home you should be in the shower.
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Sheena Giordano: you know, doing your own self breast exams once again.
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Sheena Giordano: Mine wasn't palpable, so
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Sheena Giordano: what to say to people who have, you know, or could have something underlying that's not palpable
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Sheena Giordano: I'm not sure.
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Sheena Giordano: you know.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: I know if there's and then that's the other thing, that
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Sheena Giordano: if there's a history of breast cancer in your family.
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Sheena Giordano: you know the the
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Sheena Giordano: I use this lightly, but they'll take, like you a little more seriously, I guess, in your if you have, you know, some kind of symptom.
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Sheena Giordano: But at the same time. My grandmother, on my father's side is a breast cancer survivor, and
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Sheena Giordano: it was a totally different cancer.
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Sheena Giordano: Hers was estrogen based? I did.
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Sheena Giordano: They were like, oh, do you want the test where we just test for 8 things? Or do you want the test where we test for 32 things? I was like, Nope, sign me up for the test to test 32 things. Just get it out on. Get it all out in in the air.
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Sheena Giordano: Everything came back negative, and I know the common one is the Brca gene. No negative estrogen based cancers. Everything was negative. So
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Sheena Giordano: if anything, the doctors are still scratching their heads, saying, Well, why did Sheena have cancer?
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Sheena Giordano: They don't know.
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Sheena Giordano: and nor will they ever know, you know, because once again, healthy, young, active, eats right.
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Sheena Giordano: you know
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Sheena Giordano: all that, then why? And it wasn't related to anything to do with my grandmother's breast cancer completely separate.
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Sheena Giordano: so
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Sheena Giordano: I don't know. I don't know.
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Tanya: Pause.
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Tanya: oh, so do your breast exams.
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Sheena Giordano: Right.
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Tanya: Taking away, and just.
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Sheena Giordano: Listen to your best, listen to.
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Tanya: Your body and yeah, go to your annual checkups.
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Tanya: And maybe I can even research a little bit more and add that in the show notes. If I find.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah.
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Tanya: I think.
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Sheena Giordano: And then what even was interesting is because of my diagnosis.
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Sheena Giordano: my mom
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Sheena Giordano: and my sister, since my diagnosis and my sister's 7 years younger than me. But since I was diagnosed, her and my mom every 6 months have to alternate between a mammogram and an MRI to make sure nothing changes.
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Tanya: Really every 6 months.
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Sheena Giordano: Every 6 months, and as for my
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Sheena Giordano: girls.
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Sheena Giordano: they, because of my history, when they, I think, turned 30,
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Sheena Giordano: if not, maybe a little bit younger. Then they will also have to do a similar check, unless things, you know. Obviously they're only 6 and 8 now, unless by that time things change in the medical field, but
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Sheena Giordano: because of my history it changed for my mom and my sisters
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Sheena Giordano: to be checked more frequently, and then, in addition, we'll change for my girls.
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Tanya: Interesting. And then what did you mention this? But what do?
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Tanya: What's what's the follow up like for you? You said you are screened.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, that's it. Which I.
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Tanya: College.
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Sheena Giordano: Catch my head. I'm always free. Yes, so I always do an annual appointment with my oncologist.
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Tanya: And they're feeling your breath.
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Sheena Giordano: And that's it. They're just doing a.
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Tanya: And no, but no, Mris, are they just worried about like the radiation exposure for you? Or do you know.
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Sheena Giordano: No cause, no cause. Mris is like, you know, that magnetic.
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Tanya: Okay. Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Radiation. It's just it's
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Sheena Giordano: inconclusive testing. Once you have a mastectomy.
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Sheena Giordano: because all you'll see is the breast implant and typically nothing else.
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Sheena Giordano: So, for instance, like last year, when I was having that shooting pain, they still have no idea why shooting pain has since gone away, but they did see that I popped my implant. You know.
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Tanya: Yeah, yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Anything else. So
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Sheena Giordano: every time I ask, I'm like cause even my own mind, even though I ask every single, every single time I see her annually. I'm like, are you sure we shouldn't do an MRI? But what about a pet?
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Sheena Giordano: Check my whole body? And it's like, Yeah, no, it's not necessary. It's not necessary. I'm like, okay, you know.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: So it's just not part of the protocol. Once you have a mastectomy.
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Tanya: Okay.
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Tanya: interesting.
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Sheena Giordano: I know, I know.
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Tanya: Alright. So let's move on to the next question. What do you know now that you wish you knew? Then.
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Sheena Giordano: I don't even know.
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Tanya: I'm sure you learned a lot about breast cancer that you didn't know right.
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Sheena Giordano: I mean, I learned I learned so much, but I guess I don't know. Like the the biggest I don't know. The biggest takeaway is just to like, listen to your body. I keep going back to that. You learn so much as you go through it.
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Sheena Giordano: I mean.
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Sheena Giordano: minuscule stuff is.
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Sheena Giordano: and know your breast implants before you pick them. I guess that would be.
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Tanya: Okay, that's a good one. So.
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Sheena Giordano: I only say that.
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Tanya: Yeah, on that a little bit.
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Sheena Giordano: Doctor. Everything like, you know, cancer is the big word of this. Podcast and so when I say, minuscule like this is minuscule. But at the same time. Like for somebody who's going through it.
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Sheena Giordano: You're not thinking you're just like, Okay, plastic surgeon. Awesome. Pop them in. Good to go see you later. So I would only say that I guess if you can mentally, you know.
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Sheena Giordano: navigate
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Sheena Giordano: researching breast implants, because obviously your mind is preoccupied with much more important things go for it. I only say that because there's so many different ones.
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Sheena Giordano: and if you're looking for a fuller profile, or if you don't really want the full profile, or
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Sheena Giordano: if the doctor's telling you, you know, go bigger and you want to go smaller, I guess. Really get all your questions and everything answered, feel the breast implants, you know. Look at them, because that is the biggest thing, too. You are
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Sheena Giordano: taking breast tissue out. So you really are flat chested, so say, to put in a breast implant that is, 400 or 500 CC's to somebody who already has breast tissue to put in an implant. That's 400 or 500 CC's. May seem
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Sheena Giordano: enormous versus somebody who is flat chested
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Sheena Giordano: because you just had a mastectomy. A 4 or 500 CC. Would actually be on the smaller side.
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Sheena Giordano: So I guess in my own mind, because my mom has breast implants because she wanted them.
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Sheena Giordano: And
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Sheena Giordano: I always like, and I
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Sheena Giordano: I don't wanna say too much, because if she listens management.
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Tanya: Right.
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Sheena Giordano: But you know, from her perspective, her boobs are on the bigger side. So my whole thing is, I didn't want big boobs right. I just wanted to go back to like what I had, but just to be a little fuller. So when the doctor was talking, 400 CC. Is 500 CC's. My mind was going. Whoa? No, no, no, I don't want to be as big as my mom. I want to be
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Sheena Giordano: replicated towards me, but I wasn't factoring in the tissue that she had already taken away. So my 1st set of breast implants, I would say, were on the smaller side, and they weren't as full. So by all means, if one had not popped I would still have them. I wouldn't have changed them out, because who signs up for surgery. If you don't necessarily need it. I don't.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Some people do, so be it.
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Sheena Giordano: but move forward to. When I had my breast implants changed in April, then I was able to be more clear, mind and go for a fuller implant. That was also a hundred CC's bigger, which
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Sheena Giordano: you would think would be ginormous. But I was like, wow! I went. A 100 CC's bigger, and it's not even that much bigger. It's a little.
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Tanya: Similar.
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Sheena Giordano: But I'm not like.
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Sheena Giordano: you know, ridiculous but I much. I I like them a lot better. So had I done a lot more research back then.
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Sheena Giordano: in regards to the size of the implants and how many CC's and to factor all that into what I was taking away to then what I was adding, I think, would have been helpful, but nobody really guided me, you know, because.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: We were all focused on cancer cancer cancer, which by.
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Tanya: Of course.
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Sheena Giordano: Should be, but then.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Mine was so straightforward. So it wasn't like I had a
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Sheena Giordano: focus on, you know, going for treatments and medications and all this other stuff.
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Sheena Giordano: but I also wasn't in that mindset to.
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Tanya: No.
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Sheena Giordano: Expecting different types of implants. So if somebody is going through it, I guess that is just something. If you can just make a mental note to be like. If you're going to go through it, you do want to be happy with them, and if the surgeon says that you should go bigger. I'm going to tell you. Go a little bit bigger.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: You know you get out of surgery, and you're like, Oh, my goodness! My boobs are huge! And then, by the time you know.
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Tanya: The implementation has gone down, but.
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Sheena Giordano: Oh, my gosh! It's like, Oh, where'd they go? And that's the size of them. And okay, fine like, like. I said I would have lived with them they would have been fine, but now that I was a little more prepared, I was able to get what I initially would have wanted. You know.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Back, then, that's all. So I guess that's a little food for thought. It's minuscule. But in the same sense, is it? Because then, if you can avoid
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Sheena Giordano: another surgery, and you know.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Lining. You're having mastectomy. So the silver lining is you get to have boobs after you're done, and I go.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: My nipples versus some people.
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Tanya: Don't eat their nipples.
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Sheena Giordano: And they do have to have, you know.
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Sheena Giordano: 3D tattoos which they've come a long way, you know they do try to keep you
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Sheena Giordano: together as possible, right? And then that was the other concern. If I go too big, I don't want my nipples to have peripheral vision. I want them to be straight on
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Sheena Giordano: all these things that you're like, Sheena.
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Sheena Giordano: You're lucky you had a double mastectomy, and you don't have cancer anymore. I'm like, yes, I am very thankful
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Sheena Giordano: absolutely, but in the same sense I have to go.
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Sheena Giordano: I also want to be happy. So my nipples.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: Boobs up a little more fuller, and
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Sheena Giordano: I just go for my annual checks, and all is good, you know.
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Tanya: I was it all worked out. Oh.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah, yeah.
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Tanya: And here you are on the other side of it.
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Sheena Giordano: There I am!
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Sheena Giordano: Hey! How are you?
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Tanya: So.
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Sheena Giordano: You know, trying to find comedy and anything cause why be so serious? You know.
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Tanya: Right? Right?
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Tanya: So now that this is something you've survived and you've recovered. Is there anything good that came from having experienced this challenge.
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Sheena Giordano: Yes, that I can relate to other people who have been through it.
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Sheena Giordano: You know just as much as you know. My parents going through a divorce at a young age.
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Sheena Giordano: If somebody else brings that up to attention or they're going through it. I can relate to that as a kid.
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Sheena Giordano: you know. So same thing with this I can relate to people. And, as you said before, I think that's the biggest thing of being understood and relatable. I'm not just talking to somebody who hasn't been through it.
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Sheena Giordano: and, like you said, having an ear to listen to is
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Sheena Giordano: you just need that sometimes whether you know what I'm talking about or not. It just feels good to get it out.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Sheena Giordano: And that in itself is the biggest gift. But then, if you have somebody who can relate to you, I guess that's the biggest thing is that
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Sheena Giordano: you're understood almost without even having to explain. Like every intricate detail.
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Tanya: Yeah.
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Tanya: yeah.
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Tanya: that's awesome.
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Sheena Giordano: Yeah.
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Tanya: And then, is there anything you want to say like advice or encouraging words for the woman out there listening who maybe she's worried. She has breast cancer, or maybe she just received the diagnosis, and she's scared and worried about the road ahead.
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Sheena Giordano: I would say.
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Sheena Giordano: listen to
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Sheena Giordano: the doctor who is guiding you. If you get a gut feeling, and you don't think that you're being taken care of.
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Sheena Giordano: you know, or you're not in the right hands.
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Sheena Giordano: By all means
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Sheena Giordano: listen to yourself.
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Sheena Giordano: Go for that second opinion, talk to somebody who has been through it. Get a referral from them. If they've had a great experience.
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Sheena Giordano: because at the end of the day it could be.
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Tanya: This is your life.
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Sheena Giordano: Process for you, and you don't want to be going to that doctor's appointment every 2 weeks or every week, with an extra not in your stomach being like, I wish I changed doctors. Why didn't I just go for that other referral? Why didn't I get a second or 3rd opinion?
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Sheena Giordano: Why did I just stick with what I was given? So if anything, listen to yourself, because at the end of the day, whatever your path is to get through it. You want to try
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Sheena Giordano: to bring as much comfort as you can, knowing that you pick the right provider.
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Tanya: that's awesome. And then would you be willing
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Tanya: to would people be able to maybe reach out to you if they need like advice or support like, would you be willing to provide.
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Sheena Giordano: Bye.
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Tanya: Your social
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Tanya: media handle.
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Sheena Giordano: Absolutely. I,
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Sheena Giordano: Instagram. It's SHEE. N, and the number 5, 6.
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Sheena Giordano: And I am not
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Sheena Giordano: social media savvy? I will answer messages. But yeah, absolutely. By all means you can reach out to me. I would be more than happy to
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Sheena Giordano: give you whatever you need whatever tools I can share with you that will help you succeed and go through whatever it is that you need to go through. I am more than happy to share, to help, to guide
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Sheena Giordano: whatever
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Sheena Giordano: it is that you or someone needs for sure.
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Tanya: That is so nice. Thank you so much, Sheena.
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Sheena Giordano: Thank you so much. Time.
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Tanya: Appreciate you.
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Sheena Giordano: Oh, okay.
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Tanya: This is going to be awesome. I hope that whoever needs to hear this today I hope that this message gets to them and thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story.
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Tanya: and also just opening it up for people to come to you for support and advice.
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Tanya: So I'll make sure I put your handle in the show notes and I'll talk to you soon. Thank you again for coming on.
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Sheena Giordano: Thank you. I love you a whole bunch. Thank you so much. Tan, I'll talk to you.
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Tanya: This is awesome. Alright, bye.