Finding the right breast care option

Theresa Polzien and her husband, Gary, are about to celebrate 43 years of marriage – and this is one anniversary worth making a big fuss over. In addition to celebrating their love for one another, the couple can reflect on a year Theresa battled breast cancer, making every moment even more special.

Polzien found her cancer early. “I caught it during my regular mammogram screening,” she said. “I must continue to get my screenings and those will tell me if we got all of the cancer. I’m optimistic that my next one will be negative.”

Her next mammogram will be her first since she had surgery.

Polzien believes all women should talk with their doctors about regular breast screenings. Her cancer was too small to detect with a breast self-exam.

Having been through a cancer diagnosis, Polzien has some advice for others who may find themselves in the same situation.

“You’ll want to panic right away, but you’ve got to keep a level head and keep investigating all of the treatment options available to you,” Polzien said. “There are a lot of options out there, you just have to find what will work best for you and your situation.”

Polzien and her physician chose partial breast irradiation (PBI) as her treatment. She shared her experience with Healthcare Heroes television viewers.

Gary and Theresa Polzien are about to celebrate 43 years of marriage. Theresa was featured on Community's nationally syndicated television show Healthcare Heroes during her battle with breast cancer.

PBI is a form of radiation therapy that treats just the breast tumor area rather than the whole breast after a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer. Treatments are usually twice a day for four to five days. Whole breast radiation therapy involves five to seven weeks of daily treatments.

Theresa believes the PBI treatments allowed her to spend more time with her family and less time on the road driving to Fresno for appointments from the couple’s south Valley home. “If a woman qualifies, she won’t have to drive to treatments so much. For me, it was the first way to go.”

How is she feeling now? “I’m feeling fine and we’re waiting for that first mammogram to show us where we’re at.”

So, even though there is still a bit of waiting involved, Theresa and Gary do have a reason to plan a big anniversary celebration this year. Yet, they prefer to remain low-key.

“You’ve got to hit the 50th anniversary before they’re really special,” Theresa chuckled.

This story was reported by Cindy Suryan. She can be reached at csuryan@communitymedical.org.

Thursday, December 24, 2009