“That’s how unconcerned I was,” she said, adding she was happy and having a good time.

“Where are you?” her doctor asked.

“At school,” she responded.

“Do you want me to call later?” her doctor wondered.

Of course then Petzoldt knew she had cancer. She said she felt terrified; it was surreal.

It’s not that she thought it could never happen. She has a family history of breast cancer; her grandmother had it twice. She started testing for it at age 36. Her doctor had to battle the insurance company to get it to pay at such a young age.

She often did self exams and “was pretty religious about mammograms on top of that.”

In mid-September of 2012 she participated in her first Susan B. Koman three-day walk in honor of her grandma, who died of another form of cancer.

Just before Halloween of 2012, Petzoldt “felt something.” She wasn’t concerned about it, but then her doctor “felt what I felt.” A biopsy was taken, she still wasn’t worried as she had four biopsies previously.

“But then you get the dreaded cancer call,” she said. “It doesn’t cause you any pain. I wish it did because then you would know.”

Petzoldt, whose boys were 10 and 8 at the time, said she felt she had to be strong for the kids.

“I sucked it up and was strong for everybody else,” she said. “The worst was the waiting. Every test you wait for.”

Petzoldt said because she found the cancer early she had many treatment options. She was so happy when she found out she didn’t have to go through chemotherapy.

“I didn’t even know that was a choice,” she said. “When you think cancer you think chemo.”

She took a test and found out she wasn’t even a candidate for chemo, which she knows helps some patients, but also can be hard on a person’s body.

She was able to get rid of the cancer when a surgeon did a lumpectomy on her. But she also went to daily radiation treatments 42 times. She said it got to be painful, forming bad sunburn-type blisters that took time to heal.

But she’s physically doing fine now.

“I just had a mammogram and am clear for another year,” she said just a few days before participating in her fourth Koman walk.

The ordeal has been hard on her emotionally.

“It’s been really draining, exhausting,” she said.

Petzoldt is taking hormone medication to keep the cancer from coming back, but she’s dealing with the side effects, which mimic menopause.

“It’s a roller coaster I desperately want to get off. It’s slowing down a lot, but I’m still on it.”

She said a couple of support systems have helped her a lot.

One is a group of young women who met through a Providence Regional Medical Center Everett support group for cancer patients. They decided to meet on their own when the time and place of the meetings did not mesh with their schedules. They have a private Facebook page to share information. They talk about health, kids, body image…

“We talk and ask questions, share good and bad news and comfort each other. We share the same nightmare in some shape or form,” she said.

Petzoldt said being strong during the diagnosis and treatment “caused me a whole lot more pain in the end.”

“When the treatment was over the bottom dropped out,” she said. “Now what do I do?”

She said people she was strong for couldn’t figure out why she just couldn’t move on. The support group helped her grieve. She said women have a lot of pride as caretakers, and they don’t like to be taken care of.

“We don’t like to say we can’t do something, so we kind of truck through it. We don’t want to be a burden.”

She said everything happened so fast she didn’t have time to grieve.

“It was a whirlwind with daily appointments for weeks,” she said. “I didn’t take time to feel my feelings.”

Another organization that has helped her is called CanCan Health, formerly known as Check Your Boobies. She went to one of their parties years ago, before she had breast cancer.

“They make light of it, but in a fun, serious way that makes everyone comfortable,” Petzoldt said.

She said as a nonprofit the group provides free education to any gathering of women.

She reached out to the organization in March.

“Paying it forward,” she said, adding, “I did not want to go through this for nothing.”

As a breast cancer survivor, Petzoldt tells her story at various events.

“I’m passionate about early detection,” she said. “I know how bad it can be and the levels of treatment.”

She said as a member of CanCan she inspires women.

“Knowledge is power,” she said. “CanCan empowers women.”

Petzoldt said she got the idea about helping others after returning to her kids’ school after treatment. She knew people were wondering about her so she did one of the most difficult things she’s ever done. In front of a gym full of parents, she told her story.

“I wanted to get across the importance of early detection,” she said.

It must have worked.

“So many people tell me, ‘I had my mammogram,'” she said. “I know I’ve inspired people who were afraid or just put it off.”

 

 

Questions to ask your doctor

What is the test for?

How many times have you done this procedure?

When will I get the results?

Why do I need this treatment?

Are there any alternatives?

What are the possible complications?

Which hospital is best for my needs?

Are there any side effects?

Will this medicine interact with medicines that I’m already taking?

 

 

How is it treated?

•Surgery: An operation where doctors cut out cancer tissue.

•Chemotherapy: Using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both.

•Hormonal therapy: Blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.

•Biological therapy: Works with your body’s immune system to help it fight cancer or to control side effects from treatments.

•Radiation therapy: Using high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer.

 

 

What are clinical trials?

Complementary medicine is used in addition to standard treatments, and alternative medicine is used instead of standard treatments. Meditation, yoga, and supplements like vitamins and herbs are some examples. Many kinds of complementary and alternative medicine have not been tested scientifically and may not be safe. Talk to your doctor before you start .

 

 

Which treatment is right for me?

Talk to your cancer doctor about the treatment options for your type and stage of cancer. Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of each and their side effects. Getting a second opinion from another doctor may help you choose.