Category: News

Introducing BulbPendant for Drain Management During Breast Surgery

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The perfect solution for the management of Jackson Pratt bulb drains. From the HandandHand Medical website Successful recovery depends on the ability to heal without worry. But as physicians, patients and caregivers know, bulb drains are incredibly stressful. After surgery, the bulbs are loose, and patients do not know what to do with them. Drains can also become dislodged, requiring another procedure to replace them. BulbPendant for drain management during breast reconstruction not only solves these problems it relieves patients of the stress of dealing with bulb drains. Eliminating learning curves is a huge advantage. They (BP) are simple, so intuitive, it’s self-explanatory fitting 99% of all patients. The patient simply bows their head, keeping their elbows down at their sides while the neoprene band slides over their shoulders. The drain bulbs insert into the mesh pedant and easily clip into place, 30 seconds and you are done. BP is designed Continue Reading →

Cancer Survivors Day 2023

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I did not title this blog “National Cancer Survivors Day” for one reason. Cancer is an international disease. How it is treated, the access to care, the stories of cancer survivors are global. We should celebrate every cancer survivor around the world, every day. I am glad there is one day set aside to honor us and bring awareness to what being a cancer survivor is. I salute all of us this year on Cancer Survivors Day 2023. Living “With a History of Cancer” Many are confused by the word ‘survivor’, but I feel this is a well-defined statement. There is a website dedicated to Cancer Survivors Day. This is the statement from their website. According to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, administrator for the celebration, “A ‘survivor’ is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.” National Cancer Continue Reading →

Education about DIEP Flap: One Simple Rule

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Can we assign one simple rule regarding education about DIEP flap breast reconstruction? Yes, this one simple rule is to listen. This is where it begins. I have learned from patients and surgeons that listening is the first action required to educate. It reveals what is important for patients and what they desire to understand about the process and decision to have DIEP flap. I have learned from surgeons it is important for patients to take the time to listen to surgeons to understand what they can achieve for a patient in a DIEP flap consultation.   My Introduction and Education about DIEP Flap I was a student in April of 2014 during my second diagnosis of breast cancer. In the months following my double mastectomy I did what I now tell others to do. “Do your homework to find the right plastic surgeon”. I listened to all breast reconstruction Continue Reading →

My Letter to CMS

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I am a two-time breast cancer survivor. My first diagnosis I had left chest radiation that left me with tethered tissue that affected my range of motion and ability to sleep on my left side. Because of this, DIEP flap was the only safe breast reconstruction option for me. Had I had implants along with an expander placed first, I ran a very high risk of infection and further breakdown of the tissue due to the radiation. This is my letter to CMS preserving women’s right to choose DIEP flap. Instead, my highly skilled micro-surgeon removed a great deal of the scar tissue that resulted from the radiation and replaced it with new, soft tissue from the DIEP flap he performed on me twelve years after my first diagnosis. I now lay comfortably on my left side. Additionally, my range of motion is greatly improved. Patient Stories to CMS I Continue Reading →

Why DIEP Flap is the Best Recommended Breast Reconstruction Option

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The focus of this blog is two-fold. I will provide information regarding an upcoming public hearing concerning recent changes to insurance coverage for DIEP flap breast reconstruction. It will be held on June 1, 2023. The hearing will allow patients affected by breast cancer to become involved. I share my personal feeling that it is important for readers to understand the magnitude of this hearing regarding access to and coverage for breast reconstruction. There are many medical reasons why DIEP flap is the best recommended breast reconstruction option. Information Regarding Public Hearing on Breast Reconstruction Over the past few months, there has been a lot of information sharing on social media regarding coding changes to DIEP flap surgery. The collective voices sharing this information in multiple formats, coalitions formed, and no matter what organization it is from, has resulted in the public hearing held by CMS. I want to share Continue Reading →

Volunteers Moving the Mission of DiepCFoundation Forward

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Since before opening DiepCFoundation.org in the summer of 2016 I have been surrounded by volunteers. Being part of a nonprofit organization requires time, talent, and passion. I could not do this without our volunteers. This blog is dedicated to those who have and continue to believe in the mission of the Foundation. Every day I see volunteers moving the mission of DiepCFoundation forward. The First Volunteers for DiepCFoundation It all began with a phone call. Late in the day in February of 2016 the surgeon who performed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction called encouraging me to open a nonprofit foundation. Thank you, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, for taking time, for volunteering to make that phone call after your workday in surgery on your way home. I promised him I would begin giving this consideration. A month passed and I was visiting our oldest son and daughter-in-law to help with the care Continue Reading →

Microsurgery and DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction and all it’s Worth

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I chose this topic for my weekly blog after doing a retrospective look at the writing, interviews, podcasts, and connections I have had over the past few years since having my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I love talking about DIEP flap. It is sophisticated and intricate surgery requiring great skill and expertise. I often refer to it as a profession of passion. Patients who choose to undergo this surgery spend long, often agonizing hours searching for a microsurgeon to perform their surgery. They spend equally long recovering from surgery. Thus the topic I have chosen to write about this week: Microsurgery and DIEP flap breast reconstruction and all it’s worth. Microsurgery: A Profession of Passion I am so fortunate that microsurgeons share the story of who inspired them to choose microsurgery. It is a glimpse into the human side of their lives and why they chose to do DIEP Continue Reading →

Robotic Assisted DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction in Australia

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Since I had my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction at PRMA in late 2014 performed by Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo I have been fascinated with this surgery. I feel one strong reason people choose the profession of microsurgery is out of passion. The satisfaction of what is accomplished each day must linger long after they leave work and in fact drive them to do better. I invite you to learn more from one such surgeon I met via social media, Dr. Joe Dusseldorp. Join me in learning more about robotic assisted DIEP flap breast reconstruction in Australia. The Progress of DIEP Flap and Value of Robotic Assisted DIEP Over time, I have seen so much progress in surgical procedures and robotic assisted DIEP is just one of them. Dr. Joe agrees and points out this is just ONE technique. His comment, “Surgery doesn’t change overnight. It’s lots of little incremental steps Continue Reading →

Dismayed at Coding Changes and What is Being Taken Away from the Breast Cancer Community

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I returned from the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgeons’ meeting late Tuesday this past week on January 24, 2023. What has been happening in the world of access to care and choice in breast reconstruction has shattered many of us in this community. There are many passionate surgeons who have dedicated their lives to performing the DIEP flap surgery. Patients affected are dismayed at coding changes and what is being taken away from the breast cancer community. The Coding Changes and What is Being Taken Away DIEP flap surgery is not going away. It is access to care thereby limiting our choice of what type of reconstructive surgery breast cancer patients can choose after mastectomy and loss of breast. The process of why these codes have been taken away, the S-code, is a complex system and decision process made by medical governing organizations. It involves evaluation of work hours spent Continue Reading →

Patient Advocacy in San Antonio

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I am sitting in my office looking out the window at softly falling snow. The cold temperatures of winter have settled in. It is a great day to reflect while sipping on a cup of warm tea after a week at the conference followed by a week spent with family. It is a strong finish wrapping up 2022 and patient advocacy in San Antonio. Patient Advocacy Focus at SABCS The hashtag #SABCS2022 was seen on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn during the first week of December. This was my third time attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium conference. I was an active part of the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) Patient Advocacy Program this year. It required a great deal of planning and preparation. The first year I attended in 2016 I was a newbie. I wasn’t even sure if I should be attending after just opening my nonprofit organization, Continue Reading →