This episode of the DiepCJourney podcast shares a fascinating story of a young woman who graciously and professionally takes us through her Journey from being diagnosed with breast cancer, cold capping, the effect on her family and young daughters, and to the story of her DIEP flap breast reconstruction. You can sit and watch our conversation on the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel. Lacey is a dear friend, and I am honored to share the story of a young nurse and her DIEP flap story.
Meet My Guest Lacey
I am speaking with Lacey Terpstra-Reid. She is a registered nurse residing in Guthrie, Oklahoma. In November 2022 she was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer at age 33. Lacey has over 10 years of bedside experience as a nurse from working in a cardiac ICU where she cared for countless ECMO patients to her current role as an outpatient surgery recovery RN. She is a young mom to 3- and 2-year-old girls. She has spent this past year navigating her cancer treatments while chasing toddlers.
We share a special moment as we start the interview. December 15th is my birthday. But for Lacey, December 15, 2023, was her last treatment for breast cancer. I remember that day for me. I don’t think I felt more joyous that day than any birthday celebration I’ve had. We smile and celebrate together. This is Lacey’s story of her breast cancer Journey, DIEP flap, and recovery from treatment and surgery.
Lacey’s Breast Cancer Treatment Decision
She never felt a lump. She was enrolled in a high-risk program based on her family history. Because of this, she found the cancer early. Lacey felt very fortunate to be in the program. After being diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer she was presented with both chemotherapy and surgery for treatment options. Her staging, on imaging, made it ok for her to make a choice between the two, whether to do surgery first or chemotherapy first.
Like many, she began researching. The information she found on reconstruction was implants. Lacey did not want implants. When she heard she would have more time to decide, she chose to do chemotherapy first. With time to research she came across DIEP flap. Knowing it would be long term; this is what she wanted to do for reconstruction after mastectomy.
The Story of Lacey’s Journey from Chemotherapy to DIEP Flap
Lacey did chemo for four months. She had a couple of allergic reactions and had to change regiments right in the middle of the chemotherapy. Lacey tells us it was “fun and scary all at the same time.” She would make calls to doctors, and they would ask, “Are you a nurse or a patient?” At the end of her chemo treatment her breast surgeon resigned from her position leaving her to find a different breast surgeon.
This caused her consultation with the new breast surgeon to be delayed for a few weeks. Coordinating care with her new breast surgeon and plastic surgeon, Dr. Habash out of Dallas, they made the decision together to do a lumpectomy since Lacey still had swollen lymph nodes. In case radiation was then needed, they felt this was the best course of action. The surgical reports came back with clean margins. A couple of months later she was able to have her DIEP flap surgery.
Four months after her DIEP flap she can do pushups. I point out that when the abdominal wall muscles and motor nerves are properly preserved, patients can get back to activities like pushups, planks, and exercises they were doing prior to DIEP flap.
What Advice Lacey has for Newly Diagnosed Patients
Lacey tells us we live in a world where there is so much information. Ask others if they know someone who has had breast cancer. Look online and type in “breast cancer.” She is so pleased to find so many nice people there are in the world; people willing to help her, drop everything and be there for her. At the beginning she admits she didn’t share her story much. It was hard for Lacey to ask for help.
As I’ve opened up through this Journey it’s been pretty awesome to see all the support and all the nice people. ~ Lacey Reid
Start with your family, close friends. She formed her own little community by helping others her surgeon told her about. We both agree how being in a community of other breast cancer survivors helps you realize you do not have to go through this alone.
The Biggest Emotional Impact of Lacey’s Story
Being a young mom with two young girls was the biggest emotional impact for Lacey. She was thirty-three at the time of her diagnosis and her daughters were two and three. Her first thought when she was diagnosed was, “Am I going to be here when they turn five?” She mentions again how fortunate she feels to have been in the high-risk program and found her breast cancer on imaging. She tells us she wants to advocate for young women like her to get in these programs easier.
Lacey shares the process she went through to be in the high-risk program. Her Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. Lacey was pregnant with their first child at that time. It was her obstetrician who told her about it at a twenty-week checkup. She emphasizes if a healthcare professional is resistant, “tell them my story!.” All of this was going on while she watched her own mother find surgeons, oncologist, and make decisions to treat her breast cancer. You’ve just got to ask! Communication is key.
Physical Recovery of DIEP Flap as a Young Nurse and Mother
Physically, family support was huge for Lacey. Choosing DIEP flap Lacey knew she would have a twelve-week recovery where she couldn’t pick up her children. Prior to that she needed at least six weeks of support for her mastectomy recovery. Her greatest support came from her husband, her parents, and her mother-in-law. Lacey is so grateful she had this help. They were in proximity and did heavy lifting for her.
She is very honest and tells women in her situation, if they don’t have the kind of help she did twenty-four/seven, this is not an option for you “right now.” Why? If you don’t follow recovery instructions after DIEP flap, the surgery runs the high risk of being totally ruined. This can cause even more complications for a longer period extending recovery and doing all the things required of a young mom.
Emotional Recovery As a Young Nurse and Mother
During Lacey’s chemo treatment she had time to prepare her two young daughters. They saw her sick. She was very visual with them, showing them and talking about it with them. They watched shows “When Mommie’s Sick,” a Daniel Tiger series. Being a nurse, she learned professionally that when young children do not know what is going on, they are more fearful. She engaged her young daughters in the process to diminish their fears.
I relate to Lacey in my work as a classroom teacher and dealing with similar incidences of sickness or loss with young children. Telling them the truth, what is going on, is far better for young children than hiding it. They do far better when you are honest with them. Children are far more resilient than we give them credit for.
She goes on to tell us about her chemotherapy treatment and cold capping. I invite you to watch an in-depth video and presentation Lacey’s puts together for us by clicking on this link: Cold Capping During Chemotherapy: A Personal Story
Finding A DIEP Flap Surgeon
Lacey tells us the process begins with referrals from your healthcare team when you are newly diagnosed. She began her own research looking at her surgeon’s website. I smile when she tells me how she found DiepCJourney and utilized my private Facebook group to find information.
It was very important for her to find a surgeon nearby. Lacey’s girls are both huge “Mommy girls” so she did not want to be away from them long. The surgeon she chose called her personally to talk to her and put her mind at ease about her fears, concerns, and to answer her questions. She truly had a shared decision-making conversation with Dr. Habash. He built up trust in their relationship with these phone calls. She was able to stay in Oklahoma City for her surgery.
She followed his guidance including losing weight to optimize her outcomes. Because of this she says it is very cool she does not need a phase two surgery. What a grand statement and testimony to the work she did to search for and develop trust in the microsurgeon who performed her DIEP flap. It took work and commitment, but Lacey was up to the task!
More on Lacey’s Recovery after DIEP Flap
There are two key components we discuss in the podcast and video interview. I will link information about the two topics here for you to find out more.
- ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery)
- T-Stat flap monitoring system: A case study with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo
Lacey tells us that through all the tough days of recovery from chemotherapy and surgery, her two young daughters were her saving grace. It was her girls that inspired her to want to get better for them. The transparency and honesty of Lacey’s conversation is worth listening to. Enjoy! She is truly a wonderful advocate.