Blog - DiepCjourney®

How to Join the BC3 Twitter Talk in Five Easy Steps

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Terri

BC3C is the Breast Cancer Coordinated Care Interdisciplinary Conference being held in Washington, D.C. February 27-29, 2020. This conference includes a wide range of medical specialists who care for breast cancer patients. As an introduction to what the conference will be about, you can join us on January 24, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET to find out more. This blog will tell you how to join the BC3 Twitter Talk in five easy steps. Step One of Participating in the BC3 Twitter Talk You will need to have a Twitter account. It’s very easy to open one if you do not have one now. Open Twitter from your computer, phone or tablet. You will then need to type in your phone number or email address in the first text box. After that, set up the password you want to use. Participating in Twitter Talk is a bit easier Continue Reading →

Why I Can’t Wait for the New Decade in Breast Reconstruction

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Terri

We have sent best wishes for the New Year to our social media friends. This year ushered in a new decade. Many of us wonder how things will change in the next ten years. This blog may be my time capsule for the upcoming decade. I would like to check back in 2030 to see what items in this blog will change and improve and why I can’t wait for the new decade in Breast Reconstruction. A New Decade of Shared Decision Making in Breast Reconstruction The topic of shared decision-making is at the top of my list. The practice of shared decision-making with the plastic surgeon who performed my DIEP flap is what made my breast reconstruction so successful. I see progress! Dr. Chrysopoulo developed a decision making tool, the Breast Advocate app, this past decade to give patients a voice in their decision making with their health care Continue Reading →

Breast Cancer: When All is not Merry and Bright

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Terri

I do believe remaining positive is an integral part of breast cancer survivor-ship and healing. I hear others say it frequently. However, there are times when all that encompasses this disease as a patient advocate sucks you under. Perhaps it is the short days as the Winter Solstice arrives. The long winter nights glow with holiday lights. At the same time, the events of this month have made me realize with breast cancer, not all is merry and bright. Metastatic Breast Cancer I have spoken with too many friends this month who are stage four metastatic. Some attended the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium despite their exhaustion from treatments. They went to make a difference as patient advocates. Even though I didn’t attend this year, it is a grueling conference when you are feeling good. I can only imagine they must have collapsed into their hotel beds at the end Continue Reading →

The Story of the Kindness Tree

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Terri

Holiday lights are glowing across neighborhoods and cities across the world. Parties, celebrations, friends and family gather as another year ends. On a damp, cool, morning the doorbell rang unexpectedly in the middle of the day. My husband was off work, so he beat me to the front door although I was close behind him. When we opened the door, there stood our neighbor with a long cardboard box. We knew exactly what it was. This is the story of the kindness tree. When we First Saw the Tree A couple of weeks prior to our neighbor bringing this long cardboard box, we were out for a walk. This time of the year where we live, the days are short, often blanketed by fog in the early morning with light mist during the day. I told my husband to look at the tree on our neighbor’s front porch as we Continue Reading →

A Commentary: A Study Marking Patients for DIEP Flap Surgery

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Terri

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open is an open source journal available for everyone to read. I refer to it frequently. The articles I focus on are those regarding breast reconstruction. The article entitled, “A Standardized Approach to Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Marking” was recently brought to my attention by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Roy Kim. I know Dr. Kim via social media and speaking to him at the annual Plastic Surgery conference. I recently had the privilege of meeting two of the authors of the paper, Dr. Edward Reece and Dr. Sebastian Winocour both of Baylor College of Medicine. I think he knew I would find this study fascinating. I decided to write a commentary on this study of marking patients for DIEP flap surgery. A Patient Advocate’s Thoughts: A Study Marking Patients for DIEP Flap Surgery I chose DIEP flap as the method of breast reconstruction after Continue Reading →

A Simple Note of Gratitude

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Terri

I was raised to have a grateful heart. I have come to appreciate this value my parents taught me. They modeled the importance of expressing gratitude frequently with friends, family, and even strangers. Mom and Dad always said gratitude should be given freely from the heart, expecting nothing in return. I dedicate this blog to an individual I have known for five years. I encourage the reader to take the time to acknowledge those in your life who have made a difference, large or small, either publicly or privately with a simple note of gratitude from your heart. Moments in life are sweet and precious, tenuous and unpredictable. We don’t always know the direction our lives will take. There are the planners and the gypsies. I have always considered myself a planner with a bit of gypsy spirit. A plan I put in place in 2014 was to complete my Continue Reading →

Nutrition and Diet after DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Terri

Are you more aware of your nutrition and diet after DIEP flap breast reconstruction? I certainly am and I hear the same from many women. When breast cancer is the driving reason behind having this intricate surgery, it is little wonder nutrition and diet become a focus for so many. At the same time, I hear a lot of inquiry about what is the best way to eat a healthy nutritious diet after breast reconstruction. The one factor that changes this is the “tightening down” of the tummy during this surgery. With the tummy tissue being used to reconstruct the breast, the tummy area is pulled down similar to a tummy tuck. Many women talk about the feeling of having less room, filling up quicker, and feeling like they can’t eat as much after DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Where do your Food Values about Nutrition and Diet come from? The Continue Reading →

DiepC Journey Facebook Group Hit 4,000 Members!

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Terri

DiepC Journey Facebook Group Hit 4,000 Members! Facebook members on DiepC Journey, Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy, can be very active in the evenings. This happens when members have some alone time after dinner, work, and putting the children to bed. I hopped on last night. I noticed a lot of activity and questions being asked. Then something incredible happened. I looked at the number of members as I approved some new requests to join. I was a bit shocked to find out the Journey hit 4,000 members. DiepC Journey Facebook Group and 4,000 Members Around the Globe I am in awe of this group because it is specific to breast reconstruction after mastectomy. That is our common bond. On World Kindness Day I asked members to check in to tell each other where they were from. This group continues to practice kindness toward each other in unexpected ways. They checked Continue Reading →

How Do You Give to Nonprofits During Giving Season?

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Terri

The fourth quarter of each year is an important time for nonprofit organizations to begin “the ask” to bring awareness and raise funds for their cause. Corporations and individuals not only look for organizations to support for an end-of-year tax deduction, but larger corporations often have company matching programs to benefit nonprofit organizations. How do you give to nonprofits during giving season? The Microsoft Employee Giving Program for Nonprofits My experience at Microsoft for their “Day of Learning” made a positive impact on DiepCFoundation.org. It is the nonprofit organization I started after my own successful breast reconstruction following a double mastectomy. It began by contacting a friend at the Redmond, Washington, Microsoft campus. We discussed a plan that would benefit both the employees and the Foundation. It was imperative to me we bring awareness about the work and mission of the Foundation. Through Microsoft’s “Day of Learning” program I was Continue Reading →