Blog - DiepCjourney®

Connections through the Breast Reconstruction Community

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Terri

Connections through the Breast Reconstruction Community I am always amazed at the connections I have made in the #BreastReconstruction community since beginning my education and outreach through social media. A woman I met at a Casting for Recovery weekend in October of 2015 was the patient of a well-respected micro-surgeon at Cancer Treatment Centers of American in Chicago, Dr. Daniel Liu. When I found this out during our fishing weekend and the long conversation we had together, I told my friend how often I Tweeted with Dr. Liu and leaned heavily on his knowledge and information about plastic surgery and breast reconstruction. We took a picture together that weekend and I Tweeted it to Dr. Liu letting him know Connie and I met and by coincidence found out we both knew him. Here we are again, six months later and these two had a meeting just this week to discuss Continue Reading →

Shared Decision Making

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Terri

Shared Decision Making ~ Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy March has been designated Shared Decision Making month, #SDMmonth, by a group I started following on social media, Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. I participated recently in one of their online webinars on the topic. I often tweet about shared decision making and in the practice of plastic surgery, and in particular breast reconstruction after mastectomy; I embrace the value of this practice. Two of the physicians that I have engaged with in the practice of shared decision making are my breast surgeon who performed my mastectomy and my micro-surgeon who performed my breast reconstruction. They both embody the very definition of the phrase as defined here by the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. Shared decision making (SDM) is a collaborative process that allows patients and their providers to make health care decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as Continue Reading →

#InternationalDayOfHappiness

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Terri

#InternationalDayOfHappiness March 20, 2016 has been designated #InternationalDayOfHappiness. There are events, material items and people who define happiness for individuals. I believe that most of society across continents and cultures seeks happiness. It is an elusive concept difficult to defined because it is an individual response to a number of external factors. Those factors might include one’s physical surroundings, current state of health, or individuals you are with. I want to share one such day of happiness that I recently experienced and what defined happiness for me that day. It began with an invitation from friends to join in the Susan G. Komen breast cancer walk in our town. This same group of women invited me to go last year but I had to decline because I was days away from the second phase of my DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery. I remember fondly a group picture they texted to Continue Reading →

Areola Tattooing Post Breast Reconstruction

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Terri

Areola Tattooing Post Breast Reconstruction Areola tattooing is usually the final phase of breast reconstruction after mastectomy. The nipple can be rebuilt using the patient’s own skin after reconstructive surgery. This normally takes place about 3-4 months after phase 1, the transfer of the tummy tissue and blood vessels to create a warm, soft, breast mound. A 3D tattoo of the entire nipple and areola complex can also be done if a patient does not have the nipple rebuilt. Both procedures can be done as a final step to restore the breast as close to its natural look as possible. Many plastic surgeons offer tattooing in their office but there is an alternative. You can go to a skilled and qualified tattoo artist to have these procedures done. A patient who has had the nipple rebuilt can have the areola area tattooed. Some chose not to have the nipple Continue Reading →

#WorldBookDay #DrSeussDay #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Terri

#WorldBookDay #DrSeussDay #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon Today, March 3, 2016, is #WorldBookDay and it is trending on Twitter. One of my favorite tweets, showing some of the world’s most exquisite libraries. They look to be true museums of the mind! It seems appropriate to me as a life-long educator that this day follows yesterday’s celebration of #ReadAcrossAmerica and #DrSeussDay. I have fond memories of reading our favorite Dr. Seuss book to our own two boys who are now grown men, one of whom has a son of his own. We would sit them in our lap or beside us in a comfy chair and read The Cat in the Hat. Teachers love Dr. Seuss Day in their classrooms. It gives them an opportunity to wear the beloved hat or costume that has become so familiar across the U.S. and globe. It is a day that gives them an opportunity to simply enjoy the Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Tweet Chat and the Value of Social Media

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Terri

Breast reconstruction advocate Terri Coutee recaps the #BCSM tweet chat that she did with ASPS President Dr. David Song discussing breast reconstruction options and resources. Source: Breast Reconstruction Tweet Chat and the Value of Social Media

Genetic Testing ~ A Tough Decision

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Terri

Genetic Testing ~ A Tough Decision A recent article I read, Beyond BRCA: Testing negative and living in the “gray zone” for cancer risk, motivated me to write a personal response. This is the story of my own genetic testing that for me was a tough decision. The article was about a fellow Twitter advocate in the breast cancer community, Stacey Tinianov. We have a bit in common as you can see by the list. Both love coffee and tweeting. You can find Stacey on Twitter @coffeemommy and me @6state Both maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle Both gave birth to our children before the age of 30 Both had two children and nursed them Both love the “blueberry diet”… AKA…”a lifetime of following the myriad of published “cancer prevention” techniques Both diagnosed with breast cancer in our 40’s (me> a 2nd diagnosis in my 50’s) Chemotherapy – Shared Continue Reading →

DIEP flap surgery: Packing for your Hospital Stay

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Terri

DIEP flap surgery: Packing for your Hospital Stay Here is a simple list of what to pack for your hospital stay for DIEP flap surgery: First and foremost: ID, insurance card, glasses and holder or contacts and case, and any medications your physician would like you to take in hospital. This might include the ever important stool softeners, daily meds you normally take and/or your pain meds if they were ordered ahead of your surgery to take with you. Pillow ~ I brought a very soft & squishy micro bead pillow with a removable/washable cover. This is not the exact one I had but a suggestion of something similar. Why? You will be lying on your back and I like having a pillow up next to my face to “mimic” side sleeping. It was cozy and there were times when the nurses told me it looked so comfy they were Continue Reading →

Pregnancy After DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Terri

Pregnancy After DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction I meet amazing women and hear inspiring stories of courage in my breast reconstruction education and outreach. We share pictures, laughs, tears, fears, and stories of triumph in my conversations with these women warriors. Chats with these women, not only in the U.S., but across the globe fuels and energizes me to continue this advocacy. This story, pregnancy after DIEP flap breast reconstruction, touched my heart as a mother of two boys. I am fortunate through my travels to meet DIEP flap patients in person. Nothing gives me greater joy than sharing my experience and listening to others’ journeys through their own breast reconstruction process. It is a shared strength and sisterhood few understand and appreciate. One fortunate meeting and follow up story I wrote might seem nothing short of miraculous. Although for each of us, our stories too, feel miraculous after we’ve reached Continue Reading →