Breast Reconstruction Archives - Page 14 of 27

Finding Trusted Breast Reconstruction Resources

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Terri

You are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, going through treatment, or just found out you carry a gene mutation and are at high risk of developing breast cancer. It seems important to begin to explore all your options for breast reconstruction. Your mission, finding trusted breast reconstruction resources. The thought of any surgery is scary to you. You have the information your health care team gave you. Now you want to talk with someone who really gets it but more importantly someone you can trust. Family and friends are there to support you but can sometimes feel smothering. They try their best to help and console you. Sometimes you need time away, to think, to formulate questions, to find firsthand experience about the choices you know you are facing. Can You Find Trusted Breast Reconstruction Resources in Facebook Groups? We live in the age of social media, so you Continue Reading →

Breast Surgery Recovery Shirt I Wish I’d Had

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Terri

Here it is, the breast surgery recovery shirt I wish I’d had and you can order it right here: from the Healinincomfort site. Healincomfort will pay shipping. Now that’s a deal! One part of my job as a patient advocate and Founder and Director of DiepCFoundation.org is finding products making healing and recovery from breast cancer easier for patients. I have been through six different surgeries for breast cancer and breast reconstruction. My double mastectomy and DIEP flap breast reconstruction both required surgical drains. They were not my favorite part of recovery but necessary to drain out accumulated surgical fluid. The amount of time a patient has surgical drains can be a couple of weeks and sometimes a little over a month. It really depends on the individual healing mechanisms of each patient. This is why I am happy to write about the Healincomfort breast surgery recovery shirt I wish Continue Reading →

Why Should I Ask About Physical Therapy After Breast Surgery?

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Terri

I feel extremely fortunate my breast surgeon and plastic surgeon both recommended physical therapy for me after the breast surgeries they performed on me. My breast surgeon, Dr. Michele Ley, prescribed it for me about six weeks after she completed a double mastectomy due to my second occurrence of breast cancer. Dr. Chrysopoulo, my plastic surgeon, prescribed it for me after my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I hear from many women who have not had the same physical therapy opportunity I did. So, I encourage them to ask their surgeons, “Why Should I Ask About Physical Therapy After Breast Surgery?” Physical Therapy after Mastectomy Surgery I began experiencing shoulder pain about three to four weeks after my double mastectomy. I went in for a follow up appointment to my breast surgeon around the same time. The shoulder pain occurred mainly when I was on my computer. This was during a Continue Reading →

Father’s Day: The Empty Rocking Chair

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Terri

My family and I sat on a shaded screened porch for many family occasions, both small and large. A sign, hand painted by Dad, hangs on the patio and reads, “Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often”. On the porch are several comfortable outdoor wicker chairs. One chair, the wicker rocking chair, is where Dad always sat. He held his great grandchildren while he sat in the rocker. Sipping coffee and talking about the morning news was another favorite activity in his chair for Dad when I would go home for visits. In the evening, he sat with his Jack Daniels sipping it slowly imparting the wisdom of a man who lived just a few days short of 89 years. This year on Father’s Day, there is an empty rocking chair. I feel a sense of loneliness. My Dad died of cancer last year. The last time I sat on the Continue Reading →

Healing After Breast Reconstruction is a Journey

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Terri

Women and men can choose three different types of breast reconstruction. There is implant-based reconstruction. Another type is when a patient can choose to use a variety of skin flaps to rebuild their breasts. This is called autologous, using your own tissue, breast reconstruction. A combination of both autologous and implant-based reconstruction is sometimes chosen and performed after a mastectomy. Any of these type of breast reconstruction options requires time to heal, both emotionally and physically. Healing after breast reconstruction is a Journey. The Unknowns You don’t know what you don’t know. A patient can sit in an initial consult with their plastic surgeon with all their questions in hand. The hope is the consult is done in a shared decision-making fashion where both parties, the patient and plastic surgeon, listen carefully and with intent to each point of discussion then come to the best decision for the patient’s health Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Wounds and Management

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Terri

I derive a great deal of information from the surgeons and patient members of the Journey Facebook group. The questions they ask are pertinent to the healing process as well as various aspects and the decision to have breast reconstruction. When I have an opportunity to visit our physician members, I schedule time to do videos to answer questions patient members are asking. Knowing how demanding the schedule of plastic surgeons can be, I am honored once again to sit with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio at the end of his long clinic day to talk about the topic of breast reconstruction wounds and management, dedication I am grateful for. Thanks Dr. C! Medical Comorbidities to Consider We begin our discussion with a patient inquiry about a medical comorbidity (condition) called Factor V Leiden. Dr. C clarifies this is a clotting problem not a wound healing issue. Continue Reading →

Patient Advocacy at ASBrS

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Terri

It was an honor to attend the American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting as a patient advocate. I felt welcome from the moment I arrived. The first breast surgeon I met was a past president of ASBrS, Dr. Deanna Attai. I have been interacting with Dr. Attai on Social Media through #bcsm tweet chats but never had the opportunity to meet her in person. We sat in the lobby of the hotel to share a cup of coffee. The first question she asked me was, “Terri, why did you attend the meeting?” I smiled at her because it was the question I wanted to be asked as a patient advocate attending ASBrS. I folded my arms on the table, leaned in as I smiled at Dr. Attai, and answered her question with a question, “Guess who told me about all my options for breast reconstruction?” The smile on her face Continue Reading →

Come with Me to my Breast Reconstruction Consult

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Terri

Yes, that is correct. I’m inviting you along to my breast reconstruction consult. Why? Because I want you to learn what I learned. This was not an easy day leading up to my DIEP flap plastic surgery consult in early October of 2014. I prepared months in advance. It was important for me to find a microsurgeon who was going to know what my expectations were from pre-surgical planning, understanding the surgery, aesthetic outcomes, and how I would be after having this intricate surgery to replace my breasts lost to breast cancer. The Morning of my Breast Reconstruction Consult I traveled for my breast reconstruction, so my husband and I stayed in a hotel. We were both fairly quiet the morning of my consult. He watched me prepare physically for the consult; hair, make up, nice outfit. I suppose it was my way of putting forth the message to my Continue Reading →

Patients Share Tips on Finding a Breast Reconstruction Surgeon

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Terri

I spent hours, days, and weeks searching for a plastic surgeon to perform my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. It was not an easy task. I learned a lot from three other patients, Whitney, Rene, and Tamara, who share with us their criterion and tips on finding a breast reconstruction surgeon to perform their DIEP flap surgery. Whitney’s Tips for Finding a Breast Reconstruction Surgeon She tells us she had time to look for a plastic surgeon because she chose to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Whitney carries a gene mutation putting her at high risk to develop breast cancer. Watching her own mother pass from breast cancer when Whitney was in her early twenties was instrumental in her decision to have breast reconstruction, especially with two young children at home. The first decision was the type of surgery to have. She chose DIEP flap. It Continue Reading →