Category: Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Shared Decision-Making Is Your Surgeon Practicing it, and Why Should You Care?

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By Terri Coutee and Minas Chrysopoulo, MD FACS I feel very passionate about opportunities to educate others on the topic of shared decision-making. Shared decision-making is when the patient and physician work as collaborative partners. The purpose is deciding a treatment plan that is best for the patient. After recording a ZOOM interview with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo recently, the topic came up as it often does. Dr. C said to me, “Let’s write about it together.” It took no time for me to agree to co-author this blog! What Shared Decision-Making is NOT… As a patient advocate for all options of breast reconstruction, I have the opportunity to speak to others who are planning or recovering from all types of reconstruction. I ask if they felt fully engaged in their decision process for their reconstruction. It is apparent to me they were NOT when they tell me they were not Continue Reading →

What to Have for Recovery at Home after Breast Reconstruction

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Many women ask what the essentials are and what to have for recovery at home after breast reconstruction. Women share tips frequently. I would like to provide some of my favorite items and preparation combined with suggestions from others. The Recovery Care Basket after Breast Reconstruction This has to be at the top of my list. A dear friend of mine suggested it after she had her reconstruction. You will have a recovery spot the first week or two after you are home. It may be your recliner or favorite oversize chair with ottoman, as was the case for me. Find a large, pretty basket or storage bin to hold the following items. Just make sure they are within an easy arm’s length reach beside your chair, so you do not have to bend over. Food Preparation to Have Ready after Breast Reconstruction With so many available choices to order Continue Reading →

The Power of Patience in the Pandemic

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Do you feel like you are tapped out as we enter into the second half of 2020 continuing to adapt to a new kind of society since the coronavirus outbreak? I seem to have felt it more this week than any other. The common question starting most conversations seems to be, “How are you doing?” This is really asking, “How are you holding up through the pandemic?” How are you practicing the power of patience in the pandemic? A bit of Pandemic History The plague, a fatal infection arrived in Constantinople in 541 CE, Common Era, sometime used in place of AD. The plague spread across Europe, Asia, north Africa, and Arabia killing nearly 30 to 50 million people. This was half the world’s population.    The Black Death, a pandemic in Europe in 1347, took a shocking 200 million lives all in just four years. Science, not being as Continue Reading →

Telemedicine: Patient Care During COVID-19

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I recently interviewed a friend and patient advocate, Kirstin Litz, to find out how she successfully set up her first telemedicine appointment in the time of COVID-19. This was her oncology appointment for follow up breast cancer care. I also asked others for tips on how best to conduct telemedicine and optimize patient care in the time of COVID-19. Landline Vs. Mobile Phones for Messages Most of us use mobile phones for the bulk of our everyday communication with friends and businesses. However, home phones and landlines are sometimes a preferred number to reference when filling out contact forms for medical offices to use as an answering system. This was the case for Kirstin. She knew when her oncologist told her the appointment would be a video call, the landline number was not going to work. In addition to the message left on her landline, she received emails via the Continue Reading →

Is Age a Factor in Breast Reconstruction?

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You might be surprised to hear the answer to this question and how those who have been through or are waiting for reconstruction feel about this. I tackled the question with a notable microsurgeon from MedStar Georgetown Health, Dr. David Song. I also reached out to the Facebook group, DiepCJourney, and asked them, is age a factor in breast reconstruction? Chronological Age is not the Strong Consideration Dr Song explains, chronological age is not the strong consideration in breast reconstruction, especially autologous (using your own tissue) reconstruction. The more important factor is overall health and body habitus. Amazingly, Dr. Song tells us the youngest patient he performed a DIEP flap on was 20, and the oldest was 89! Surprisingly, the 89-year-old when home post-op, day one. This woman was in otherwise good health. However, is important to talk to your breast reconstruction surgeon about heart, lung, or kidney issues to Continue Reading →

What are the Surgical Stages of Breast Reconstruction?

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A question frequently asked in the breast reconstruction community for those planning any type of breast reconstruction is, what are the surgical stages of breast reconstruction? I reached out to the experts to do a video. Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA answers the question. I summarize the conversation with Dr. C in this blog. You can watch the entirety of the conversation in the at the end. Dr. C begins with a very important statement, “Breast reconstruction should really be considered a process rather than as one procedure. For most people it is going to take more than one surgery to get the best results.” Breast Reconstruction: Stage 1 It is preferable to have both the mastectomy and reconstruction done at the same time, known as immediate reconstruction. This often yields better results because there is less scarring and looks more natural. Sometimes, because of the diagnosis, stage of the Continue Reading →

Please Do not Tell Me Not to Worry

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You arrive for your yearly mammogram, CT scan, ultrasound, or blood work. It could be any number of medical tests to determine if you have breast cancer, your breast cancer has metastasized, you are called back to have further testing, the list goes on. The appointment can elicit worry days before when you view it on your calendar knowing it is coming up. Then you wait for results. Or you wait a few more days for a recall on a mammogram when they “find something suspicious” that was not there a year ago. What do you say to someone who shares this news with you? Did you tell them not to worry? They are probably thinking, “please don’t tell me not to worry”. Mammograms can Cause Worry There are those who are having their first mammogram ever. Whether you are 24, 40 or 84 is really does not matter. The Continue Reading →

Happy Mother’s Day Mom with a Grateful Heart

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I asked my Mom a pretty big favor in a recent phone call to her. “Mom, I would like to interview you for my Mother’s Day blog.”  There was a pause at the other end of the line. Knowing how important her privacy is to her, I reminded her I had written a couple of blogs about Dad. Mom remembered and found them in a file. She reminded me she kept a file about all the things I do in my patient advocacy work. I had no idea she had a file. We scheduled a time for me to interview her over the phone. This blog is for you Mom. Happy Mother’s Day with a grateful heart. When Emotions Run High Mom endured hearing, watching, and caring for me through two breast cancer diagnosis. The first diagnosis we lived close enough for her and Dad to drive and make more Continue Reading →

How Do You Maintain Your Health After Breast Cancer?

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Exercise has been part of my routine throughout my life. I am a middle child of three daughters. Dad always called me the tomboy in the family. I was the one he would throw the football to across the yard when I was growing up. He taught me how to throw a pretty good spiral. My family attended my high school track meets. When I was on a collegiate rowing team, they cheered on the sidelines of the river when I had a regatta in our hometown. But as an adult, I have been diagnosed with breast cancer twice. It stopped me in my tracks during various surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Now a healthy Nanna with all of that behind me, it is even more important for me to exercise and maintain my health after breast cancer. My Formula for Maintaining Health after Breast Cancer There are so many Continue Reading →

Learning Together During the Coronavirus

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I am an educator by profession. Although I switched from classroom teaching to becoming a patient advocate after a second breast cancer diagnosis and successful DIEP flap breast reconstruction, I am always energized when I can learn something new. Living through the global pandemic of 2020 has been one adjustment after the other for everyone across the world. It has been downright frustrating for me some days. This week, I felt uplifted. Some new tools and ideas opened up for me. I am grateful a world pandemic can also result in learning together during the coronavirus. Using Instagram LIVE During the Coronavirus Instagram has been a busy platform during the past few weeks. Those little circles at the top of your Instagram feed have been highlighted in red more than I have ever noticed. Notifications of IG LIVE have been frequently lighting up my phone. What is up? I turned Continue Reading →