Category: DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

Episode 14: Nipple Graft, an Innovation in Breast Reconstruction

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New innovations are born out of passion, vision, clinical trials, and a scrupulous process of providing patient safety. In this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast, I speak to Billy Heim, COO of BioAesthetics. He is part of a team who developed an innovation in breast reconstruction, the NAC Graft, nipple areola complex graft. Here is the summary of Episode 14: Nipple Graft, an Innovation in Breast Reconstruction, of the DiepCJourney podcast. I am joined by Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, FACS, an internationally recognized expert in breast cancer reconstruction and shared decision making. He is president of PRMA (Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates). Dr. Chrysopoulo founded Toliman Health and is the creator of Toliman’s flagship app, Breast Advocate®, the world’s first shared decision-making app for breast cancer treatment and breast reconstruction. Saving the Nipple/Areola in Breast Surgery Dr. Chrysopoulo points out that a lot depends on the specific diagnosis. If there is an Continue Reading →

My DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Seven Years Later

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This morning I began my usual morning routine. I am an early riser. I open my laptop, check my phone for messages, begin sorting out emails to respond to, and begin my workday. But this morning marks a day on my calendar I never forget, or more appropriately, always remember. December 1, 2014, I was sitting on a gurney being marked up for my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Writing about my DIEP flap breast reconstruction seven years later? How is that possible? Where did the time go? The Days and Months Leading up to my DIEP Flap My coffee is fresh and warm. Thoughts flood through my mind as I recall the events of the morning I showed up at the hospital. Yes, I showed up. But boy did that take a lot of decision making, planning, and a strong dose of physical and emotional fortitude in the days leading Continue Reading →

How Are you Feeling Toward the End of The Year?

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Are you feeling anxious? Peaceful? Introspective? Determined to roll into the New Year with some novel ideas and changes in your life? It is the time of year when we can feel any, and all of these emotions and they can change within a moment, a day, or a week because of an unexpected circumstance. As we roll into the month of December, it is time to ask, how are you feeling toward the end of the year? End of the Year Holiday Celebrations There are holiday celebrations in December like Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, and similar celebrations around the world. I recall the excitement of children in my classroom during my years as an ESL teacher honoring each of these holidays. Students loved learning and experiencing the difference and similarities in all of the holidays. This was during a time when families were allowed and felt comfortable bringing Continue Reading →

The Most Difficult Part About Deciding to Have DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction

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I always appreciate hearing patient stories and true feelings about why women choose to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction. The decision is not an easy one to make with many factors involved. I recently asked the women of the private Facebook group DiepCJourney, what was the most difficult part about deciding to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Here is what they shared. Consideration of Family and Work During Diep Flap Breast Reconstruction Many women who choose to have DIEP flap are mothers, wives, and working full time either at home or outside the home. Imagine their thought process prior to surgery. “How will I handle activities of daily life knowing I will have incisions from hip to hip and at my breast area?” For women with children there are going to be limitations from those activities we do frequently as mothers, bending, lifting, and twisting. When we are used to Continue Reading →

Episode 16: Options for Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy

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When a person faces a mastectomy due to breast cancer, they have options to reconstruct their breasts. The options include using an implant, using the patients own tissue, or choosing to remain flat with aesthetic flat closure. Dr. Steven Pisano of PRMA, Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates, in San Antonio, Texas discusses all the options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy in Episode 16 of the DiepCJourney podcast. The Voice of an Expert in Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy Dr. Pisano is one of the original founders of PRMA in San Antonio. He started the practice in 1994 with partner Dr. Peter Ledoux to serve the San Antonio area with general breast reconstruction surgery. Since that time, they will be on track by the end of 2021 to perform over ten thousand flap breast reconstruction surgeries for patients from all over the world. They now have a team of eight highly skilled microsurgeons Continue Reading →

A Home for the Breast Cancer Quilt

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I first encountered DiepC Journey ~ Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy Facebook group when researching my options for prophylactic measures due to carrying a BRCA1 gene mutation. I instantly connected with the vibe of the group. What a wealth of information! If you know the founder of DiepC Foundation and the accompanying Facebook group, Terri Coutee, you will know just how welcoming, no-nonsense, and warm she is in all her advice and education pieces. She works to give each member a personalized experience when interacting with her foundation and page and she has helped countless woman and men dealing with breast cancer or breast cancer risk. Terri and I clicked, we’re both in the Pacific Northwest, shared a mutual friend, and both chose the same reconstruction—DIEP flap (using tissue from the belly.) We even made a video together. My Breast Cancer Journey to a Twist But! Here’s where the twist comes Continue Reading →

Global Collaboration and Learning on the Topic of Breast Reconstruction

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Collaboration is defined as an action working together with someone to produce or create something. My chosen profession is education. Working with my team in school districts to share ideas exhilarated me. Now, as a nonprofit leader and Founder of DiepCFoundation, I frequently experience global collaboration and learning on the topic of breast reconstruction. Developing a Community of Collaboration Our geographic world is expansive but our ability to collaborate is only an email, text, or message away. When I opened the DiepCJourney private Facebook page, often referred to by members as “The Journey” in the summer of 2015, I had no idea the global relationships that would develop on this page, let alone the other social media accounts I use for the Foundation. The need for education, support, and resources for all options of breast reconstruction after mastectomy continues. I witness this every day on “The Journey”. I set the Continue Reading →

Episode 18: Breast Cancer, the Patient Voice in Social Media

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Sharing your story as a breast cancer survivor on social media requires authenticity, creativity, vulnerability with keen knowledge of navigating the responsibility of telling stories that benefit the reader. I have learned a lot from my guest on episode 18, breast cancer, and the patient voice in social media with Marie Ennis O’Connor. She guides many breast cancer writers as a social media consultant, keynote speaker, and digital storyteller. Her creative work can be found at Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer. Marie’s work spans the globe, and her impact creating a cross continental family of writers is immeasurable. I am excited to share the summary of the DiepCJourney podcast for her presentation, The Weekly Roundup, on Twitter. How Marie Began to Use her Patient Voice Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early thirties. The two myths she faced and shares with us are: She only knew breast cancer to Continue Reading →

Episode 11: Decorative and Restorative Tattoos for Breast Cancer Patients

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Eric Eye is our guest on Episode 11 discussing decorative and restorative tattoos for breast cancer patients on the DiepCJourney podcast. He is a trained visual artist who performs 3D nipple and areola tattoos for patients who have had mastectomy and breast reconstruction after breast cancer. His work can be found on his Instagram account as well as his Facebook page. He is located in Seattle, Washington but Eric has traveled to other locations to provide services for breast cancer patients. Bringing Art to Life in Decorative and Restorative Tattoos The story of how he transitioned from years of experience in tattooing to providing restorative tattoos for breast cancer patients is a touching one. What are restorative tattoos? Eric’s work includes beautiful and artistic drawings covering a mastectomy or breast reconstruction scar. This can be across the breast area or an abdominal scar from DIEP flap surgery. They are most Continue Reading →

Trusting your Body after Breast Cancer and Breast Reconstruction

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I hear it so often from those affected by breast cancer or breast reconstruction. They experience weakness, loss of muscle mass, sense of balance, and overall strength. I know this feeling. It’s frustrating, feels like a true sense of loss, and sometimes even feels a bit hopeless as if you will never return to the person you were prior to treatment and surgery. I want to share my own experiences, provide hope and why trusting your body after breast cancer and breast reconstruction can be an important part of physical and mental recovery. Loss of Strength after Breast Cancer A breast cancer diagnosis is shocking for most. It is both physically and mentally challenging depleting the body and mind. I remember the absolute fatigue I felt from hearing about the diagnosis, crying, telling my family,  and going to all the subsequent appointments following my first diagnosis. After I had two Continue Reading →