DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction Archives - Page 7 of 26

Packing When Traveling for DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Terri

Many women travel for breast reconstruction surgery. Why? Access to a plastic surgeon in your town may not be available. It was not for me so I decided to summarize a list of what I recommend you will be packing when traveling for DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Why Patients Choose to Travel for DIEP flap If you are having autologous breast reconstruction, like DIEP flap or any other type of tissue reconstruction, finding a microsurgeon to perform your breast reconstruction is important. Microsurgery is a specialty of plastic surgery. These surgeons perform tissue reconstruction. Tissue reconstruction has warm blood flow in the transferred tissue used to reconstruct the breast. It requires great skill and additional training beyond plastic surgery training to tie the tiny blood vessels together to achieve the blood flow in the newly reconstructed breast making it feel more like the native breast tissue removed from a mastectomy Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Nipple Tattoo Artistry Experience

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Terri

This story is about three friends in vastly separate places in their lives, uniquely connected through the breast cancer experience, and a narrative of a breast reconstruction nipple tattoo artistry experience. Whitney’s Breast Reconstruction Story I met Whitney in 2019 shortly after moving back to Seattle. Our past connections are uncanny. We remain friends and the story behind how it came to be still warms my heart. You can read more about it in this blog and how Whitney’s genetic mutation for ATM and CHEK2 put her at high risk for getting breast cancer. She completed her breast reconstruction Journey traveling to San Antonio having her DIEP flap performed at PRMA. Whitney communicated with me while she was in Texas revealing how pleased she was with her surgery. My heart was happy to hear about support from her husband and other Journey members living in the San Antonia area. Because Continue Reading →

Episode 14: Nipple Graft, an Innovation in Breast Reconstruction

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Terri

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

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Terri

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?

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Terri

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

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Terri

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

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Terri

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

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Terri

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

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Terri

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 →