Category: Evidence Based Research

Breast Cancer, Breast Reconstruction & New Challenges

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Breast Cancer, Breast Reconstruction & New Challenges What new challenges have you taken on since being diagnosed with breast cancer?  What have you had to deal with after losing your breasts to cancer, or finding out that you are a BRCA gene carrier? I was inspired to write this blog based on an article seen on social media from Living Beyond Breast Cancer. I include my BRCA friends in this post because I advocate for all choices of breast reconstruction and we have all had the perspective of experiencing some difficult decisions regarding our health. Events in life, good or bad, change us. They catapult us into decisions that we likely would not have come to based on the event. Being diagnosed with cancer for the second time in 2014, facing a mastectomy and then delayed DIEP flap reconstruction later that year, reset my compass. A Side Trip on my Continue Reading →

Scar Healing: Post DIEP flap Surgery

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Scar Healing: Post DIEP flap Surgery Scars, scar healing, and scar therapy  after breast reconstruction surgery is a frequent topic of discussion on DiepCJourney support group page. I can share with you what I have learned about these topics after phase 1 & 2 of my DIEP flap surgeries. What Forms the Scar? You may have heard of collagen. Collagen is a structural protein occurring in our bodies. Collagen goes to work and is produced by your body, in simplest form, after skin is disrupted through a surgical incision. It repairs and heals the wound because of its fibrous, connective properties. It is what forms the scar when your body goes through its natural healing process. Healing is Individual but Maintaining Health is Important! We are all unique and individual when it comes to healing. Your skin color, genetics, and overall health are important factors in the individual outcomes and Continue Reading →

Genetic Testing

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Is Genetic Testing A Scary Road to Travel? It is one of the hot topics in the medical world, “Genetic Testing”. A recent report from NBC Nightly News reports on the the risks and benefits of genetic testing.  Why do individuals choose to do it? What are the benefits and risks? What is the cost? Is it covered by insurance? Does it risk an individual’s chances of further insurance coverage in the future if they test positive? My Own Personal Experience I can only speak from my personal experience and reasons to explore genetic testing for myself. There are certain criterion that determines if you are a candidate who will likely benefit from genetic testing. I fit two of those conditions. One, I had breast cancer at a fairly young age, 47. Two, I had a recurrence of the original cancer I had at 47 but more importantly a newly Continue Reading →

The Perfect Breast Shape and Plastic Surgery

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How I got to the “Breast” Shape Ever Twitter is such a valuable tool for me. A year ago my Twitter account was full of nothing but educational websites. I returned to school to attain my M.Ed. and I used it for the sole purpose of gathering information about the latest “speak” in education. I did not tweet, like, retweet, or DM (direct message). I only lurked and learned. The lurking and learning changed in October of 2014. School ended for me to focus on my health.  My Twitter account went from education to all things breast cancer and breast reconstruction. I entered the world of plastic surgery as a breast reconstruction patient after undergoing a double mastectomy following a second breast cancer diagnosis. It was a world I was unfamiliar with and had much to learn about both on an academic and emotional level. I was now following, being Continue Reading →

Bone Density and Aromatase Inhibitors

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The Devil and the Details Today was a four month visit with my oncologist after my second diagnosis of breast cancer one year ago.  One of the purposes of the visit was to discuss bone loss while on Arimidex, the Aromatase Inhibitor I will be taking for ten years, unless of course they come up with something new between now and then. I was diagnosed with both invasive and in situ lobular carcinoma (LCIS) in my left breast twelve years ago. After two lumpectomies to achieve clear margins, eighteen weeks of chemotherapy and six weeks of daily radiation I took Tamoxifen for five years. Last year I had a recurrence of LCIS in the left breast and a new and different cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), in the right breast. Because of the new cancer in the right breast and the fact I had a recurrence in the left Continue Reading →

Seeking a Second Opinion

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Inspired to Write About Seeking a Second Opinion I recently joined a closed Face book page about blogging. One of the questions posed in the discussion was what so inspires you to blog/write. The main focus and inspiration for me will always be to inform others about breast reconstruction. But, leading up to breast reconstruction was twice being diagnosed with breast cancer so one greatly influences the other. The inspiration for this blog came from a question posed on a completely different Face book page. The questions were regarding getting a second opinion and what your thoughts were on it. I felt inspired to share my thoughts. Life’s Book on a Cancer Diagnosis My experience with second opinions is a lesson to be taken out my life’s book on a cancer diagnosis and all that comes with it. The first time I was diagnosed with cancer was twelve years ago Continue Reading →

Breast Cancer: Diagnosis #1

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First the Good News You never forget where you were or what you were doing the moment you are told you have breast cancer, NEVER! My initial diagnosis was in January of 2002. I was ironing my husband’s shirts and watching a cooking show. It was 9:15 a.m. when I received the call. The doctor started out with the good news first. “Some of the tumors we biopsied were normal, but”… Yes, this was breast cancer: diagnosis #1. But…… As soon as he said the word “but” I knew. I turned the iron off quickly and sat down and grabbed a pen and paper. I had invasive lobular carcinoma in my left breast.  I began trembling as a tried to write down notes. My handwriting was so shaky I couldn’t even read what I was writing. Meaningless fragments of words appeared on the page. I continued to tremble and tried Continue Reading →