Category: News

Inspirational Connections through Breast Cancer

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Inspirational Connections through Breast Cancer A true blessing and bonus of educational outreach is inspirational connections through the breast cancer community.  I recently received an email from Cinde and she humbly asked to write a guest blog about how she came to develop her drain carrier after surviving breast cancer three times.  Like me, Cinde has undergone DIEP flap breast reconstruction .  Naturally, I was curious to hear her story and after reading it I am honored to share this guest blog.  Cinde is not only providing a product for breast cancer patients but her outreach became global and continues to positively impact women in Karunga, Tanzania. Thank you for sharing this guest blog to the breast cancer community, Cinde. Post-Op Drain Management and the Mamas of Kilimanjaro   I’m a four-time cancer survivor, three-time breast cancer survivor.   After being diagnosed with cancer so many times — and surviving Continue Reading →

5 Things to Look for: Hospital, PRS: DIEP flap Surgery

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5 Things to Look for: Hospital, PRS: DIEP flap Surgery Here is your list of 5 things to look for in a hospital and plastic reconstructive surgeon (PRS) before your DIEP flap surgery.   The list could fill a book; however, the purpose of this blog is to hit on five important topics that may well be priorities on the patients’ list of items to inquire about before surgery. No. 1 ~ Hospital Accreditation This might not be a question that you would even think to ask.  But, the reputation and accreditation of the hospital facility that your plastic surgeon practices at should be of great importance to you for your reconstructive surgery.  Odds are, you have been extremely wrapped up in the details of your breast reconstruction surgery and the outcome itself, but knowing the official endorsement of the facility is just as important.  When hospitals are accredited through national Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Consult DIEP flap Surgery: The Power of Two

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Breast Reconstruction Consult DIEP flap Surgery: The Power of Two You may bring someone with you to your breast reconstruction consult for your DIEP flap surgery but it is the power of two, you and your plastic surgeon, who are the two key players at this all important appointment.  This topic is worthy of a two part blog.  Part 1 will touch on the potential emotional and psychological aspects of the visit and part 2 will discuss the actually physical and technical part of the visit.  I have learned a lot reflecting on the experience of my first visit with my plastic surgeon.  I have gained yet a different perspective from speaking with other women about their experience and what this involved for them. What I do know is this; the appointment needs to be a home run for both you and your plastic surgeon.  You need and want to Continue Reading →

Ray of Sunshine after Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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It just doesn’t seem a ray of sunshine might even play into the discussion the day I was told I had breast cancer does it?  There actually was a ray of sunshine after a breast cancer diagnosis. This is my story. The Breast Cancer Diagnosis The day of my second breast cancer diagnosis I was sitting in the office of my breast surgeon, Dr. Michele Ley, I saw Dr. Ley about five years previous to my second diagnosis to remove a benign area in my left breast.  I chose to go to her because I was very impressed with her demeanor, compassion, confidence and skill for the minor surgery she performed then.   It was a “steel in my back” kind of day when I was scheduled to go in to see her.  I was alone.  My husband was out of the country on business.  I had been down this road Continue Reading →

National Cancer Survivors Day: Where Do I Begin?

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National Cancer Survivors Day: Where Do I Begin? Today is National Cancer Survivors Day and it is difficult to know where to begin to condense my thoughts about this day as a two time survivor of breast cancer.  There is a very dark side for many survivors.  I’ve had those days; diagnosis, telling your loved ones, surgeries, chemo, radiation, medication, side effects.  But oh those glorious bright days!  Let’s take a look at both. The Dark Side of Cancer Survivor-ship: The Ugly Vortex I have always equated cancer to an ugly vortex.  When you first hear the words that you have cancer that vortex begins its whirling mass of sucking many people into it. Being a cancer survivor does not affect just the individual with the diagnosis. Your spouse, partner, children, family and friends become survivors of sorts as well.  They weren’t asked to take on the role of caregiver Continue Reading →

Managing Surgical Drains with Drain IQ

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Managing Surgical Drains with Drain IQ Managing surgical drains post mastectomy and post breast reconstruction is one of the biggest grievances I hear when I speak to women about their surgery after breast cancer.  I was in that club after my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction.  I used the paper recording sheet provided by the hospital to track drain output.  Keeping track of that piece of paper and diligently recording drain output each and every time I stripped those drains was a necessary evil and part of the process for the duration they were stitched to my body. Let’s talk about managing surgical drains with Drain IQ. Managing Output Using your Phone? But, how many of us today have our phones with us almost as an appendage?  I am surprised to hear from ladies while still in hospital after their surgery, texting and posting on social media that they are Continue Reading →

Road Map to Success for DIEP Flap Surgery: Fluorescence Imaging

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Road Map to Success for DIEP Flap Surgery: Fluorescence Imaging A Patient’s Story Would you take a road trip before consulting a map, planning out your best route with the least amount of obstacles to drive around or through? Think of the SPY Elite Fluorescence Imaging System in this way for breast reconstruction surgery.  DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery is a specialized and intricate process that women have the option of choosing to rebuild their breasts after a mastectomy.  It is what I chose after a second breast cancer diagnosis. Patients are savvy, engaged, customers these days with the internet and social media to guide them in learning about the surgical procedures that they are facing.  DIEP flap surgery is intricate, long and must be done by a well-qualified microsurgeon. Choosing this profession is a passion for a majority of physicians because they are transforming lives after breast cancer.  It Continue Reading →

#WorldBookDay #DrSeussDay #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon

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#WorldBookDay #DrSeussDay #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon Today, March 3, 2016, is #WorldBookDay and it is trending on Twitter. One of my favorite tweets, showing some of the world’s most exquisite libraries. They look to be true museums of the mind!  It seems appropriate to me as a life-long educator that this day follows yesterday’s celebration of #ReadAcrossAmerica and #DrSeussDay. I have fond memories of reading our favorite Dr. Seuss book to our own two boys who are now grown men, one of whom has a son of his own. We would sit them in our lap or beside us in a comfy chair and read The Cat in the Hat. Teachers love Dr. Seuss Day in their classrooms.  It gives them an opportunity to wear the beloved hat or costume that has become so familiar across the U.S. and globe. It is a day that gives them an opportunity to simply enjoy the Continue Reading →

Pregnancy After DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

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Pregnancy After DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction I meet amazing women and hear inspiring stories of courage in my breast reconstruction education and outreach. We share pictures, laughs, tears, fears, and stories of triumph in my conversations with these women warriors. Chats with these women, not only in the U.S., but across the globe fuels and energizes me to continue this advocacy. This story, pregnancy after DIEP flap breast reconstruction, touched my heart as a mother of two boys. I am fortunate through my travels to meet DIEP flap patients in person. Nothing gives me greater joy than sharing my experience and listening to others’ journeys through their own breast reconstruction process. It is a shared strength and sisterhood few understand and appreciate. One fortunate meeting and follow up story I wrote might seem nothing short of miraculous.  Although for each of us, our stories too, feel miraculous after we’ve reached Continue Reading →