Category: Personal Stories

A Network of Support Through your Breast Reconstruction Journey

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It is an honor to present a project I was asked to participate in. The focus of the project is patient centered stories in breast reconstruction. Emphasis is placed on the shared decision-making model for patients through their own personal breast reconstruction Journey. The program is available in a video presented on a Balancing Act segment of Lifetime Television and embedded in this blog for you to watch. It is truly a network of support through your breast reconstruction Journey. Rebecca’s Network of Support I was approached by Mentor to participate in the project. It did not take me long to know my voice was an important part of the network of support. The story focused on Rebecca, a young woman who tested positive for the BRCA 2 gene. She sought guidance from a genetic counselor after watching her mother go through breast cancer. She knew she was at higher Continue Reading →

My Journey with Breast Cancer

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My journey with breast cancer began as a 6 year old little girl that watched her mother battle the disease in May of 1987. My mom didn’t undergo breast reconstruction (I don’t even know if they gave her the option) so she remained flat after a single mastectomy was performed followed by chemotherapy. In May 1991, the disease returned, and it has metastasized to her bone. She ultimately succumbed to the disease 2 ½ year later in December of 1993. I was 13 years old. I spent a majority of my 30’s undergoing genetic testing, scans, self-breast exams, and biopsies at the recommendation of various physicians including my ob-gyn and a hematologist I had visited due to iron deficiency in my first pregnancy. 2 biopsies had already come back negative. Then on Thursday, November 15th after having undergone a 3rd biopsy on the same breast, I got the call that Continue Reading →

Patience and Persistence: Pregnancy Post-DIEP – Part 1

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When I found out in September 2014 my cousin had been diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently found out in January 2015 that I am positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, I felt like time was not on my side.  At the time my daughter was four years old and I had dreams of a second child.  However, my husband and I didn’t feel it was the right time to try.  Fast forward to early 2016, the time was finally right, and we began to try for baby number two.  We tried for two years with no success.  We even saw a fertility specialist and confirmed that we had all the right parts in all the right quantities to have another baby, we just needed more patience and persistence: pregnancy post-DIEP – part 1. By Spring 2018 I was wrapping up a Master’s degree and decided I just couldn’t wait Continue Reading →

A Breast Reconstruction Tattoo Completes a Patient Journey

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Connections made through the breast cancer community often become delightful friendships. So is the case with Sandra and me. We both had our DIEP flap breast reconstruction done in San Antonio at PRMA, Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates. Sandra is also a member of the Journey Facebook page. She volunteers her time when I make visits back to San Antonio for my Foundation work. I invited her to sit down and share her story. You can view the video in the blog of how a breast reconstruction tattoo completes a patient Journey. Sandra’s plastic surgeon informed her at her consult for her DIEP flap surgery that she would be losing her nipples. She felt comfortable with this decision for her best health and aesthetic outcomes knowing he would rebuild the nipples during the second phase of her breast reconstruction. The tattooing of the areola area could be done after healing from Continue Reading →

Father’s Day: The Empty Rocking Chair

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My family and I sat on a shaded screened porch for many family occasions, both small and large. A sign, hand painted by Dad, hangs on the patio and reads, “Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often”. On the porch are several comfortable outdoor wicker chairs. One chair, the wicker rocking chair, is where Dad always sat. He held his great grandchildren while he sat in the rocker. Sipping coffee and talking about the morning news was another favorite activity in his chair for Dad when I would go home for visits. In the evening, he sat with his Jack Daniels sipping it slowly imparting the wisdom of a man who lived just a few days short of 89 years. This year on Father’s Day, there is an empty rocking chair. I feel a sense of loneliness. My Dad died of cancer last year. The last time I sat on the Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Patients Sharing Their Journeys

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A group of women joined each other for an evening of friendship and support. Sounds like great fun, doesn’t it? It went far deeper than that. Or perhaps I should say, it went far “DIEP-er” than that. Each of the women who gathered for the event were scheduled for or had DIEP flap breast reconstruction. They all belonged to the Facebook group, DiepCJourney, known simply as “The Journey” to many. These women were all breast reconstruction patients supporting each other and sharing their Journeys. Social Media Breast Reconstruction Group: The Journey Social media holds great value finding like-minded people you can connect with. But little compares to personal connections, meeting someone in person, sharing a hug, and lending special individual and emotional support. The group of women I met in San Antonio on a warm April evening shared stories they understood before they met in person. Most of us were Continue Reading →

Patient Advocacy at ASBrS

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It was an honor to attend the American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting as a patient advocate. I felt welcome from the moment I arrived. The first breast surgeon I met was a past president of ASBrS, Dr. Deanna Attai. I have been interacting with Dr. Attai on Social Media through #bcsm tweet chats but never had the opportunity to meet her in person. We sat in the lobby of the hotel to share a cup of coffee. The first question she asked me was, “Terri, why did you attend the meeting?” I smiled at her because it was the question I wanted to be asked as a patient advocate attending ASBrS. I folded my arms on the table, leaned in as I smiled at Dr. Attai, and answered her question with a question, “Guess who told me about all my options for breast reconstruction?” The smile on her face Continue Reading →

Come with Me to my Breast Reconstruction Consult

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Yes, that is correct. I’m inviting you along to my breast reconstruction consult. Why? Because I want you to learn what I learned. This was not an easy day leading up to my DIEP flap plastic surgery consult in early October of 2014. I prepared months in advance. It was important for me to find a microsurgeon who was going to know what my expectations were from pre-surgical planning, understanding the surgery, aesthetic outcomes, and how I would be after having this intricate surgery to replace my breasts lost to breast cancer. The Morning of my Breast Reconstruction Consult I traveled for my breast reconstruction, so my husband and I stayed in a hotel. We were both fairly quiet the morning of my consult. He watched me prepare physically for the consult; hair, make up, nice outfit. I suppose it was my way of putting forth the message to my Continue Reading →

Patients Share Tips on Finding a Breast Reconstruction Surgeon

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I spent hours, days, and weeks searching for a plastic surgeon to perform my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. It was not an easy task. I learned a lot from three other patients, Whitney, Rene, and Tamara, who share with us their criterion and tips on finding a breast reconstruction surgeon to perform their DIEP flap surgery. Whitney’s Tips for Finding a Breast Reconstruction Surgeon She tells us she had time to look for a plastic surgeon because she chose to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Whitney carries a gene mutation putting her at high risk to develop breast cancer. Watching her own mother pass from breast cancer when Whitney was in her early twenties was instrumental in her decision to have breast reconstruction, especially with two young children at home. The first decision was the type of surgery to have. She chose DIEP flap. It Continue Reading →

Undeniable Physical and Psychological Changes After Breast Reconstruction

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Facing the possibility of mastectomy is frightening for most. You have breast cancer or a genetic mutation putting you at high risk for developing breast cancer. The body parts that are front and center on your body are about to be removed. You are sitting in front of a plastic surgeon as the surgical process is described to you. You know there will be undeniable physical and psychological changes after breast reconstruction. How in the world do you begin to even process all of this? How Will I Feel Physically After Mastectomy? My breasts gave me a sense of balance I didn’t realize until I began to stumble over my own feet after my double mastectomy. I thought I was just recovering from side affects of anesthesiology. Walking through my house I would randomly trip like a baby taking its first steps. I felt clumsy and awkward. My breast surgeon Continue Reading →