Category: Plastic Surgery

Education about DIEP Flap: One Simple Rule

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Can we assign one simple rule regarding education about DIEP flap breast reconstruction? Yes, this one simple rule is to listen. This is where it begins. I have learned from patients and surgeons that listening is the first action required to educate. It reveals what is important for patients and what they desire to understand about the process and decision to have DIEP flap. I have learned from surgeons it is important for patients to take the time to listen to surgeons to understand what they can achieve for a patient in a DIEP flap consultation.   My Introduction and Education about DIEP Flap I was a student in April of 2014 during my second diagnosis of breast cancer. In the months following my double mastectomy I did what I now tell others to do. “Do your homework to find the right plastic surgeon”. I listened to all breast reconstruction Continue Reading →

Microsurgery and DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction and all it’s Worth

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I chose this topic for my weekly blog after doing a retrospective look at the writing, interviews, podcasts, and connections I have had over the past few years since having my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I love talking about DIEP flap. It is sophisticated and intricate surgery requiring great skill and expertise. I often refer to it as a profession of passion. Patients who choose to undergo this surgery spend long, often agonizing hours searching for a microsurgeon to perform their surgery. They spend equally long recovering from surgery. Thus the topic I have chosen to write about this week: Microsurgery and DIEP flap breast reconstruction and all it’s worth. Microsurgery: A Profession of Passion I am so fortunate that microsurgeons share the story of who inspired them to choose microsurgery. It is a glimpse into the human side of their lives and why they chose to do DIEP Continue Reading →

Oncoplastic Surgery after a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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Dr. Lashan Peiris, an oncoplastic and reconstructive breast and general surgeon in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, discusses oncoplastic surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis. He defines the term oncoplastic breast surgery, describes the type of conversation he has with his patients, and who might be a candidate for this type of surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis. Shared Decision-Making in Oncoplastic Surgery When a person is diagnosed with breast cancer the healthcare team should work together to coordinate patient care to determine the best long-term survival and quality of life choices in treatment and surgery. Dr. Peiris makes a profound statement, “Gone are the days where we as breast surgeons walk into a room, tell a lady she’s got breast cancer, and walk out five minutes later.” Dr. Peiris continues his discussion by describing the shared decision-making process in breast cancer and breast surgery care. All aspects of the patient’s life Continue Reading →

Can We Drive Change in Breast Sensation Through Webinar Attendance?

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We have become accustomed to attending online webinars. One I have watched from inception is the iBreastBook webinars. It was designed by oncoplastic breast surgeon Yazan Masannat. He is located in Aberdeen, Scotland. I continually learn from these webinars and appreciate the global presence of presenters and attendees. Yazan is driving change in breast surgery by exploring the latest surgical techniques in breast surgery in these online learning opportunities. The most recent one I attended I ask myself; can we drive change in breast sensation through webinar attendance?” Why is Driving Change in Breast Sensation Important to Me? The title of the webinar I am commenting on is, Mastectomy: What is New. The presenters were an impressive group of international surgeons in breast surgery. They are as follows: I am a patient who has experienced successful return of sensation to my breasts after DIEP flap breast reconstruction. It is equally 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 and my 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 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 →

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 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 →

Episode 3: Breast Reconstruction and Breast Sensation

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In Episode 3 of the DiepCJourney podcast I discuss breast reconstruction and breast sensation with two surgeons who have performed this procedure together in their practice. Dr. Anne Peled and Dr. Ziv Peled work in tandem in the operating room to preserve and restore sensation to the breast for those affected by breast cancer. The paper published by Dr. Anne and Ziv Peled can be found in the PRS Global Open under the title, Nerve Preservation and Allografting for Sensory Innervation Following Immediate Implant Breast Reconstruction PRS Global Open Dr. Anne Peled, who was diagnosed with breast cancer herself, was torn about what surgical option to choose for her own diagnosis; a lumpectomy, oncoplastic surgery or mastectomy. She was aware, due to standard training of breast surgeons, a mastectomy would mean the likelihood of losing sensation to her breasts. Most patients who undergo mastectomy are left numb and as she Continue Reading →