Category: Emotional Recovery

Your spouse/partner; telling your children; telling your parents and siblings; reaching out to friends; friends who latch on for the drams of it all; when to ask for help; how to be grateful for help

DIEP flap Recovery: the First Week Home

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DIEP flap recovery, the first week home from hospital, or in my case back to my rental, was something I called on my best friend and caregiver to help me recount the details of. We had a few good laughs over some events I will share with you in this post. My husband was only able to be there for one week during my hospital stay.  Since I flew over 800 miles to have my DIEP flap surgery I had my best friend fly in to take over for him the week I left hospital. We chose to stay in a Vacation Rental by Owner. Lots of Sleep during DIEP Flap Recovery My surgery was on a Monday and I left hospital on Saturday. The sunshine and fresh air were divine after being in a hospital bed for five days. I got into the apartment rental, changed into my favorite Continue Reading →

Release from hospital after DIEP flap surgery Phase 1

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Release from hospital after DIEP flap surgery Phase 1 Release from hospital after DIEP flap surgery begins your individual part and responsibility of healing and recovery. You have been in hospital for a few days, usually four to five, depending on your individual recuperation after surgery. You have been tended to 24/7 either by your doctor, a physician’s assistant, the nursing staff, specialist or other staff assistants. It’s time to go home or as I like to refer to it since I was an out of town patient, back to your place of healing. What do you need to know? Your catheter has been removed and you have been to the bathroom by yourself by now. You are free of the IV’s that have been part of you since you got out of surgery. The entire process of being released from hospital is an event in and of itself. You Continue Reading →

Trending on Twitter #Ilooklikeasurgeon

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Trending on Twitter #Ilooklikeasurgeon Trends on Twitter and much of Social Media go at break neck speeds. Here today and gone tomorrow. There has been something trending on Twitter the past few days that inspired me to write this post. The trend followed the hash tag #Ilooklikeasurgeon and began with an article written about diversity and equality from a London surgeon, Dr. Ed Fitzgerald. A resident in surgery, Heather Logghe, MD, started the trend with pictures on Twitter.  And yes, it exploded on Social Media!  Dr. Kathy Hughes, a surgeon and one of my favorite bloggers,  even started a Facebook page to honor this community.  I was mesmerized and actually found two surgeons I follow on Twitter who posted these two pictures.                 I know Dr. Chrysopoulo personally and many of you who read my blog probably feel like you do, too, as Continue Reading →

Maintaining Health Records during a Cancer Diagnosis

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Maintaining Health Records during a Cancer Diagnosis This is a post about the importance of maintaining accurate health records during a cancer diagnosis. But, today is probably one of the most difficult posts I have written in a while because of the events listed in this post that happened withing a month’s time to me and my family in 2014 during the time of my second breast cancer diagnosis. Why I do What I do I am an educator for all options of breast reconstruction after mastectomy.  After much research on my part to find a skilled, compassionate and qualified plastic surgeon; I had a very positive experience.   I know that all women are not told about their choices for reconstruction like I was.  Additionally, some have not had the powerful and positive experience that I did. I share my experience through outreach and  I educate others in hope of Continue Reading →

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 →

Length of Hospital Stay : DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

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Length of Hospital Stay: DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction The length of  your hospital stay after DIEP flap breast reconstruction will likely be four to five days. My surgery was on a Monday morning, I was in my room by 10 pm that evening, and I left the hospital on Saturday morning. Although my surgeon came in to ask if I was ready to leave on Friday, I stayed one extra day only because I didn’t feel strong enough to go back to the vacation rental. He gave me the option to stay another night based on how I was feeling. Remember, I flew in from out-of-town, 800 miles out of town! I had to be 100% positive in my mind that going back to a foreign environment, the vacation rental, was going to be conducive to my healing process for the week I would be there following my release from Continue Reading →

Body Image After Mastectomy

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Body Image After a Mastectomy Body image after mastectomy is difficult for many women. I went through this myself after a bilateral double mastectomy. It is my own definition but I define women who live with mastectomies, “hidden amputees”. No one sees you are missing body parts when you wear prosthesis. No one feels what you feel each time you see a reflection of yourself in the mirror or try to pick out something to make you look feminine or sexy when you want to step out for a social event. Nor does anyone truly understand the desire to just magically want the clock to turn back before you had to have your breasts removed due to cancer; no one except you. What was your personal choice? How did a mastectomy change your body image and how have you dealt with it? Did you decide to have reconstruction, wear prosthesis, Continue Reading →

Exercise After Breast Reconstruction Surgery

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Going in DIEP! Exercise after breast reconstruction surgery is a tricky game. You must clear it with your plastic surgeon. Your incisions must be completely healed so that you do not compromise the healing process. One question I asked my PS, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA at my pre-op appointment before the final phase of my reconstruction was when I could get back to swimming. We have a pool in our backyard and I felt it would be good rehab as a post-surgical exercise. His answer, “When you are ready and when the wounds are all healed”. New Sensations and Healing I’ve been working up to this moment today. I emailed the nurse at my plastic surgeon’s office a couple of weeks ago and told her I was feeling some interesting and strange new sensations in my breasts. I couldn’t really put the feelings into words but I think she Continue Reading →

Infusion Therapy: Facing your Fears

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Prolia Injection at the Infusion Therapy Center I went to the infusion therapy center at my cancer center today to have the first of my Prolia injections to treat bone loss. I would be getting them twice a year.  Since I am taking an AI (Aromatase Inhibitor) and additionally have a family history of osteoporosis, my oncologist recommended I start the injections. I do not have a fear of needles. I had a CVC line for chemo thirteen years ago and was fully awake when they inserted that. I have had multiple IV sticks for breast cancer and reconstruction surgeries and blood drawn. I always watch them put the needle in for both and tell them where my good, “go to” veins are. No problems. Today was a simple subcutaneous injection at the back of my arm. I had the option of having it in my abdomen but I looked Continue Reading →

Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

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  Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy ~ Is it Right for You? When I read an article about BPM posted on Facebook by my reconstruction surgeon I knew immediately what the letters stood for and so do those in the BRCA and cancer community. Out of pure curiosity I searched on the internet the “meaning of BPM” without adding “medical” to the search. You get some interesting as well as hilarious results: British Prime Minister, Beam Position Monitor, Business Performance Management, Blood Pressure Monitor, Beats per Minute and my favorite, Butt Pumping Music! The Angelina Effect Bilateral prophylactic mastectomy became a popular news topic after Angelina Jolie shared that she reduced her risk by nearly 90% of ever getting breast cancer because of choosing a BPM. She tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation and her mother died of ovarian cancer. I wrote a previous blog on this and completely understand why Continue Reading →