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

What Do Breast Cancer and BRCA Friends Share in Common?

Posted on by

I know that Heather Barnard and I share a lot in common! We are both educators. Breast cancer has affected Heather and me. Heather and I have had a mastectomy. Heather and I had breast reconstruction. We both write blogs about our breast reconstruction experience. Finally, and most coincidentally, we had the same plastic surgeon perform our breast reconstruction. What makes our friendship unique? We have never met in person. Heather and I live over 9,000 miles apart. Our shared commonalities, however, have bridged those miles and made us friends. Her Twitter handle says it all, @expattravelmom. She teaches in Singapore and in her off time travels extensively with her husband and three great children. I had my DIEP flap breast reconstruction in December of 2014. Heather had a prophylactic mastectomy with immediate implant breast reconstruction in June of 2015. Dr. Chrysopoulo was our connection. Heather would message me asking Continue Reading →

How Breast Reconstruction Changed Me

Posted on by

How breast reconstruction changed me is one survivor’s story. It is the topic of a recent video that was added to the DiepCFounation.org YouTube video channel. It was such an honor to meet and talk to Jan about her thoughts after being diagnosed with breast cancer and how choosing DIEP flap breast reconstruction allowed her to “conquer cancer”. Jan and I were Facebook friends for a while but never met in person. We finally had the opportunity after attending a fundraiser with other breast cancer survivors. We decided to spend the following day together getting to know each other. We met for coffee and the conversation began as it does with so many other women I meet who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. She spoke about her fears after being diagnosed and the impact it had on her life. We shared our stories and the conversation flowed easily. Jan Continue Reading →

When Breast Cancer Patients Experience PTSD

Posted on by

When breast cancer patients experience PTSD, it can be triggered for several reasons. My own experience leads me to understand what triggers my PTSD after a second breast cancer diagnosis. I realize it is important to learn to control the mechanism that triggers the response. How do I do this? Awareness, speaking to others who have been through it and how they manage their own PTSD after breast cancer, realigning my thoughts to conquer the fear that PTSD brings on. My PTSD occurs because I was diagnosed with stage IV, metastatic and seven days later the diagnosis was retracted. I lived with that diagnosis for a week. I told my family and friends and they were sucked into the dark vortex that is the result of such a diagnosis. What happened? My healthcare team ordered scans after my second diagnosis. They saw lesions on my spine and that’s when the Continue Reading →

Waiting for Authorization for Breast Reconstruction

Posted on by

Waiting for Authorization for Breast Reconstruction It can take enormous patience for breast cancer patients who are waiting for authorization for their breast reconstruction procedure. I was once there. Now I am an advocate for all options of breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I interact with patients daily. Many times, their questions are a catalyst for topics to write a blog. Amplifying our voices to educate is part of patient advocacy responsibility. I recently received an email from a patient who was denied coverage for a revision phase of her reconstruction. Her plastic surgeon even wrote an appeal, but it was still denied. She reached out to me for help and suggestions about what to do. I take a deep breath when I get these emails and step out of my breast cancer survivor role and put on my patient advocate hat. I don’t want to offer false hope, but I Continue Reading →

A 3-year Anniversary: Blogging About Breast Reconstruction

Posted on by

I am celebrating a 3-year anniversary blogging about breast reconstruction on March 17, 2018. When Did I Begin Blogging About Breast Reconstruction? It began as a cathartic experience after having successful DIEP flap surgery in early December of 2014. While I was at home healing, the events and challenges I faced the year after a second breast cancer diagnosis began to flood my thoughts daily. I put my M.Ed. program on hold to focus on my health. I met with a friend and artist in early January, 2015. We sat down together and planned two things; the artistic backdrop and platform for my blog on WordPress and an opening date, March 17, 2015. We are both Irish and it was a good goal. We met many times afterward to hammer out details. We hit our target date and celebrated together over a pint of Guinness. Why Did I Begin Blogging Continue Reading →

Caregiver Burnout: Who Is Your Wing Man?

Posted on by

I have been watching as tragedy unfolds on TV these past two weeks with discussion and protests of yet another violent act in the classroom and brick and mortar I spent so many years and hours in as an educator before opening my Foundation. And yet, it is a blur to me as it runs across news feeds in the hospital room and rehab facility I have spent so much time in the past two weeks. This part of my Journey began February 14, Valentine’s Day. My sister picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the hospital to begin my current role as caregiver to my Dad. The past month has been an emotional mixture for me. This is the first time I have been able to write a blog for weeks. My life was filled to the brim with joy beginning in late January as Continue Reading →

Breast Cancer Patients Paying It Forward

Posted on by

I have met so many breast cancer patients paying it forward after they have been diagnosed with the disease. I see these pay it forward breast cancer survivors writing blogs and sharing their lived experience. Some breast cancer survivors have opened nonprofit organizations to support and assist others going through healing and recovering from the devastation this disease can have on a person. Still others have become fierce advocates. They research and explore the science of breast cancer, clinical trials or they “go to the hill” to make policy changes in breast cancer care. It is inspiring and honestly keeps me focused and stimulated to continue my own DiepCFoundation work. I was recently the beneficiary of a breast cancer patient paying it forward from her own nonprofit organization, Nadia Strong, Beautiful Beyond Breast Cancer. Nadia’s mission is to empower women through breast cancer with her gift of photography. She invites Continue Reading →

Christmas Week: A New Breast Cancer Connection

Posted on by

Christmas Week: A New Breast Cancer Connection I was privileged, during this week prior to Christmas, to make a new breast cancer connection. Coincidentally enough, I learned about Nadia through another breast cancer friend and colleague, Barbara Jacoby. Barbara posted an article on social media about Nadia’s generous work with breast cancer patients through her love of photography. I read that Nadia was right here in my own back yard. I reached out to her for a meeting. As is the case with many breast cancer survivors I speak with, the conversation began with an immediate hug and a feeling of connection. We both encourage moving beyond a breast cancer treatment in our own communities through our separate nonprofit foundations, DiepCFoundation.org and NadiaStrong.org. The purpose of our separate yet similar Foundations seem to collide with the same message: We encourage women and men to move beyond the diagnosis and feel Continue Reading →

The Gripping Fear of PTSD after Breast Cancer

Posted on by

This blog is long overdue. I like to write when I’m clear headed and have done research on the topic I am writing about. Not today. Today, after surviving breast cancer twice, I am once again experiencing the gripping fear of PTSD after breast cancer. It happens when I go for routine tumor markers, scans, or experience a new ache or pain. Today is emotional while I wait on test results, but I couldn’t feel more determined to finally share why PTSD feels like a choke hold around my throat.  Today I wait for the results with fear; fear so many breast cancer patients experience. The wait, the PTSD, all comes with the heavy burden of hearing you have breast cancer. Our Responsibility as Patient Advocates I spoke to a friend and colleague yesterday, a fellow patient advocate, about our responsibility to share our lived experience and voices with the Continue Reading →

LIVESTRONG Class Assessment: Ready to Roll

Posted on by

Last week at our Livestrong class we had personal assessments and now we’re ready to roll.  We broke into groups to assess endurance, balance, flexibility, and strength.  This was a baseline assessment to track our progress through the three-month class. Since we divided into small groups with one trainer for each group, it was great to see the support and comradeship among class members.  We are all at different levels of treatment, recovery, and survivorship. There is breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, and brain cancer survivors. Some are using walkers or a cane for balance while others are former marathon runners who inspire me with their desire to push their physical limits at the YMCA program. Our trainers carefully watch each participant to keep us all safe within our own personal goals and boundaries. Endurance was tested with a timed three-minute walk around cones.  You could go as fast or Continue Reading →