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 before twelve years previously so I had my #CancerSucks attitude game face on. My radiologist was so sure what she saw on the films was breast cancer, I injected some self protective grit into my veins to be able to handle this day alone.
My breast surgeon began unraveling the details of the report. Since this was the second time for me to have breast cancer my presumption was she would be moving forward with a double mastectomy. She wanted to make sure that was the best option, though, and planned more in depth imaging to verify her course of surgery.
I was taking in a lot but we knew each other from before so the conversation was as easy as it could be. There were no tears but my demeanor was stoic. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with information because Dr. Ley took the time to listen and talk about options. And then… the ray of sunshine.
The Conversation Switched
I went into the appointment with absolutely nothing on my mind but “get the damn cancer out!” Mastectomy? Fine! Bring it on. I don’t want this to happen again. Remove the vessels harboring this insidious disease in my body. She switched the conversation to something I didn’t even consider discussing at this appointment, breast reconstruction. She handed me pamphlets on AlloDerm with implants. We discussed scheduling, timing, and subsequent lab reports necessary to have before any surgery took place.
Then, she turned our attention to what she classified as the “gold standard” in breast reconstruction, DIEP flap. She told me it would have to be done by a highly skilled micro-surgeon, a sub-specialty of plastic surgery. She explained to me I could use my own tissue, fat and blood vessels to create a soft warm breast mound comprised of my own tissue. My eyes widened! A ray of sunshine entered the room for me that day. She had me at “use your own tissue”. Dr. Ley sensed the amazement in my eyes. In a moment, the conversation lightened as she looked at my belly telling me to start indulging in some beer, bread, and pizza so I’d have enough to donate. Another smile came across my face.
Hope for a Ray of Sunshine for All Those Diagnosed
I have since written a lot about this topic. In a perfect world, I wish this moment for every patient, a ray of sunshine at these consults after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Why can’t every woman be as lucky as I was to be told about breast reconstruction the day they are told they have breast cancer and are facing a mastectomy?
If I could sprinkle magic dust and make this happen I would air drop this news over every physician’s office responsible for giving women or men the news they have breast cancer. I would like all physicians, breast surgeons, oncologists, primary care physicians, radiologists, and anyone involved in patient care to be able to say, “You have options for breast reconstruction after your mastectomy.” Here’s what they are.
Breast Cancer Patient Education Act
Last year, I used my grateful and small voice to bring awareness to a bill, the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act, through my various social media outlets. With much work from the members of ASPS (The American Society of Plastic Surgeons) and several interested members of Congress, the bill passed into law on December 18, 2015, no small feat by any means. Very soon after the passage of the bill I registered the Symplur hash tag, #BCPEA, Social Media followers who so strongly support this effort can use the #BCPEA hash tag to help spread the word, bringing awareness to this important information. I am forever thankful for their continued interest in this cause.
Even with the passage of the bill, we have more work to do. All of our collective voices must continue to let the messengers of this information know. All patients deserve to know their options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I administer a Facebook group and each of the grateful women and men in this group who tell someone else about their breast reconstruction experience are spreading a ray of sunshine. I honor those members of the Journey for being part of this effort! They are indeed a strong group.
You have choices. You can choose to reconstruct your breasts or not after breast cancer. Each choice is respected but everyone has the right to know their options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
