Tag: breast cancer

Credibility in the Noise – Social Media, Breast Reconstruction, and Your Experience

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What social media platforms do you use to find information about breast reconstruction? Is it TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube? This interview summary with Dr. Andrew Gassman of PRMA in San Antonio is about finding credibility in the noise – social media, breast reconstruction, and your experience. Dr. Gassman’s Interest in How Patients are Utilizing Social Media for Breast Reconstruction Dr. Andrew Gassman is a highly skilled and capable individual who knows DIEP flap breast reconstruction well. He joined the group at PRMA in January of 2021 and works with nine other microsurgeons who primarily perform autologous breast reconstruction for those affected by breast cancer. Before his time at PRMA he spent several years as an associate professor teaching future surgeons advanced breast reconstruction technique. He continues to be an active researcher. Our conversation addresses his interest in how patients want to chat, how to reach more people to offer Continue Reading →

A Retirement Tribute to Deanna Attai: This Batch is for You!

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Deanna J. Attai, MD announced her retirement this week on what else other than social media? I suspect for many, like me, it feels like a bittersweet announcement. My message to her comes from my experience as a patient advocate and organic gardener. Deanna has lived to work most of her professional life. Now I know she can engage fully in working to live. This is a retirement tribute to Deanna Attai. Dr. Attai, this batch is for you! Dr. Attai, the Breast Surgeon My first recollection of Dr. Attai is through social media. The hashtag #BCSM (breast cancer social media) was created by her, Alicia Staley, and the late Jody Schoger. The first #BCSM tweet chat occurred on July 4, 2011. Over the past thirteen years, a great deal has changed in social media. However, the community created by one hashtag, #BCSM changed the engagement between breast cancer patients Continue Reading →

A Breast Cancer Patient Intent on Finding Access to Care

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Access to medical care for those affected by breast cancer is crucial, and often life transformative. This is a personal story of a breast cancer patient intent on finding access to care. She is a woman of strength and stopped at nothing to find the best care available for her during her personal journey from diagnosis to recovery from DIEP flap breast reconstructive surgery. I am pleased to offer this summary of the DiepCJourney podcast. Dana’s Diagnosis and Breast Cancer Treatment Dana Brown, PhD., is a 54-year-old wife, mother, and educator. She has been married to her best friend and soulmate for 35 years and they have an amazing son who is twenty-six. Recently, after 30 years in education, after much consideration with her husband, Dana decided to retire. This decision was made based on the reason she is sharing her story with you on the podcast about how she Continue Reading →

Father’s Day 2024 with Fond Memories and Love

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When I think of the stories others have told me about their dads it varies greatly. This Father’s Day I look back at some of the great influencers, dads I have known in my life. Not everyone has fond memories of their dad, but this is a day set aside to honor those who are privileged enough to call themselves dad and will celebrate Father’s Day 2024 with fond memories and love. My Dad It is only fitting that I begin with a tribute to my own father who sadly is no longer with us. Dad had four daughters. He anguished at the loss of my older sister, Mary, who lived a short, brief time after birth. In those days, bonding with a lost child in hospital was not something practiced yet. They quickly whisked the baby away from my mom who carried Mary full term only to be lost Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Surgery In New Orleans at CRBS

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Have you searched endlessly perhaps days and weeks, for a microsurgeon to perform breast reconstruction? Access to care is a real concern for patients who are affected by breast cancer. Finding a plastic surgeon who specializes in tissue reconstruction in the area you live in is not always a service afforded to all patients. Traveling for breast reconstruction is not out of the ordinary. It was something I did myself for my DIEP flap. This is a summary of the DiepCJourney podcast. I interview one such surgeon and practice breast cancer patients travel as we discuss Breast Reconstruction Surgery In New Orleans at CRBS, the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery. Why Dr. Zafar chose Microsurgery and Breast Reconstruction I interview Dr. Sarosh Zafar, a double board-certified microsurgeon in plastic and reconstructive surgery and general surgery. She specializes in the most advanced methods of breast reconstruction, complex reconstruction, and microsurgery. She Continue Reading →

Can the Emotional Toll of Breast Cancer be Measured?

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Measured how you might ask. In number of years, you survived? Perhaps it is the impact of the treatment and how you are called to endure discomfort, pain, and loss you did not know you would experience? Measured by the times you survived breast cancer? Can the emotional toll of breast cancer be measured? 2002: The Emotional Toll I had breast cancer in 2002 for the first time. The simple description: left breast lobular carcinoma with no lymph node involvement. The emotional toll kicked in for me on three strong fronts: There is no way to describe the moment you hear the words, “You have breast cancer,” or for that matter any kind of cancer. Telling your immediate family and beginning phones calls to extended family and friends caused me to cry endlessly. I lost weight without even trying. Sitting in an oncology office in front of a stranger listening Continue Reading →

Challenges, Accomplishments, and Understanding the Worth of Being A Caregiver

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A guest blog by Richard A. Coutee I asked our oldest son to write a guest blog about his experience with both my breast cancer diagnosis and my recovery through DIEP flap surgery. I cried when I read it. He hit the mark on the challenges, accomplishments, and understanding the worth of being a caregiver. In his words… My First Challenge as a Caregiver In 2001, I was a freshman at Washington State University. I remember a chilly day in January, I was in class shortly after returning from Christmas break. The professor teaching the class that day paused when a teaching assistant came in and handed her a note. “Richard Coutee? You need to call home as soon as you can.”  I was embarrassed that I was called out in front of everyone and wondered what news was so important that it couldn’t wait for me. That’s when I Continue Reading →

How to Host a Breast Reconstruction Community Gathering

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I want to extend a note of gratitude to the members of the DiepCJourney private Facebook page for their inspiration writing this blog, how to host a breast reconstruction community gathering. For the readers, this is a community of learning, support, and sharing. I began “The Journey” Facebook group in 2015 before starting my nonprofit, DiepCFoundation. Now, this community has become an integral part of the Foundation work. I am inspired daily by their curiosity about breast reconstruction surgery, support for each other, and the friendships made along the way. You can see on the Advocacy page I recently held a community gathering of local Journey members. I want to share some tips on how to host your own breast reconstruction community gathering. Tip #1 for you Breast Reconstruction Community Gathering Ask yourself why you are having it. What purpose do you want to accomplish? It might be for the Continue Reading →

Tapping into Resilience in the New Year

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We can write down, talk about, and make all the New Year’s resolutions we want. However, what will sustain us throughout the year is our resilience and responding to situations that set us back or cause us to change direction in our lives unexpectedly. How are you going to be tapping into resilience in the New Year? When Life Events Become a Catalyst to Tap into Resilience There are distinct types of events in life that can cause us to pivot, adjust, and do our best to move forward. I am speaking about health events. A sporting accident, a catastrophic car accident, or finding you have a disease that could either take your life sooner than expected or change your life forever. These are only a few examples of life events that cause one to reexamine how they are going to deal with things moving forward. My experience dealing with Continue Reading →

Achieving Symmetry and Understanding Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction

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This is a summary of the video and podcast interview with Dr. Tim Matatov of Southwest Breast and Aesthetics in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Arizona area. When I see hundreds of views of a video and close to two hundred podcast downloads I also like to provide a written summary for readers to hit on all learning modalities and preferences. I will include the YouTube video of Achieving Symmetry and Understanding Fat Grafting in this blog post. You can listen to the podcast here: How Mastopexy Achieves Symmetry in Breast Reconstruction We begin with a topic that is often asked about in the breast cancer community served at DiepCFoundation, mastopexy in the setting of breast reconstruction. A mastopexy is a breast lift. Dr. Matatov points out that whether a person has a single breast reconstruction with their own tissue, and implant, or oncoplastic reconstruction, sometimes the contralateral breast will not match Continue Reading →