Tag: Breast Reconstruction

Fairness in Reporting, Breast Reconstruction

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Fairness in Reporting, Breast Reconstruction An on-line article was published on October 31, 2016, in The New York Times entitled, ‘Going Flat’ After Breast Cancer.  This is my commentary on that article after having survived breast cancer twice and choosing to reconstruct my breasts with my own tissue.  I want you to focus on the words “reconstruct my breasts”.  They are my breasts.  Every part of my breasts are me, my own tissue, my own blood source, my own skin, my own nipples.  My own breasts contained cancer cells and have been removed through the skillful hands of a breast surgeon and rebuilt by the skillful hands of a microsurgeon. The breasts I had before breast cancer were mine.  The breasts  I now have after breast cancer are mine.  Once my breasts had cancer.  Now, my breasts do not have cancer.  Therefore, I respectfully disagree with the last part of Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day

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Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day BreastReconstruction Awareness Day has gone global and that’s great news for breast cancer patients!  The focus of these events is to educate and raise awareness about options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy.  Many of these events are held in the month of October in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The choice to have breast reconstruction is a very personal one.  It involves a great deal of planning and requires a lot of information to make the best possible decision for each individual patient, both female and male.  It is not for everyone but the key take away and message of the Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day campaign is that everyone has the right to be given the information and to be educated about this topic. Breast Reconstruction after mastectomy is rarely a one-step surgical procedure.  Most reconstruction options require more than one stage.  What are those Continue Reading →

A Tearful Golden Moment at #PSTM16

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A Tearful Golden Moment at #PSTM16 I unexpectedly had a tearful golden moment at #PSTM16 the last evening I was there.  #PSTM16 was the first conference I have attended since opening a non-profit 501c3 Foundation to support and empower patients with education about options in breast reconstruction.  I will have many more blogs to write about my experience at the conference but this was truly a golden moment for me in more ways than one. An Evening of Celebrating Twitter Connections and Friendships It was at one of many special events that occurred at the conference.  This particular event was arranged by Dr. Karen Horton, one of the many talented plastic surgeons I engage with on Twitter and other social media venues to push out valuable information to patients interested in breast reconstruction.  The event was sponsored by Allegan and it was an absolutely lovely evening.  Allergan made it memorable Continue Reading →

Goals: #Plasticsurgery #BreastReconstruction, #PSTM16

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Goals: #PlasticSurgery, #BreastReconstruction, #PSTM16 are what I’ve been rolling over in my mind for the past few days.  Tomorrow, September 23, 2016, bright and early as the sun rises I will board a plane to Los Angeles to the largest plastic surgery convention of the year, Plastic Surgery the Meeting 2016, #PSTM16. My goals for the meeting Attend educational events focused on the breast reconstruction aspect of plastic surgery. Explore and understand the latest practices and developments in breast reconstruction. Engage with vendors to learn about their products. Ask these vendors why their product is so important in the breast reconstruction process. Catch up on any new legislative news pertaining to #BreastReconstruction. Learn as much as I can about tips in networking and Social Media for #BreastReconstruction and #plasticsurgery. Report back to patients in blogs about what I have learned at the meeting. Meet more board certified ASPS surgeons who Continue Reading →

Fat Grafting Breast Reconstruction Recovery

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Fat grafting after breast reconstruction recovery is a much quicker process especially if you have had DIEP flap surgery.  Phase one is typically a six week recovery.  The fat grafting surgery is typically day surgery and you will be back home or back at your lodging that evening if you have traveled for the procedure. I addressed the side effects of anesthesia here.  Another post written about post surgical garments after fat grafting can be read here.  I wanted to outline some common side effects of the fat grafting procedure and what you can expect in this blog. Fatigue during Recovery When you wake up from surgery you will be shaking off the anesthesia and will feel fatigued for a period of roughly a week.  This will depend on each individual and the extent of the surgery.  We each bounce back at different rates and some fat grafting involves scar Continue Reading →

Fat Grafting Breast Reconstruction Garments

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Fat Grafting Breast Reconstruction Garments Fat grafting breast reconstruction garments will vary depending on your particular procedure and where the fat is taken from to be injected back into your breasts.  The practice of using compression garments also varies among plastic surgeons. Fat grafting is done to achieve symmetry after implants are placed or autologous flap surgery is done.  There are often areas that have a look of indentation or a divot after phase one of DIEP flap or after implants are placed for breast reconstruction.  These are the areas that benefit from fat grafting. It was my experience that a fuller, smoother and more uniform look to my breasts was achieved from both of my fat grafting procedures.   The appearance of your breasts when you wake up from surgery will be slightly different after six months due to a couple of factors; you are swollen after surgery and some Continue Reading →

Anesthesia Recovery Fat Grafting Breast Reconstruction

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Anesthesia Recovery Fat Grafting Breast Reconstruction Anesthesia recovery after fat grafting breast reconstruction as well as for phase one DIEP flap breast reconstruction have  similarities.  I will, however, focus on my most recent experience, phase two and the fat grafting portion of breast reconstruction. Anesthesia Preparation The routine for this surgery includes check-in at the hospital, dressing into surgical garments, and being wheeled into the surgical holding area to talk to your physicians before surgery.  It has been my experience that the first physician you speak to is the anesthesiologist.  The anesthesiologist will go over your health history.  One of the key topics they ask you about is your tolerance to anesthesia and if you experience nausea when waking up from surgery.  This is a dreaded side affect for many going into any type of surgery. I have been very fortunate waking up nausea free from phase one and phase Continue Reading →

Fat Grafting: Breast Reconstruction – Prep, Packing and Pre-op

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Fat Grafting: Breast Reconstruction – Prep, Packing and Pre-op Fat grafting for breast reconstruction requires prep and packing if you will be traveling to your plastic surgeon. This was my personal experience for my most recent fat grafting.  There may be differences since each plastic surgeon has their own protocol. My experience will hopefully give you a sense of what preparations you can expect. Insurance Coverage This was my second fat grafting.  Insurance does not always cover the cost of a second fat grafting in breast reconstruction.  This will depend on the amount of fat grafting to be done, areas needing to be addressed to achieve symmetry, and of course your insurance coverage.  It is getting challenging for plastic surgeons to cover additional fat grafting beyond the first one  done after phase one.  However, since I was delayed DIEP flap and because of my insurance coverage, mine was covered this Continue Reading →

Hidden Costs of Traveling: Breast Reconstruction Surgery

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Hidden Costs of Traveling: Breast Reconstruction Surgery No one knows the hidden costs of traveling for breast reconstruction surgery more than the patient themselves.  I just returned from recent fat grafting as part of my own my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction. The costs are fresh in my mind and I feel it is an important topic to write about. The WHCRA (Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998) is outlined in this article. A portion of the article states: This federal law requires most group insurance plans that cover mastectomies to also cover breast reconstruction. It was signed into law on October 21, 1998. The United States Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services oversee this law. The devil is in the details.  Look carefully at the wording, especially the word, “most”.  Insurance is becoming challenging for both patients and physicians.  Costs, restrictions, increased deductibles and co-pays Continue Reading →

Ray of Sunshine after Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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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 Continue Reading →