Tag: Breast Reconstruction

From Diagnosis to Regaining Strength after DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

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I remember well the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I found out when I received a phone call about my first diagnosis. It honestly felt surreal, like a gut punch when I picked up the phone and heard, “You have breast cancer.” The second time it was in person when I was called back to the radiologist’s office on my way home. The phone rang telling me to return after being cleared to go by a resident. I knew it wasn’t going to be good. But from diagnosis to regaining strength after DIEP flap, I made it through like so many others. My Diagnosis, Both Does the moment and emotions you experienced when you were diagnosed ever go away? I often hear the day, time, place, and how one felt is forever etched in your mind. It still is for me. How did you feel? My palms were Continue Reading →

Microsurgery and DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction and all it’s Worth

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I chose this topic for my weekly blog after doing a retrospective look at the writing, interviews, podcasts, and connections I have had over the past few years since having my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I love talking about DIEP flap. It is sophisticated and intricate surgery requiring great skill and expertise. I often refer to it as a profession of passion. Patients who choose to undergo this surgery spend long, often agonizing hours searching for a microsurgeon to perform their surgery. They spend equally long recovering from surgery. Thus the topic I have chosen to write about this week: Microsurgery and DIEP flap breast reconstruction and all it’s worth. Microsurgery: A Profession of Passion I am so fortunate that microsurgeons share the story of who inspired them to choose microsurgery. It is a glimpse into the human side of their lives and why they chose to do DIEP Continue Reading →

DIEP Flap Reducing Abdominal Wall Complications

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Looking at the analytics on the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel I realized this video, DIEP Flap reducing abdominal wall complications with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo is worthy of a blog summary. For our viewers, some value watching the video while others find it helpful to read the information. Having in a blog will allow you to print it if you feel it will help you at your surgical consult. Speaking to your surgeon about reducing abdominal complications in DIEP flap breast reconstruction is an important part of the conversation. Hernia and Bulging in DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction Dr. C begins our conversation with “Well, you know how I feel about the belly”. I agree and point out the other video we did on the topic, “The Aesthetics of the Belly in DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction”. Dr. C and I like to share these across multiple channels. This video can also be found Continue Reading →

Dismayed at Coding Changes and What is Being Taken Away from the Breast Cancer Community

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I returned from the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgeons’ meeting late Tuesday this past week on January 24, 2023. What has been happening in the world of access to care and choice in breast reconstruction has shattered many of us in this community. There are many passionate surgeons who have dedicated their lives to performing the DIEP flap surgery. Patients affected are dismayed at coding changes and what is being taken away from the breast cancer community. The Coding Changes and What is Being Taken Away DIEP flap surgery is not going away. It is access to care thereby limiting our choice of what type of reconstructive surgery breast cancer patients can choose after mastectomy and loss of breast. The process of why these codes have been taken away, the S-code, is a complex system and decision process made by medical governing organizations. It involves evaluation of work hours spent Continue Reading →

Resilience and Hope in Breast Cancer and Breast Reconstruction

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These seem like very strong words to define one who has been diagnosed with breast cancer or going through breast reconstruction. I believe people in either of these circumstances possess both hope and resilience. There are unpredictable forces in our life that move us forward. I consider resilience and hope in breast cancer and breast reconstruction as two of those forces. Resilience When Diagnosed with Breast Cancer When you hear or read the word, resilience, it seems like a strong word to define someone who has heard the news they have breast cancer. What I am really trying to convey is that whether you think you have resilience or not, you are actively showing that you do. How? By putting one foot in front of the other each moment, each day after being diagnosed. It is not to say you must stay positive, you are being courageous, or acting tough. Continue Reading →

Patient Advocacy in San Antonio

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I am sitting in my office looking out the window at softly falling snow. The cold temperatures of winter have settled in. It is a great day to reflect while sipping on a cup of warm tea after a week at the conference followed by a week spent with family. It is a strong finish wrapping up 2022 and patient advocacy in San Antonio. Patient Advocacy Focus at SABCS The hashtag #SABCS2022 was seen on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn during the first week of December. This was my third time attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium conference. I was an active part of the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) Patient Advocacy Program this year. It required a great deal of planning and preparation. The first year I attended in 2016 I was a newbie. I wasn’t even sure if I should be attending after just opening my nonprofit organization, Continue Reading →

Ways of Giving Back

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There are many ways to give back to nonprofit organizations. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, surgeon, individual or corporate entity, or know someone who has been affected by breast cancer, at DiepCFoundation we want to share ways of giving back to the community we serve. Donate Your Time or Share a Testimonial There is nothing more rewarding than standing beside a volunteer at an event we are part of. These are patients who have been through this surgery and know first hand what to say to those who attend these events. We are grateful and will continue to reach out to our volunteers at these events. Writing a Testimonial and sharing it on our social media accounts is so appreciated. You can write it anonymously or we are happy to use your name and tag you on social media. Patients write testimonials telling us that viewing our DiepC Foundation Continue Reading →

Acknowledging Those Who Give Their Time for Breast Reconstruction Patients

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We come to a season of reflection, giving, and gratitude. I want to take a moment to honor all those who give selflessly of their time helping me in my pursuit of educating and supporting those who are affected by breast cancer. Acknowledging those who give their time for breast reconstruction patients is important to me. Those World is Full of Giving People Talk on the street says we have been through a lot the past couple of years. ‘Tis true. I don’t think it is necessary to rehash the events or effect from all that has occurred and shaped our world since early 2020. News headlines inundate us changing our mood, focus, and daily living. And yet, through all of this I continue to witness a world full of giving people. In my corner of the world helping breast reconstruction patients, those giving people seem to come from every Continue Reading →

The Power of Education, Connections, and Giving

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I moved back to Seattle in late 2018 to be near family. The following year, in October of 2019 I met with a team at Microsoft for the first time to present my story as a patient advocate, nonprofit leader, and two-time breast cancer survivor. Each October since then, I speak to teams at Microsoft providing information and education on the topic of breast reconstruction during their Microsoft Give Day. Each year I do these presentations I am inspired by the power of education, connections, and giving. How is the Power of Education Spreading? I often discuss this with my life-long friend, Thomas, who so generously sets these meetings up for me each year along with his Microsoft colleagues. We know, according to statistic from The National Breast Cancer Foundation, that one in eight women in the United States alone will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The United States! Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Transitions and Changes

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This week marks the beginning of the autumn equinox when the sun shines directly on the equator and the northern and southern hemisphere get the same amount of sun rays. I live in the Northern hemisphere. The days grow shorter and the nights longer because the Earth begins to tilt away from the sun. Seasons bring changes. There are comparisons to draw with the arrival of fall and with breast reconstruction transitions and changes. Breast Reconstruction Changes in our Bodies Many anticipate the changes fall brings. I look forward to the chill in the air and the warm clothing in my closet waiting to be worn and layered to keep me warm. Just as the leaves change color from green to brilliant hues of orange, golds, and browns, so too our bodies change during breast reconstruction. Leaves transition and let go of the tree, falling gracefully on the ground during Continue Reading →