Tag: Breast Reconstruction

Choices: Breast Reconstruction or No Reconstruction after Mastectomy

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Women and men who are diagnosed with breast cancer are generally seen by a team of healthcare providers who treat this specific group of patients. It may include a radiologist, breast surgeon, radiation oncologist, plastic surgeon, or microsurgeon. The patient’s healthcare team may also include a combination of one or more of these specialties. Kim Bowles and I believe it is these physicians who should inform patients newly diagnosed about the surgical choices for breast reconstruction or no reconstruction after mastectomy. Kim and I met on social media.  Although we have never met in person, we have spoken often on the phone and via messages on social media. We are both breast cancer survivors who had to make a choice for breast surgery when a mastectomy was the best oncologic treatment for our respective breast cancers. What we strongly believe in is choice. Kim states,  We are in a position Continue Reading →

Ethical Responsibility of the Breast Cancer Story

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Have you ever been asked to share the personal story about your diagnosis of breast cancer? I have plenty of times and do not mind doing it but … I always want to know why and what the purpose of telling it is. Industry leaders pay attention! Please do not tell a story of a survivor to tug at the heart strings or grab the attention of the audience. It happens and I feel strongly about speaking up about the ethical responsibility of the breast cancer story. Breast cancer survivors often feel they have been sucked into a drama in life they did not want to be a part of. It feels like going to a bad movie you want to get up and walk out of even when you paid the money to get in. There are emotions, many tangled emotions involving more than just the survivor. Well meaning Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Education and the Circle of Giving

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Wednesday of this past week, October 21, 2002, was BRADay2020. BRADay is a daily event for me, providing education and resources to empower women and men with information to make an informed decision about options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. For the second year in a row, I was graciously invited by Microsoft to make a presentation about my personal Journey for their Microsoft Gives campaign but more importantly to educate . I left there with a full heart. This is what happened after my presentation on breast reconstruction education and the circle of giving. The presentation was conducted using the Microsoft Teams program. Since I have been using ZOOM to record videos for the Foundation, this was a new platform for me. Thomas set up a one on one meeting with me before the formal presentation to walk me through the ins and outs of Microsoft Teams. He made Continue Reading →

DiepCJourney: What’s in the Name?

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Breast reconstruction awareness day, #BRADay2020 is this Wednesday, October 21st. I have cordially been invited to make a presentation at Microsoft this week to educate the attendees on options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I was asked by a dear friend, Thomas, a Microsoft employee, what the meaning was behind all of the DIEPC platform I began to build in January of 2015. So, I will begin by telling you about DiepCJourney: What’s in the name? After a second breast cancer diagnosis, I chose to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy in May of 2014. When I returned from my surgery, I began to write about it for more of a cathartic experience. I then discovered less than 25% of women and men are aware or told about their options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I began to think about how I could educate others about options, Continue Reading →

Lost Breast Sensation after Mastectomy Restored 10 Years Later

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Tara begins by telling us the painful story of losing her mother to breast cancer when she was only eighteen. In an ironic twist of fate, Tara’s mother lost her own mother, Tara’s grandmother, from breast cancer at the same age. Having experienced this, she describes it as a “dark cycle that would just keep happening”. This is Tara’s story of lost breast sensation after mastectomy restored 10 years later. With other family members who had a cancer diagnosis, Tara was encouraged to have genetic testing by her then partner. She had no idea at the time what having genetic testing would actually mean and how it would change her life if she tested positive. When the results came back that she was in fact a carrier of a BRCA gene mutation, she went to see a surgeon to discuss what her options were. She was given two options. She Continue Reading →

Benefits of Delayed DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction after Radiation

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I take the opportunity to interview Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA about the benefits of delayed DIEP flap breast reconstruction after radiation. It is always a pleasure to have him on the DiepCFoundation Channel to educate others about topics for those affected by breast cancer. What are the Effects of Radiation? Dr. C begins by explaining radiation often creates significant changes. Radiation is recommended to decrease the risk of breast cancer coming back locally in the chest area. He points out there is some data to suggest it can improve survival. For these two reasons alone, it is a very important part of breast cancer treatment to discuss with your health care team. Techniques have improved in recent years in radiation, both the kind of radiation and how radiation radiation is administered for treating breast cancer. However, like many treatments for cancer, there are still side effects. Will the side Continue Reading →

Shared Decision-Making Is Your Surgeon Practicing it, and Why Should You Care?

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By Terri Coutee and Minas Chrysopoulo, MD FACS I feel very passionate about opportunities to educate others on the topic of shared decision-making. Shared decision-making is when the patient and physician work as collaborative partners in deciding a treatment plan that is best for the patient. After recording a ZOOM interview with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo recently, the topic came up as it often does. Dr. C said to me, “Let’s write about it together.” It took no time for me to agree to co-author this blog! What Shared Decision-Making is NOT… As a patient advocate for all options of breast reconstruction, I have the opportunity to speak to others who are planning or recovering from all types of reconstruction. I ask if they felt fully engaged in their decision process for their reconstruction. It is apparent to me that they were NOT when they tell me they were not even Continue Reading →

What are the Surgical Stages of Breast Reconstruction?

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A question frequently asked in the breast reconstruction community for those planning any type of breast reconstruction is, what are the surgical stages of breast reconstruction? I reached out to the experts to do a video. Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA answers the question. I summarize the conversation with Dr. C in this blog. You can watch the entirety of the conversation in the at the end. Dr. C begins with a very important statement, “Breast reconstruction should really be considered a process rather than as one procedure. For most people it is going to take more than one surgery to get the best results.” Breast Reconstruction: Stage 1 It is preferable to have both the mastectomy and reconstruction done at the same time, known as immediate reconstruction. This often yields better results because there is less scarring and looks more natural. Sometimes, because of the diagnosis, stage of the Continue Reading →

Learning Together During the Coronavirus

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I am an educator by profession. Although I switched from classroom teaching to becoming a patient advocate after a second breast cancer diagnosis and successful DIEP flap breast reconstruction, I am always energized when I can learn something new. Living through the global pandemic of 2020 has been one adjustment after the other for everyone across the world. It has been downright frustrating for me some days. This week, I felt uplifted. Some new tools and ideas opened up for me. I am grateful a world pandemic can also result in learning together during the coronavirus. Using Instagram LIVE During the Coronavirus Instagram has been a busy platform during the past few weeks. Those little circles at the top of your Instagram feed have been highlighted in red more than I have ever noticed. Notifications of IG LIVE have been frequently lighting up my phone. What is up? I turned Continue Reading →

Nerve Graft: Restoring Sensation to the Breast

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Sensation to the breast is important to most women. Nerves in the breast provide this sensation. This feeling provides protection from heat and cold temperatures. The breast is an erogenous zone for several women providing sexual sensation, especially in the nipple and areola area. Nerves are cut at the time of mastectomy when cancerous tissue is removed leaving numbness to the chest. During breast reconstruction, some surgeons perform a procedure using a nerve graft restoring sensation to the breast. Location of the Nerves Restoring Sensation to the Breast The breast is comprised of an intricate web of nerves running through the breast tissue. Surgeons tend to speak about the two sides of the breast looking at it from the front. Draw an imaginary line from the arm pit area running down the side. This is the area of the chest referred to as the lateral area. The area at the Continue Reading →