Tag: Breast Reconstruction

How to Participate in a GRYT Chat in 3 Easy Steps

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Social media and apps give us the ability to participate in key topics related to healthcare. The GRYT Platform is one such opportunity. This statement from the GRYT website explains the importance to patients across healthcare disciplines. “We believe information is an undeniable right, so we’ve created a way for you to connect to people with similar experience, providing inspiration, information, and access options, allowing YOU to choose what’s best for you.” Let’s outline how to participate in a GRYT chat in 3 easy steps. Step 1 of Participating in a GRYT Chat: Downloading the App Begin by downloading the app to your phone or desktop. It can be downloaded from either the iTunes App Store or the Google Play store. Here is a link you can use: https://grythealth.com/the-app Step 2 of Participating in a GRYT Chat: Setting up your Profile Once you have downloaded the app, set up your Continue Reading →

Prosthetic Nipples After Non-Nipple Sparing Mastectomy: an Option for All

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A Guest Blog By Naturally Impressive, LLC Some women are able to successfully do nipple sparing mastectomy and some are not, for a variety of reasons. Many of us are surprised to find out how emotional it is to look in the mirror and see a missing nipple (or two!). It’s almost like our reflection is shouting back at us “You’ve had cancer” which can hinder our growth into a more positive self-image.   Most women are aware of the options of surgical nipple reconstruction or nipple-areola tattoos, but an option that is less known and often overlooked is nipple prosthetics as a short or long term option. For any of these scenarios, consider Naturally Impressive nipple prosthetics as an elegant way to “have nipples” that look very real and stay on securely for weeks. You want nipples, but aren’t sure which choice yet. You plan to have surgical nipple Continue Reading →

DiepCFoundation attends the GRYT Virtual Cancer Conference

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I have attended a number of conferences as a patient advocate since opening DiepCFoundation in 2016. Traveling takes time and financial resources. I am happy to share with you a virtual conference you can attend from the comfort of your home. Come with me as DiepCFoundation attends The GRYT Virtual Cancer Conference held Saturday, October 5th, 2019. How to Participate in the GRYT Virtual Cancer Conference The conference will be “open” from 8am-9pm Eastern Standard Time. During this time, you can listen to a variety of speakers and attend breakout sessions from a number of organizations across the cancer community. You can also visit the Exhibit Hall to interact one on one with the hosts of the virtual booths. They will be available during various times of the day to answer questions from participants. Ongoing Resources after the GRYT Virtual Cancer Conference There is an added advantage and ongoing resources Continue Reading →

Patient Advocacy at Plastic Surgery the Meeting

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Preparations begin for the fourth year in a row for me to attend PSTM, Plastic Surgery the Meeting in San Diego. This is the annual national conference of plastic surgeons both nationally and internationally to present the latest in plastic surgery techniques. It includes all aspects of plastic surgery, including aesthetic and reconstructive practices. My patient advocacy at Plastic Surgery the Meeting will focus on breast reconstruction. The Value of Social Media and Patient Advocacy at Plastic Surgery the Meeting The first year I attended I was the tenderfoot, the novice, wandering the expansive convention center in downtown Los Angeles not even knowing the layout, what sessions I could attend, or the flow of the conference. I opened my nonprofit, DIEPCFoundation.org the month before I attended my first PSTM in September of 2016. Many attendees did not know who I was. However, they recognized me because of my presence on Continue Reading →

Trust in your Breast Reconstruction Surgeon

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How do you know when you have complete trust in your breast reconstruction surgeon? I can share my experience, but I am not you. My breast cancer experience was unique to my circumstances. It was my second occurrence of breast cancer. I had a double mastectomy and for seven long months lived without my breasts. Then I had what is known as delayed DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I honestly felt like a mangled mess the day I first saw my plastic reconstructive surgeon for my initial consult. I had skin sparing, nipple sparing mastectomy. Looking down at the folds of skin laying on my now breast-less chest wall always made me towel off quickly after each shower to put something over the area left marred by breast cancer. Each side of my chest looked different since I had radiation twelve years previous on my left side only. Scarring, tightness, and Continue Reading →

Finding Trusted Breast Reconstruction Resources

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You are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, going through treatment, or just found out you carry a gene mutation and are at high risk of developing breast cancer. It seems important to begin  to explore all your options for breast reconstruction. Your mission, finding trusted breast reconstruction resources.   The thought of any surgery is scary to you. You have the information your health care team gave you. Now you want to talk with someone who really gets it but more importantly someone you can trust. Family and friends are there to support you but can sometimes feel smothering. They try their best to help and console you. Sometimes you need time away, to think, to formulate questions, to find firsthand experience about the choices you know you are facing. Can You Find Trusted Breast Reconstruction Resources in Facebook Groups? We live in the age of social media, so you Continue Reading →

Breast Surgery Recovery Shirt I Wish I’d Had

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Here it is, the breast surgery recovery shirt I wish I’d had and you can order it right here: from the Healinincomfort site. Healincomfort will pay shipping. Now that’s a deal! One part of my job as a patient advocate and Founder and Director of DiepCFoundation.org is finding products making healing and recovery from breast cancer easier for patients. I have been through six different surgeries for breast cancer and breast reconstruction. My double mastectomy and DIEP flap breast reconstruction both required surgical drains. They were not my favorite part of recovery but necessary to drain out accumulated surgical fluid. The amount of time a patient has surgical drains can be a couple of weeks and sometimes a little over a month. It really depends on the individual healing mechanisms of each patient. This is why I am happy to write about the Healincomfort breast surgery recovery shirt I wish Continue Reading →

Why Should I Ask About Physical Therapy After Breast Surgery?

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I feel extremely fortunate my breast surgeon and plastic surgeon both recommended physical therapy for me after the breast surgeries they performed on me. My breast surgeon, Dr. Michele Ley, prescribed it for me about six weeks after she completed a double mastectomy due to my second occurrence of breast cancer. Dr. Chrysopoulo, my plastic surgeon, prescribed it for me after my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. I hear from many women who have not had the same physical therapy opportunity I did. So, I encourage them to ask their surgeons, “Why Should I Ask About Physical Therapy After Breast Surgery?” Physical Therapy after Mastectomy Surgery I began experiencing shoulder pain about three to four weeks after my double mastectomy. I went in for a follow up appointment to my breast surgeon around the same time. The shoulder pain occurred mainly when I was on my computer. This was during a Continue Reading →

Father’s Day: The Empty Rocking Chair

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My family and I sat on a shaded screened porch for many family occasions, both small and large. A sign, hand painted by Dad, hangs on the patio and reads, “Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often”. On the porch are several comfortable outdoor wicker chairs. One chair, the wicker rocking chair, is where Dad always sat. He held his great grandchildren while he sat in the rocker. Sipping coffee and talking about the morning news was another favorite activity in his chair for Dad when I would go home for visits. In the evening, he sat with his Jack Daniels sipping it slowly imparting the wisdom of a man who lived just a few days short of 89 years. This year on Father’s Day, there is an empty rocking chair. I feel a sense of loneliness. My Dad died of cancer last year. The last time I sat on the Continue Reading →

Healing After Breast Reconstruction is a Journey

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Women and men can choose three different types of breast reconstruction. There is implant-based reconstruction. Another type is when a patient can choose to use a variety of skin flaps to rebuild their breasts. This is called autologous, using your own tissue, breast reconstruction. A combination of both autologous and implant-based reconstruction is sometimes chosen and performed after a mastectomy. Any of these type of breast reconstruction options requires time to heal, both emotionally and physically. Healing after breast reconstruction is a Journey. The Unknowns You don’t know what you don’t know. A patient can sit in an initial consult with their plastic surgeon with all their questions in hand. The hope is the consult is done in a shared decision-making fashion where both parties, the patient and plastic surgeon, listen carefully and with intent to each point of discussion then come to the best decision for the patient’s health Continue Reading →