Tag: DIEP flap breast reconstruction

Change is Part of the Journey: Finding Strength After Reconstruction

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Seasons bring change. We see visible signs of these changes and they are expected. The changes are often welcome like the first warm day of spring after a long winter. This time of year, during December, holiday lights and long winter nights bring a sense of coziness and comfort. We adapt. Change is also part of the Journey after reconstruction. How do we plan and cope with these changes? It is easier for some than others. Thoughts of Unknown Changes When one begins planning their reconstruction surgery many wonder what they will look like after a surgeon carefully takes a scalpel to skin. DIEP flap breast reconstruction involves incisions at both the breasts and the abdomen. Just thinking about that process can be overwhelming. Will there be pain associated with the incisions? Where will the incisions be and how will one take care of them, whether themselves or with the Continue Reading →

A Young Nurse and Her DIEP Flap Story

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This episode of the DiepCJourney podcast shares a fascinating story of a young woman who graciously and professionally takes us through her Journey from being diagnosed with breast cancer, cold capping, the effect on her family and young daughters, and to the story of her DIEP flap breast reconstruction. You can sit and watch our conversation on the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel. Lacey is a dear friend, and I am honored to share the story of a young nurse and her DIEP flap story. Meet My Guest Lacey I am speaking with Lacey Terpstra-Reid. She is a registered nurse residing in Guthrie, Oklahoma. In November 2022 she was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer at age 33. Lacey has over 10 years of bedside experience as a nurse from working in a cardiac ICU where she cared for countless ECMO patients to her current role as an outpatient surgery recovery RN. Continue Reading →

The Story and Tradition of Our Christmas Poinsettia

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This week my husband walked in the door with two beautiful poinsettias to add to the Christmas decorations in our home. It always makes me smile because it is tradition in our home and has been since December of 2014. This is the story and tradition of our Christmas poinsettia. A Look back to Christmas 2014 December 1, 2014, was a significant day in my life. I was wheeled into surgery to have my DIEP flap breast reconstruction with a highly skilled microsurgeon, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo. We did a special interview looking back at that day that you can listen to on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast. My husband and I got up before dawn that morning and made our way through the maze at the hospital parking lot and halls to check in. We traveled from Arizona to San Antonio by plane for my surgery. I booked us Continue Reading →

Art Series by Beth Gainer

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The creative work of Beth Gainer is featured in this summary of the DiepCFoundation educational channel interview we did together. I invited Beth to put together a presentation for the interview to share slides featuring some of the art that she hopes to have in a public space or gallery someday. The title is so inspiring and fitting: Breast Cancer, Female and Young – Art Series by Beth Gainer. Meet Beth Gainer Beth is a breast cancer survivor, a mother, an English professor, writer, book author, and an artist. Her creative writing and artwork speak to so many of us and has been a healing mechanism in her own Journey. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in her thirties and something she found in a self-exam. A mammogram and doctors exams had missed it. What Beth noticed upon self-exam was a slight dimpling. When she brought it to the attention Continue Reading →

Sunflowers and a Tribute to Passion and Purpose

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Each morning when I wake up, I enjoy coffee my husband makes. He’s pretty sure he is THE coffee aficionado in our home. A retired engineer, he carefully crafts the delicious cup of roasted beans I enjoy upon waking up. I open the kitchen window blinds and look out at our garden. He has been planting sunflowers in a spot that frames that window because he knows how much I enjoy looking at them. During the dog days of summer, I offer you my thoughts on sunflowers and a tribute to passion and purpose. Sunflowers and Nature’s Beauty I was born and raised in Kansas. The state flower is the sunflower. This quote is from the Kansas Magazine: A cultural symbol throughout the ages – of faith, longevity, healing, happiness and good luck… The sunflowers in our garden rise to as tall as nine feet, reaching to the sun for 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 →

The Rewards and Risks of Traveling for Patient Advocacy

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Let’s dispense with the not so good news first. It is far less than the good news I will write about regarding the rewards and risks of traveling for patient advocacy. The Risks of Traveling for Patient Advocacy Patient advocates I know go into this work with their eyes wide open when they travel to conferences or events for their work. We know what can and sometimes does happen. I wanted to talk about these first because they are short-lived risks. The fallout from any of the above items passes in a brief time. We deal with them as they happen knowing we will return to our advocacy work in no time because of dealing with any of the above-mentioned events. The Rewards of Traveling for Patient Advocacy This is the real magic sauce of being a patient advocate and traveling on behalf of the communities we serve. My work 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 →

“The Patient Voice Has Been Heard!”

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This was a huge week in the world of patient advocacy. Across social media airwaves, we learned that the S-codes for autologous breast reconstruction will be retained. It was a monumental accomplishment achieved because of the efforts of many organizations, surgeons, and breast cancer survivors across the United States. The title of this blog, “The Patient Voice Has Been Heard”, is a quote from someone who is a huge proponent of patient advocacy. I will reveal who the quote is from at the end of this blog. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) held a public hearing on June 1 of this year after a great deal of concern regarding news that S-codes covering autologous breast reconstruction would be sunset on December 31, 2024. The time frame alone struck fear in those planning reconstruction like DIEP flap. The victory hearing this decision was reversed by the voice of many Continue Reading →

Democratization in Microsurgery: The Proximie System

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Democratization is a noun. The meaning of democratization as it pertains to microsurgery is the action of making training and education available through technology, in this case, microsurgery in breast reconstruction. The chosen field of microsurgery requires hours of training and practice. Observing colleagues perform this sophisticated and complex surgery increases their own skill set with the primary goal being improving patient outcomes in breast reconstruction. My guests are going to discuss their cross-continental experience working live in the operating theater practicing democratization in microsurgery using the Proximie System. An Introduction of the Microsurgeons Using the Proximie System I invited back to the DiepCJourney podcast two internationally known microsurgeons. Dr. Joe Dusseldorp practices in Sydney, Australia and is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of surgeons. He has a keen interest in microsurgery and did his training overseas to achieve this status. He is also trained to do robotic Continue Reading →