Tag: DIEP flap breast reconstruction

Fatigued by Being Affected by Breast Cancer?

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People are affected by breast cancer in many ways. A person diagnosed can be fatigued from treatments. Some effects may seem short-term after finishing chemotherapy, radiation, or having surgery. Those in the metastatic breast cancer community have life-long effects they face for the remainder of their lives. I am speaking of the long-term effects of fatigue and being affected by breast cancer in both of these groups. The Fatigue that Effects Daily Living        Fatigue from breast cancer can come in many forms. You may feel physically fatigued from having surgery or undergoing treatment. It disrupts your body’s system causing it to work overtime during the healing process. As you sit in your chair feeling this way, you may become sad, feeling helpless, as you watch others trying to take care of you when perhaps a week or month before surgery or treatment you were the one taking care of others. Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Nipple Tattoo Artistry Experience

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This story is about three friends in vastly separate places in their lives, uniquely connected through the breast cancer experience, and a narrative of a breast reconstruction nipple tattoo artistry experience. Whitney’s Breast Reconstruction Story I met Whitney in 2019 shortly after moving back to Seattle. Our past connections are uncanny. We remain friends and the story behind how it came to be still warms my heart. You can read more about it in this blog and how Whitney’s genetic mutation for ATM and CHEK2 put her at high risk for getting breast cancer. She completed her breast reconstruction Journey traveling to San Antonio having her DIEP flap performed at PRMA. Whitney communicated with me while she was in Texas revealing how pleased she was with her surgery. My heart was happy to hear about support from her husband and other Journey members living in the San Antonia area. Because Continue Reading →

My DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Seven Years Later

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This morning I began my usual morning routine. I am an early riser. I open my laptop, check my phone for messages, begin sorting out emails to respond to, and begin my workday. But this morning marks a day on my calendar I never forget, or more appropriately, always remember. December 1, 2014, I was sitting on a gurney being marked up for my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Writing about my DIEP flap breast reconstruction seven years later? How is that possible? Where did the time go? The Days and Months Leading up to my DIEP Flap My coffee is fresh and warm and my thoughts flood through my mind as I recall the events of the morning I showed up at the hospital. Yes, I showed up. But boy did that take a lot of decision making, planning, and a strong dose of physical and emotional fortitude in the Continue Reading →

Recycling Thoughts of My Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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It is funny how the daily events of life can conjure up memories from when you were diagnosed with breast cancer. Oh, diagnosed with breast cancer twice in my case. Our community is holding a recycling event this weekend. While clearing out various files I came across some paperwork I saved from my first diagnosis is 2002, my second diagnosis in 2014, and also my DIEP flap breast reconstruction also in 2014. It was like recycling thoughts from my breast cancer diagnosis. The Diagnosis Process Does Not Change Much What was interesting to me was an email I printed from a best friend and survivor herself. She was diagnosed a couple of years before I was. To read more about our connection and understand the meaning behind out song, “I Hope You Dance” you can read this blog. She had great pearls of wisdom to share with me. I speak Continue Reading →

Perfusion Monitor: Flap Monitoring in Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction

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Plastic surgeons use medical devices in reconstructive surgery to optimize patient outcomes in breast reconstruction. I receive a number of inquiries from ladies asking how a flap is monitored after tissue-based breast reconstruction. This is a concerning topic for patients who know the intricacies of microsurgery but do not always think to put it on their list of questions to ask their surgeon during their consult. I would like to present this information about a perfusion monitor used for flap monitoring in microsurgical breast reconstruction. I reached out to Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio who performed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction to tell me about the monitoring system they find great success with. The information I was given about flap monitoring at my consult gave me and my husband a great deal of comfort. We felt having Dr. C being able to monitor the flap all evening Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction: A Reflection of my Journey

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Significant birthdays deserve to be celebrated with meaningful moments. This was one of those birthdays for me, a side road but very much a part of my Journey. I knew it was time to do  something that had been on my radar even before I heard those four frightening words for the second time, “You have breast cancer”. This story is about my breast reconstruction, a reflection of my Journey. Late in 2013 I decided to register for a M.Ed. program in Teacher Leadership. I shared the news with my husband knowing it would jump start his clock. So, I looked at him and said, “When I finish, I’m going to get a shamrock tattoo on my ass.” Van Morrison is one of our favorite musical artists, an Irish storyteller and musician. Someone once asked him during an interview what his favorite kind of music is. He replied, “Anything that Continue Reading →

Wonder and Happiness: Pregnancy Post-DIEP – Part 2

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Emily is one of over 5,700 global members of the DiepCJourney Facebook group. I am honored to share her story of wonder and happiness: pregnancy post-DIEP – Part 2. More than a year later, I am finally prepared to reflect on the full experience of having a child after DIEP flap reconstruction. To recap, I am BRCA1+ and had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction in June 2018 at the age of 36 and phase 2 corrective surgery with fat grafting in October 2018. I became pregnant with my 2nd child in April 2019 which left me wondering. At 38, after a full-term pregnancy with no complications, I was induced and delivered a healthy 7-pound 4-ounce baby girl on December 18, 2019, exactly one week after her sister’s 9th birthday. I wondered whether pregnancy would mess up my surgeon’s beautiful work. I am happy to report to all of Continue Reading →

How Do You Maintain Your Health After Breast Cancer?

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Exercise has been part of my routine throughout my life. I am a middle child of three daughters. Dad always called me the tomboy in the family. I was the one he would throw the football to across the yard when I was growing up. He taught me how to throw a pretty good spiral. My family attended my high school track meets. When I was on a collegiate rowing team, they cheered on the sidelines of the river when I had a regatta in our hometown. But as an adult, I have been diagnosed with breast cancer twice. It stopped me in my tracks during various surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Now a healthy Nanna with all of that behind me, it is even more important for me to exercise and maintain my health after breast cancer. My Formula for Maintaining Health after Breast Cancer There are so many Continue Reading →

The Aesthetics of the Donor Site: DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction

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At the 2019 annual conference of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, I interviewed Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio.  Dr. C points out we often talk about the results of the breast in breast reconstruction. After all, it is why the patient is having the procedure, to replace the breasts affected by breast cancer. I agree with his statement, “The conversation about the belly is well overdue.” This blog will focus on the aesthetics of the donor site in DIEP flap breast reconstruction. As microsurgeons, skill and technique are often discussed in published papers and at medical conferences. Plastic surgery, of any kind, is about form and function. The donor site for DIEP flap, the belly, is as important to the patient. What it is going to feel and look like after surgery is essential to the physical and psychological healing for the patient. Dr. Chrysopoulo says, Continue Reading →

Are All DIEP Flaps the Same?

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It is a fair question to ask don’t you think?  It is even a better question to discuss at your initial consult when you want to use your tummy tissue to reconstruct your breasts. If you have been affected by breast cancer and are facing a mastectomy, I think you should ask your plastic surgeon, “Are all DIEP flaps the same? The video embedded in the blog will give you talking points for a discussion with your plastic surgeon. I was fortunate to interview Drs. Pankaj Tiwari and Ergun Kocak of Midwest Breast in Ohio to help the reader understand the nuances and differences in tummy flap breast reconstruction. What are the Differences in Flap Procedures using the Tummy? These surgeons point out the scar on the outside looks similar to a tummy tuck scar. But what happens on the inside as Dr. Kocak says, “it’s entirely different”. Let’s take Continue Reading →