Tag: DIEP flap breast reconstruction

How to Care for the Caregiver During Your Breast Reconstruction

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How did you care for your own caregiver during your breast reconstruction? Sound a bit strange when everyone is supposed to be caring for you? Whether you choose to have autologous (using your own tissue) or implant-based breast reconstruction, you will need caregivers to help with the following at the very least. Taking you to hospital and staying in communication with the surgical team until you are back in your room to recover. Driving you home, fixing meals, driving, and performing general household responsibilities. Patients voice concerns about their own caregivers for their breast reconstruction surgery. I want to share some tips from my own DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery. I will also share suggestions discussed on The Journey Facebook group. These gals have some helpful hints based on their own experience. Should a Caregiver Remain at the Hospital All Day for Your DIEP Flap? Spending long hours waiting in Continue Reading →

The Role of Caregiver in Breast Reconstruction: Expectations vs. Reality

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The Role of Caregiver in Breast Reconstruction: Expectations vs. Reality I am honored to present my son, Rich, and the plastic surgeon, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, who performed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. The video in this blog is a great conversation between the two men. We sat down together recently at Plastic Surgery the Meeting 2018, in Chicago. The two men had never met before the conference. But, they felt they knew enough about each other to have a very comfortable conversation regarding the role of care giver in breast reconstruction. The Caregiver Meets the Surgeon I planned a surprise meeting of these two gentlemen the evening we arrived in Chicago for the conference. I walked into a restaurant we arranged to meet at for dinner and Rich waited around the corner in order to surprise Dr. C. I went in first to greet Dr. C and give him a Continue Reading →

DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction: Value of a Team Approach

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DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction: Value of a Team Approach Researching a highly skilled, board certified microsurgeon is the first and most important step in your DIEP flap breast reconstruction process. But what additional criteria might you look for? After having a detailed, shared decision-making conversation with my breast surgeon, I soon realized in DIEP flap breast reconstruction there was great value in a team approach. There are microsurgeons who work as a team during DIEP flap breast reconstruction for a variety of reasons. After my double mastectomy I researched several plastic surgeons across the United States viewing their websites to find those who work as a team. I wanted both team members, the microsurgeons, to be highly skilled and have a high rate of success.  There is other criteria I have listed on my resource page under the heading, “Board Certified Plastic Surgeons by Region”. These suggestions should also be Continue Reading →

Your Hospital Prep the Morning of Breast Reconstruction

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You are diagnosed with breast cancer or are having a prophylactic mastectomy due to a gene mutation putting you at high risk for breast cancer. You spent days, weeks, or perhaps months talking to others and researching the best plastic surgeon because you have decided to have breast reconstruction. Now it’s the morning of surgery and it’s time for your hospital prep. You enter the hospital early in the morning, sometimes before the break of dawn. You have eaten very little. A hundred thoughts run through your head knowing you will soon be put to sleep while your breasts are removed and replaced with either implants or your own tissue. The shower and prep with the antibacterial soap you are instructed to use the morning of surgery is complete. You feel like you are squeaky clean from tip to toe. You might wish you could have on makeup and deodorant. Continue Reading →

I Had DIEP Flap. Do You Know What That Is?

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I Had DIEP Flap. Do You Know What That Is? Picture this scenario. You walk into a physician or health care provider’s office after having DIEP flap breast reconstruction. They ask you to discuss your current health and why you came into the office for a visit. A standard question, right?  You are in a gown sitting on the exam table with only your underwear on under the gown. You know they are going to do a full exam and ask you to open the gown. Before they begin the exam, you say, “I had DIEP flap. Do you know what that is?” The answer is often one of two replies, “Oh yes, I see. You had a TRAM Flap.” Or, “No, I have no idea what a DIEP flap is.” This is when the education begins. The physician says, “Well, let’s take a look.” I open my gown and Continue Reading →

Sensory Nerve Reconstruction During DIEP Flap after a Mastectomy

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DiepCFoundation interviews Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo from PRMA in San Antonio about sensory nerve reconstruction during DIEP flap after mastectomy to restore sensation to the breasts. The procedure is called microneurorrhaphy (micro-ner-ar-o-fee) A real mouth full! Dr. C points out that this is a complex topic to describe at a consult. A plastic surgeon may say that your breasts will “feel” more natural but “to whom”? The reality is that the patient will not feel the same that they did before mastectomy. I am the Founder and Director of DiepCFoundation and was fortunate to have this interview with Dr. Chrysopoulo. I am also a patient who has had successful sensory nerve repair performed by Dr. C. It is truly better than the alternative, which is NO sensation in the breasts at all. I’m quite used to this “new” sensation now and I like it. I feel very fortunate to have found Continue Reading →

DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction: Did I make the right choice?

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YES! I did make the right choice having DIEP flap breast reconstruction! Each December marks another year and anniversary of my DIEP flap surgery. I remember so much about the dark, cool, morning we left for the hospital, feeling calm, prepared, and ready on December 1, 2014. The time between my double mastectomy in mid-May of 2014 and my breast reconstruction were some of the most trying days of my life. In 2002, after my first breast cancer diagnosis, I had been through 2 surgeries, eighteen weeks of chemotherapy followed by six weeks of daily radiation. This was physically demanding because I was so sick and felt so weak. Fast forward twelve years to 2014. Waiting for my breast reconstruction was psychologically trying. Each month that passed after my double mastectomy only decreased my self-image as a woman due to the loss of my breasts and seeing myself in the Continue Reading →

Why do I Marvel at Breast Reconstruction & Plastic Surgery?

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I ask myself this question often: Why do I marvel at breast reconstruction & plastic surgery? October was a busy month for many who work in this field and educate about this topic. I think it was one of the busiest months I had this year. I was in six states and six different airports engaging with or educating about breast reconstruction with plastic surgeons, patients, advocates, and the public. I was exhausted yet exhilarated to know the innovations and developments in the field of breast reconstruction and plastic surgery continue to keep me motivated and captivated. It has been three years since my own breast reconstruction and yet, thinking back to November of 2014 and having no breasts on my body, it is easy to understand my own fascination with this topic. When you use your own tissue to rebuild your breasts after losing them to breast cancer, that Continue Reading →

DIEP flap Education: Boobs in the Bathroom

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DIEP flap education and boobs in the bathroom?  Really? Yes! Really! When a woman has had breast reconstruction, especially when you are using your own tissue, it can be of great benefit to show other women “the goods” when they are contemplating the same surgery. The mere visual may seem a bit comical but let me share with you what I have personally experienced. There is nothing comical about hearing the words, “You have breast cancer”. It is often a mind-bending, confusing Journey for women and men to go through. We talk about it a lot on the Journey Facebook group. We have also discussed, in a half-joking manner, “Yes, I show others my boobs in the bathroom!” When your breasts have been removed after a mastectomy and then rebuilt using your own tissue, it is nothing short of miraculous to many; patient and potential patients alike. Women who have Continue Reading →

Livestrong First Class: Exercise after DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction

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Today was the first class of the Livestrong program.  I am a patient advocate for DIEP flap breast reconstruction and decided to document various points during this three-month program to give others in my community an idea of what to expect.  I do know each program is set up a bit differently and not all YMCAs across the country have the program.  I was told today it is worth calling the Livestrong Program to see if there is another facility in the area other than the YMCA.  They might be doing something similar. Today’s agenda at my YMCA: Meet and greet: Introduce yourself by saying something positive that has made you smile and happy in the past six months. My response: “My grandson, because he always makes me smile!” Filling out forms: The forms will help the trainers assess our various levels and abilities once we begin personalized training. T-shirts: Continue Reading →