Tag: microsurgeon

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 →

Sharing the Emotional Night I Was Awarded Patient of Courage

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Some moments in life are forever etched in your memory. The evening of September 28, 2018, at the Navy Pier in Chicago is one of those moments for me. I want to share the emotional night I was one of three recipients awarded the Patient of Courage from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at their annual meeting, PSTM18. The Anticipation Was Worth the Wait! I received news in the spring I was the 2018 recipient of the Patient of Courage Award. I was nominated by the plastic surgeon who performed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio. The process was a bit like waiting for Christmas, keeping the secret, enjoying all the preparation, and finally celebrating the evening. The fantastic ASPS media crew scheduled a trip to my home in Arizona mid-August to film my story in a YouTube video. Until the video 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 →

Collaboration in Educating about Breast Reconstruction

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My favorite word throughout my education career has always been “collaboration”. So is the case now in my role as Founder of DiepCFoundation.org. I couldn’t feel any stronger about collaboration in educating about breast reconstruction. The change leaders I have met in the past three years on my own personal quest to educate more women and men about options in breast reconstruction motivate me daily to do more, explore new avenues to educate, support them in their mission, and stand beside them collaboratively to continue this work. This week on my social media feeds I have seen an announcement by Patricia Anstett that her book, Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction, What’s Right for You, is now out on paperback on Amazon. Congratulations are in order as this was a professional labor of love for Pat. Full disclosure: Yes! I’m featured in the book and proud of it. However, I have Continue Reading →

How Long Does DIEP flap Breast Reconstruction Surgery Take?

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This is a question I wanted to write about after attending PSTM17 in Orlando as a patient advocate. Speaking to ASPS board certified plastic surgeons at the meeting afforded me the opportunity to understand the answer to, how long does a DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery take? It is an intricate, microsurgical procedure that includes incisions and work on both the abdominal area and the breast area. The assumption is, the surgery is long. In fact, when assessing my own DIEP flap, I often report my DIEP flap lasted nine hours. What we don’t often take into consideration is what the surgery entails from start to finish. I reviewed my own surgical report to write this blog. I also spoke with plastic surgeons at PSTM17 and wanted to share some important points of discussion. I gathered information from my sister, a nurse, who also shared some pre-op and post op data Continue Reading →

DIEP Flap Surgery: Day one, Phase one

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Check-in It was still dark outside the morning we left for phase one of my DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery. We were told to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. Monday morning following Thanksgiving weekend had to be a good day for surgery. My surgeon had time to be with his family, enjoy a feast and be all rested up. It was a new week and a brand new month, December 1. We arrived at the hospital and signed all the paperwork for check in. The wait wasn’t too long but the room we waited in was the typical sterile, hospital environment, fluorescent lighting with CNN on the TV. They had coffee available but nothing for me, thank you very much. I had been on complete fasting since midnight. They took us up to another smaller and quieter waiting area where all patients were checked in and waiting to Continue Reading →

Traveling for DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction

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My Journey traveling over 800 miles for DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery took planning a preparation. Many people, including healthcare providers have asked me, “Why did you travel  to San Antonio, TX for your DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery and what is it like to travel? To answer the first question, I feel I found the best micro-surgeon in the country to perform my DIEP flap procedure.  This is a highly complex surgery successfully performed by few surgeons across the United States.  Many women have to travel to have this surgery performed because of the few number of skilled plastic surgeons who specialize in autologous, microsurgery, breast reconstruction. I stand firm in my conviction, the group at PRMA in San Antonio are eight of the finest micro-surgeons in the United States. I want other women to know where the great surgeons are across the country.  The answer to the second question Continue Reading →