DiepCJourney Podcast

Lymphedema. It is not a disease. It is a condition breast cancer patients can experience. Skill, knowledge, expertise, experience, and compassionate care all matter when you are seeking any treatment for lymphedema. Our guest, Dr. Ramon Garza III, is well-qualified to discuss the topic of lymphedema treatment and surgery and possesses all of those characteristics. 

He is a board certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Garza is no longer practicing at PRMA however PRMA continues to provide lymphedema surgery. Visit the PRMA sites to find our more about lyphedema surgery in San Antonio at PRMA (Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates) and all surgical and non-surgical treatment options available there for those affected by lymphedema.

We discuss the value of finding a certified lymphedema therapist. You can search the LANA website for one in your area. 

New innovations are born out of passion, vision, clinical trials, and a scrupulous process of proving patient safety. In this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast we are going to talk to Billy Heim, COO of BioAesthetics. He is part of a team who developed an innovation in breast reconstruction, the NAC Graft, nipple areola complex graft.

I am joined by Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, FACS, an internationally recognized expert in breast cancer reconstruction and shared decision-making. He is president of PRMA (Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates). Dr. Chrysopoulo founded Toliman Health and is the creator of Toliman’s flagship app, Breast Advocate®, the world’s first shared decision-making app for breast cancer treatment and breast reconstruction.

Together, this conversation unfolds by educating the public, both reconstructive surgeons and patients about this new innovation in breast reconstruction. 

Our guest on Episode 13 of the DiepCJourney Podcast is Maryam Elmi, MD, MSc, FRCSC, an oncoplastic surgeon practicing in San Antonio, Texas at the START Center for Cancer Care. Dr. Elmi specializes in surgical oncology and cancer genetics and high-risk screening.

She works with colleagues in the San Antonio area and strongly believes in a multidisciplinary team approach for breast cancer patients. I am honored she is one of the valuable team members of health care professionals on the DiepCJourney closed Facebook group to lend her commentary and expertise in her field. 

Roberta Albany is a formidable breast cancer patient advocate and spokesperson for health disparities. Her work with Living Beyond Breast Cancer and in her own community at Cancer in the Know has gained her great respect and why I am excited to interview this friend and colleague in the breast cancer space for the DiepCJourney Podcast. 

Eric Eye is our guest on Episode 11 of the DiepCJourney Podcast. He does both decorative, restorative, and 3D nipple and areola tattoos for patients who have had mastectomy and breast reconstruction after breast cancer. His work can be found on his Instagram account. He is located in Seattle, Washington but Eric has traveled to provide services for breast cancer patients. 

Male breast cancer will be diagnosed in about 2,650 men according to BreastCancer.org. A leading patient advocate for the Male Breast Cancer Coalition brining awareness to male breast cancer is our guest on the DiepCJourney Podcast, Michael Singer and his wife Patty. 

The poignant story of his sister's death from metastatic breast cancer to his fierce work in patient advocacy has become a strong voice to bring awareness that breast cancer does not discriminate and touches the lives of men, too. 

Have you been offered flat closure after a breast cancer diagnosis? Do you know what questions to ask your surgeon to achieve optimal aesthetic flat closure? 

Dr. Ergun Kocak and Dr. Pankaj Tiwari of Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery in Columbus, Ohio, discuss the details of the surgery in Episode 9 of the DiepCJourney Podcast and what you should consider discussing with your surgeon to achieve the best possible patient outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Facing a mastectomy, loss of breasts, is a challenging process. We hope this episode will empower you with the information you need to make an informed decision. 

Are fear of pain and time of recovery after breast reconstruction surgery some of your biggest concerns? If so, this episode with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo will give you information about ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol many large volume centers are now using for DIEP flap and other types of breast reconstruction.

Implementation of ERAS begins with educating the patient and starts the morning before surgery.  

Dr. C is the president of  PRMA in San Antonio and the developer of the Breast Advocate app. Both of these sites have more information about ERAS protocol as well as the DiepCJourney blog and  DiepC Foundation YouTube channel. 

Have you been overwhelmed with emotion and information when newly diagnosed with breast cancer? Our guest, Dr. Deanna Attai, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. She takes us from the moment of diagnosis to the clinical visit and everything those affected by breast cancer must go through as they decide next steps.

With treatment options that can included chemotherapy, radiation, and extended therapy for breast cancer as well as  surgery, Dr. Attai explains how she assess the personal needs of each patient. We discuss the importance of a shared decision-making conversation and engaging the patient in the treatment and decision options. 

Juliet Fitzpatrick is a breast cancer survivor and patient advocate from the U.K who chose aesthetic flat closure after breast cancer. She writes about her experience at Blooming Cancer, Living Flat and Recovery after Breast Cancer. 

Juliet chats about her decision to remain flat. She asked a lot of questions and did her research after her breast cancer diagnosis before making this choice. We chat about prosthesis, support groups, blogging and gardening. These are all on the list of things that Juliet is doing since her diagnosis and through her continued recovery, finding the simple passions in life that are important to her.