DiepCJourney Podcast

In the world of podcasting, you meet folks you feel like you've known for a while because of your connections, and you've only seen them through the lens of your laptop camera.

This is the case for my guest on this episode of the DiepCJourney® podcast, Marcylle Combs host of the podcast 50% with Marcylle Combs!

Marcylle Combs, MS, RN is an Entrepreneur, Leadership Expert, Speaker, Author, and Podcast Host committed to leveraging her experience in empowering individuals to realize their highest potential.

She spent over 30 years leading a large healthcare organization, which she owned, operated, and grew from a small home health agency to a multi-million-dollar enterprise with over 1,200 employees and twelve locations across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

After selling her healthcare business, Marcylle did not retire or slow down. She founded three companies, serving as President over MAC Legacy, The Marcylle Combs Company, and MAC Legacy Investments. These companies offer a range of services, including consulting, coaching, training, speaking, and investing in various industries.

In her debut book "Never Hire Your Friends", she details real-life scenarios and actionable advice on building thriving business while nurturing meaningful connections. She believes that leadership is not a position, but a choice, and that everyone can be a leader in their own sphere of influence.

Marcylle is also a wife, mother of five adult children, and a grandmother to lots of fabulous personalities. She loves spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading, and learning new things. She aspires to grow and lead others until her last breath on this earth.

We chat about her breast cancer diagnosis, DIEP flap breast reconstruction, and what advise Marcylle shares for women everywhere when faced with a diagnosis. She is very candid about the challenges she faced with healthcare and shares tips on navigating this often difficult and vulnerable time in women's lives.

Connect with Marcylle Combs on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcylle_combs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themarcyllecombscompany

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcylle-combs-65978425/

In this powerful DiepCJourney® podcast episode, Dr. Anne Peled and Dr. Ziv Peled, renowned experts in breast reconstruction and pain management join forces to explore the groundbreaking potential of Journavx, a new non-opioid oral pain medication designed to address acute post-surgical pain. With a shared commitment to improving patient outcomes and reducing reliance on opioids, this is the first FDA approved non-opioid oral pain medication for acute pain approved by the FDA in twenty years. They unpack the science behind Journavx, its clinical applications, and what it means for the future of recovery after breast reconstruction.

Listeners will gain:

• 🎙️ A deep dive into how Journavx works and why it matters
• 💡 Insights from Dr. Ziv Peled's experience as a peripheral nerve surgeon
• 💬 Dr. Anne Peled's perspective on patient-centered care and her personal experience after her recent implant-based breast reconstruction surgery
• 🔍 Discussion on shifting paradigms in pain management and survivorship

Whether you're a patient, provider, or advocate, this episode offers hope, innovation, and practical knowledge for navigating post-operative healing with greater confidence and comfort.

Be sure to check out the video episode on the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOO8yotZyc&t=1365s

Connect with Dr. Anne Peled on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannepeled/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-peled-31626284/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drannepeled

Connect with Dr. Ziv Peled on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peledsurgery/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziv-m-peled-md/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeledSurgery

This DiepCJourney® podcast is for patients considering their options for breast reconstruction surgery as well as residence, trainees, and practicing surgeons. Our topic is robotic DIEP flap breast reconstruction.

This interview will contain information you may have questions or comments about. Please let us know in the comment section of the podcast after listening and we will do our best to answer any questions. You can watch the full video interview that includes a slide presentation on the DiepCFoundation YouTube Channel.

I am speaking to three guests today that include the patient, Gillian and the two board certified microsurgeons who performed Gillian's recent robotic DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Dr. Daniel Murariu and Dr. Peter Deptula.

At age 33, Gillian was diagnosed with stage 3C triple negative & inflammatory breast cancer. Because of the treatment she received and her body proportions, her only reconstruction option was DIEP flap surgery. Drawn to the robotic approach for its ability to reduce pain and speed recovery, she spent months researching surgeons before choosing the right team with Dr. Daniel Murariu and Dr. Peter Deptula.

Gillian recently completed phase 1 of her DIEP flap reconstruction and is feeling more confident in her body. She's looking forward to next year, when she will mark 3 years since her mastectomy and be cleared by her care team to start a family with her husband, Justin.

She shares her tips on traveling, recovery, and the research she did to find her surgeons and why she chose this team.

Dr. Murariu shares a presentation along with Dr. Peptula on the robotic techniques they successfully use in Hawaii. They share the following studies in the interview:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39191380/

https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/fulltext/2024/04000/indocyanine_green_guided_near_infrared.7.aspx

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39102843/

Although robotic DIEP flap is not readily available in the states at this time, it is growing in interest. There are surgeons in the U.S. and across the world performing robotic DIEP flap. Patients are asking about it so I hope this interview provides you with information you can ask about at your own breast reconstruction consult and as you consider your options and choices to make an informed decision.

Connect with Dr. Murariu on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealohaplasticsurgeon/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murariu-0ba2b7195/

Connect with Dr. Deptula on the following platform:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctor.petey/

We are discussing a topic today that is very important in the breast cancer community, breast sensation. It is important for me as Founder and Director of DiepCFoundation to learn about and understand the latest innovations to improve patient outcomes and quality of life after a breast cancer diagnosis and surgery.

This will be available to watch on the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel. This DiepCJourney® podcast interview is for patients and surgeons. Please let us know in the comment section of the podcast and video if you have any questions that arise from the interview.

I am speaking with Dr. Summer Hanson who specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery. She is an expert in treating a wide range of conditions, offering everything from complex breast reconstruction, trunk reconstruction and extremity reconstruction to skin cancer treatment, revision surgery and lymphedema surgery.

Dr. Hanson takes a holistic approach to care and is committed to offering each patient a personalized, comprehensive treatment plan. She works with her patients to understand their individual goals and concerns, and together they establish a plan designed to improve recovery and deliver long-term success.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Hanson is also devoted to research. We are discussing her involvement and work with the Bionic Breast Project and more specifically the FEEL Project (Focus on Educating Everyone about Sensation Loss and Pain).

The FEEL Project was born from listening deeply to patients share the personal impact of their mastectomy experiences. From loss of sensation and mobility to ongoing pain and other challenges, these stories inspired the creation of professional, evidence-based video content. Through candid conversations with patients, the project aims to educate the public and raise awareness about the often-overlooked physical and emotional effect of mastectomy.

Whether you are a researcher, student, patient, family member, or caregiver your feedback on the video is of great importance.

To be part of this project please reach out on the following forums and links.

The Lindau Lab

Woman Lab

Dr. Summer Hanson at the University of Chicago

Connect with the Bionic Breast Project on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bionicbreast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575127590603

Connect with the Woman Lab on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearewomanlab

For patients exploring their options for breast reconstruction and learning they must travel, the very thought of a long car trip or airline travel can seem like an overwhelming task. It is important at DiepCFoundation then that we provide those practices who support patients who will be traveling for their breast reconstruction surgery. On this episode of the DiepCJourney® podcast, I talk to Dr. Richard Kline and his team to learn how they support patients who travel to their practice at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Please go over to the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel and look for this episode soon! If you have questions after you listen to the interview whether you listen to the podcast or watch the video, let us know and we'll try to answer them.

Dr. Kline collaborates with a team in the operating room for patients using the co-surgeon model in breast reconstruction. This means that there are two board-certified microsurgeons with the patient during their surgery.

Dr. Kline also works with a team of PA's (physician assistants) who join me in the interview. Meghan Dixon, PA-C and Logan Hillemmann, PA-C share their role in the intake, care, and follow-up recovery instructions for patients who travel. We are also joined by their office manager, Gail Lanter, who is there online and on the phone with a friendly voice, smile, and answers about travel, insurance, and to make new patients feel welcome.

To view procedures performed at the Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWMSQdTwlAs&t=26s for the PAP flap.

Click here to hear about the SGAP flap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Uer5K9OpU&t=155s

Connect with the team at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural.breast.reconstruction/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalbreastreconstruction

LinkedIn: The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

It's great to be back at the microphone after a summer break from podcasting and focusing our efforts on the inaugural DiepCFoundation Breast Symposium. We have a crisp, clean new look to our podcast cover with a few important changes!

Thanks so much for joining us and remember this will also be available on the DiepCFoundation educational channel under our podcast and video tabs.

We are going to be talking about surgical technology that is used to connect nerves, a suture-less device for nerve repair. At a medical conference I attended I passed by the BioCircuit table in the exhibit hall. After an invitation from the team at then vendor table I sat down to give it a go. You can actually watch that experience on the DiepCFoundation educational channel under the shorts. To search for it, type in the words, BioCircuit Nerve Tape®. Check the links below to watch the video.

I was amazed at how easy it was for me to use it and also how strong it is.

In surgical procedures, nerves are cut during the surgical process. The nerve tape we discuss is used across various specialties. At the Foundation on the DiepCJourney® podcast, we focus on all types of breast reconstruction for those undergoing mastectomy who are affected by breast cancer. In this interview we will be focusing on that specialty of surgery in this discussion.

We will be discussing the use of the Nerve Tape® in reconstructive surgery using implants with our guest surgeon.

The feeling of numbness across the breast area is a topic often discussed and is of concern in the community we serve at DiepCFoundation. It is a consideration in both erogenous sensation but also as a protective mechanism to prevent burns and injury to the breasts.

My guest is Dr. Lisa Hunsicker. She has been practicing medicine since 1995, and she opened Revalla Plastic Surgery & Medical Aesthetics as her solo practice in Littleton Colorado in 2001. She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas at Houston before moving on to her General Surgery training at the University of Colorado/Denver.

Dr. Lisa Hunsicker is a strong advocate for women's health issues and enjoys giving back to underserved communities. In addition to volunteering at health fairs, such as Tri for the Cure and at other local events, she has traveled many times to countries like El Salvador and Peru to perform reconstructive surgery on children and adults.

To view my experience using the Nerve Tape® click here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QedVwJfubfE

Connect with Dr. Hunsicker on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revallaaplasticsurrgery/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlisahunsicker/

Connect with BioCircuit Technologies on the following platforms:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biocircuit-technologies/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nervetapeit/

There are many acronyms, terms, and procedures patients hear either in consultation with their plastic surgeon or online through various social media groups and platforms. Our guest on this edition of the DiepCJourney podcast is a board-certified microsurgeon who will help us sort out three of those terms today. The delay procedure, SIEA, and TDAP in breast reconstruction surgery.

We appreciate everyone who is utilizing the DiepCFoundation resources. Be sure to click here for the video interview with my guest at the DiepCFoundation YouTube channel.

I am joined by Dr. James Craigie, who specializes and is trained in microsurgery. The primary focus at his practice at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction in Mt. Pleasant, SC, is performing complex breast reconstruction procedures which we will discuss in this interview. I want to highlight that Dr. Craigie works with a team of microsurgeons practicing the co-surgeon model in breast reconstruction surgery. To learn more about the benefits of the co-surgeon model check out a previous episode of the DiepCJourney podcast by clicking here.

At the Foundation, our focus is to provide accurate information to our listeners and why I ask Dr. Craigie to join us to discuss specific procedures in this interview.

The paper I reference in the interview on the value of the co-surgeon model in breast reconstruction can be found and read by clicking here.

Connect with Dr. Craigie and his practice on the following platforms.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural.breast.reconstruction/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalbreastreconstruction

LinkedIn: The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

This is a follow up of my interview with Margaret Tueller Proffitt who I spoke to after her phase one DIEP flap surgery at PRMA in San Antonio in January of 2024.

I invited her back to the DiepCJourney podcast to share details of the completion of her breast reconstruction after phase two. She traveled back to San Antonio seven months after phase one for her phase two surgery. We talk about the following:

· Communication and discussion with Dr. Whipple about your phase via a ZOOM call.

· What did she pack for phase 2.

· Who she traveled with for this phase of her surgery.

· The details of what Dr. Whipple did for phase 2.

· Compression garments, medical dressings, and showering.

· Pain medication, bruising, and change in clothing size after fat grafting.

· Flying home after surgery.

Margaret is a strong advocate and voice for the BRCA and breast reconstruction community. She is a mother, wife, loves to read, travel, has pets and she is a rock star on our Foundation YouTube channel with over a thousand views of video interview of phase one surgery.

She is living life, enjoying activities, travel, and family celebrations. I love success stories so I asked Margaret what she wanted to share with those listening to the interview who might be considering DIEP flap surgery.

"This was a short period of hard. Go forth with confidence. I love the body I have now."

Connect with Margaret on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmproffitt/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-proffitt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaret.t.proffitt

This interview on the DiepCJourney podcast is with three nationally known medical tattoo artist. It will also be available on the DiepCFoundation educational YouTube channel for viewing.

Our conversation today is on medical tattooing with three of the leading medical tattoo artists in the United States.

I begin with the President and founder of AMT, The Alliance of Medical Tattooing, Ms. Nicole Rizzuto, a licensed tattoo artist and I speak to her about her vision and why she created AMT.

Next is Christina Siegel who is a registered nurse and licensed tattoo artist and is the vice-president of AMT.

Last and certainly not least, is the medical tattoo artist in our beautiful city of Seattle, WA., Mr. Eric Eye. Eric and I are both advisory board members of AMT.

As a two-time cancer survivor who had successful DIEP flap breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy, I wanted "body art," a story, a strong reminder of who I am, what I do, and a symbolic message to celebrate my own personal Journey through breast cancer. When I describe this as body art, it is much more that that because I went to a medical tattoo artist.

I chose Eric Eye because of his artistic background, credentials and someone who works with breast cancer patients. Going to a tattoo artist is an emotional process that is transformative, having a profound impact on breast cancer survivors.

In a recent cross-sectional study, the researchers examined the relationship between medical tattooing as a complementary cosmetic intervention and body-image distress and mental health outcomes among breast cancer survivors following surgery.

The findings show medical tattooing may be a valuable tool in improving body-image distress and mental health for those who wish to pursue it. The study also states more research is needed.

We discuss the services medical tattoo artists provide, safe practices and what patients should be asking for, the planning and shared decision-making conversations with your medical tattoo artist, and how each of them finds balance in this work of passionate care for breast cancer patients.

Please view their work on their websites and social media channels, especially Instagram.

Connect with these medical tattoo artists on the following platforms:

Nicole Rizzuto:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nmrtattoo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmr_medical_tattoo/

Christina Siegel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingstorytattoo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingstorytattoo/

Eric Eye:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064024771215

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric_eye_restorative/

Alliance of Medical Tattooing: https://www.instagram.com/alliance_medical_tattooing/

We are going to discuss the topic of scars and cover several topics related to scars on this edition of the DiepCJourney podcast. It is understood, anyone who has surgery will have scars of some kind. There is a mechanism to how scars heal. In plastic surgery, if you think of the Greek word, plastikós (πλᾰστῐκός it means to shape or mold. Scars are a significant consideration in plastic surgery then. I invited an expert in the field to share his expertise on the topic.

My guest is Dr. Andrew Gassman joined PRMA in San Antonio, Texas in 2021.

Dr. Gassman completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California, and a general surgery residency, as Chief of Surgical Resident Education, at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood Illinois. Following his residency, Dr. Gassman completed his fellowship in breast and reconstructive microsurgery, with a specialty in facial reanimation at UTSW Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Gassman and his team practice the co-surgeon model in breast reconstruction, meaning each patient undergoing autologous breast reconstruction will have two board-certified microsurgeons in the OR at the time of their reconstruction. They are part of the IFAR (Institute for Advanced Reconstruction) network collaborating with other microsurgeons in the IFAR network to improve patient safety, care, and outcomes.

Dr. Gassman discusses the importance of scars and the considerations for plastic surgeons regarding scars for their patients. He tells us,

"These are marks that a patient is going to carry with them for their lives."

He tells us about techniques used at his practice and considerations like:

· Scar placement

· Scar healing

· Different types of scars and skin types

· Scar management after surgery

· Scar revisions at phase 2

· Emotional impact of scars

We reference a DiepCJourney podcast in our discussion you can listen to here:

Ep. 60: Credibility in the Noise _ Social Media, Breast Reconstruction, and Your Experience.

Connect with Dr. Gassman on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gassman_ps/

Instagram: PRMA https://www.instagram.com/prmaplasticsurgery/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.andrewgassman

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PRMAPlasticSurgery