According to CNN health Seven in 10 breast cancer survivors may be unaware of reconstruction options. This was the case that happened to Elizabeth Anderson. According to her story, when she found out that she had advanced breast cancer April 2009, she knew she needed to act fast.
Just months later, she had to undergo a bilateral mastectomy. This is a surgical procedure which removes a persons breasts. Anderson said, "With a Stage 3 diagnosis it was either breasts or life. There was no decision to be made. I had to take them offShe said she had to prepare mentally because she knew that the moment she wakes up she will have a new body.
"I just stared at myself in the mirror for a few minutes saying, 'It's OK, it's OK. This is what you had to do, says the 47 year old cancer victim. Aside from that, she had to undergo a rigorous chemotherapy and radiation sessions until she became cancer-free. But she also admitted that she had to adjust to her new body.
That was until she found out about bilateral delayed breast reconstruction. This is a procedure which began about 10 years ago. Surgeons reconstruct the breasts with the use of fatty tissues which are taken from the other parts of the body, usually from the buttocks, abdomen or the back. After the procedure, she said, "They all looked at me like I had two heads," Anderson says. "People were very surprised. They assume implants are the way to go."
The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons discovered that out of 10 women who are qualified for reconstructive surgery, only three are fully informed of other options. Another
figure says that each year, 254, 000 American women learn that they have breast cancer and most of them need a mastectomy to remove the cancer cells.
According to Dr. Frank DellaCroce, surgeon at the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans, Louisana said, "Those who diagnose breast cancer and those who do mastectomy are separate from the plastic surgeons who do the reconstructionintegration of those two sides affords a global conversation with the patient before mastectomy."
Dr. Ann Partridge, the clinical director of the Breast Oncology Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute also agrees with this, she said, "That is absolutely the casemedicine is not a solo-practitioner profession anymore; we need to work as teams for a better outcome."
All in all, Partridge and DellaCroce both agree that reconstruction should be talked about or discussed right after surgeries pertaining to the removal of the most important of the body such as mastectomy. According to them, it is an essential factor that will help in the recovery of the patient. "When you lose some component of your physical self, you also lose some of your emotional self," says DellaCroce.
Even Dr. Brent Moelleken of http://360facelift.com is totally in favor of this. He said, Breast cancer survivors should be helped by giving back what was removed from them. I think that will boost their confidence and ego. Improved mental and emotional state can often lead to complete healing.The only thing that matters here is information. Thats what every cancer patients should do, look for options.
