Episode 69: A Decade of Collaboration: Celebrating a Mentor
DiepCJourney Podcast
Ten years ago, on December 1, 2014, I was in the trusted hands of a skilled microsurgeon who took tissue from my tummy area along with the skin and blood vessels, and rebuilt what cancer had taken away from me. I lost my breasts to a double mastectomy. For those of us who have been affected by breast cancer, a mastectomy is an amputation. The skilled microsurgeon is my guest on this episode of the . , president of in San Antonio, Texas, reconstructed my breasts using the training, skill, and compassion that makes him who he is as a breast reconstruction surgeon and is one of the finest human...
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Episode 68: Pathways to Care Due to Secondary Issues from Breast Cancer Treatment
DiepCJourney Podcast
Solutions often begin with a conversation. When faced with the task of planning your surgery, it is the goal of the to provide for those affected by breast cancer. My guest is , an international expert in advanced reconstruction and a highly skilled microsurgeon. Dr. Elkwood is the founder of The Plastic Surgery Center and in New Jersey. You can also visit or call 954-218-5137 to schedule a consultation with a surgeon on these advanced and specialty conditions. The surgeons in the IFAR network perform breast reconstruction surgery due to loss of breast after mastectomy from breast...
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Episode 67: The Role of Social Media in the Breast Cancer Community
DiepCJourney Podcast
What is it about social media that draws the breast cancer community together? We are going to explore this question with my guest, , consultant breast cancer surgeon and medical educator on social media under the name, @DrTashaG. We will look at the benefits, downfalls, information, and disinformation provided by various social media platforms on this episode of the . How can you find the right community that supports both your emotional and educational needs when each person is unique and there are distinct types of breast cancer? Why is it important for physicians to interact and be active...
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Episode 66: Wildfire Community: The Power of Story Telling in Breast Cancer
DiepCJourney Podcast
In this episode of the I interview . She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of . April has an extensive background in writing and landed her first memoir-based magazine cover story at 16. She worked for her college newspaper and then the local newspaper in Santa Cruz, The Sentinel, following graduation. During the tech boom of the early 2000s April worked “over the hill” from Santa Cruz in Silicon Valley. However, in 2012, in the midst of this career, April was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer at age 35. Four years later, while struggling to “go back to normal” and find others in...
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Episode 65: Breast Reconstruction at Tucson Plastic Surgery
DiepCJourney Podcast
Are you aware of the value of the two-surgeon model in reconstructive microsurgery? Have you heard about the benefits to patients of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol? I spoke with two board-certified plastic reconstructive surgeons who practice at to answer these questions and others on this episode of the . My guests are and . They met at the , a well-known yearly gathering of microsurgical specialists from around the world who present the latest techniques in flap surgeries. Their combined training in breast reconstruction microsurgery and aesthetic plastic surgery offers...
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Episode 64: Microsurgery and Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction
DiepCJourney Podcast
When you think about breast reconstruction do you only think about breast implants? If so, it is because many people are still choosing this option for reconstructing their breast after mastectomy. However, there are options. Using your own tissue is an option and the tissue, along with a blood source, can come from various parts of the body. Fat grafting to shape and form the breast is also an option many ask about but not all know about. This is our topic on this episode of the . My guest, , is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in Hopewell, New Jersey at the ....
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Episode 63: Sensation and Sensibility in Breast Reconstruction
DiepCJourney Podcast
Breast sensation, “sensibility,” is a topic I personally cannot talk enough about. Breast cancer patients want to be protected from burns. They want to feel the hugs from their children, grandchildren, partners, friends, and family. Sensibility refers to awareness, emotional response, and feeling so it makes perfect sense to use this word in our conversation on this episode of the . To be honest, the feeling of numbness that many feel after a mastectomy just feels odd. I speak from experience, and I listen to other survivors who tell me this. It felt odd for me, but I was fortunate to have...
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Episode 62: Flap Neurotization in Autologous Breast Reconstruction - A Systematic Review
DiepCJourney Podcast
This edition of the highlights a recently published paper in , an International Journal of Surgical Reconstruction. The title of the paper is: To our listeners, who may be patients, surgeons, or medical professionals we are going to explore the elements and details of this research paper and how it can be of benefit to you. I am pleased to have two returning guests who have collaborated across continents from Australia to the U.S. sharing their combined microsurgical skills to improve patient outcomes in sensate breasts. is an author of the paper and an internationally trained microsurgeon...
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Episode 61: Microsurgery, Lymphedema, Neurotized Breasts, and Robotics
DiepCJourney Podcast
In this episode of the I am joined by another podcaster. What I am most excited about is that he is one of our international guests this year. We have known each other for some time. Not trying to age either one of us but I have enjoyed knowing him, having robust conversations, and learning so much about the world of plastic surgery and microsurgery from him. We will talk about these topics in the podcast in a cross-continental discussion with my guest . Notice I said, “Mister.” That is because he is a well-respected microsurgeon in the UK and rather than Dr. as we refer to physicians in...
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Episode 60: Credibility in the Noise - Social Media, Breast Reconstruction, and Your Experience
DiepCJourney Podcast
Consider a young person who has been newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Add to the mix they are facing a mastectomy and exploring options for breast reconstruction. Let’s say they are someone who has grown up in the world of social media. The question arises, where do they connect and get their credible information? Breast reconstruction is a complex decisional process. Do they use a platform like TikTok based in thirty second increments or a more community-based platform like Meta/Facebook where patients can engage in more of a discussion about what they are facing after a horrible...
info_outlineDr. Tim Matatov, MD, a plastic surgeon who specializes in breast reconstruction and microsurgery at Southwest Breasts and Aesthetics in Phoenix, AZ, takes us on a "DIEP-dive" of the blood vessels used in breast reconstruction on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast.
Blood flow and finding optimal veins and arteries in both the breast and donor site flap/tissue determines the outcome of any type of breast reconstruction but particularly autologous reconstruction using the patient's own tissue. This tissue, referred to as the flap or donor site, can include areas of the body like the inner thighs, back of the buttocks, but the most common donor site is the abdominal area called DIEP flap, deep inferior epigastric perforators. It is often referred to as the gold standard in autologous breast reconstruction. We begin with assessment of the blood vessels at a consult. Dr. Matatov explains the various branches of blood vessels harvested for autologous reconstruction and completes the conversation by describing how the tissue is transferred along with the blood vessels to the breast area.