Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2014

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on patients who come from all over the country. Newly
diagnosed patients often consult Dr. Craigie or Dr. Kline
pre-mastectomy since the reconstruction phase can actually
be started as part of the initial surgery. The doctors use fat
from another part of the body, such as the stomach (the
“side effect” is a tummy tuck), or the hip, to form new
breast tissue. Because the fat is from the patient’s own body,
rejection is not an issue as it sometimes is when implants are
used. Pre-planning is helpful, but the doctors often work
with women who had mastectomies decades ago.
“It is possible to begin the reconstruction during the
mastectomy,” Dr. Craigie said. “If radiation is needed, we
can begin after the radiation therapy is completed.”
Kathy Branch was the perfect candidate for breast
reconstruction after a double mastectomy this past
spring. Her diagnosis – stage one invasive ductal cancer
– offered just one realistic option and that was surgery.
Initially reluctant to part with both breasts when only
one was diseased, she has no regrets. Because of the micro
calcifications visible on her mammograms, a recurrence
in the remaining breast was too great a risk. In spite of
everything, Branch feels blessed and even lucky that no
chemotherapy or radiation would be required, allowing
for immediate
reconstruction.
Branch stayed
positive – “you have
to thrive on it and
keep your sense of
humor,” she said –
figuring that if she
was getting new
breasts she’d order
exactly what she
wanted.
“I’ve always
wanted smaller, perky
ones and now I have
them,” she confided. “I call them ‘the nubbins’.”
So take care of the girls – and the guys. Holley, who has
been dubbed the “Radiology Dude” at East Cooper Medical
Center, reminds us that men are diagnosed with breast
cancer, too. Start with the self-exam, make regular doctor
appointments (federal law requires your mammography
results to be sent to a physician for follow-up) and schedule
a mammogram.
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84
Kathy Branch was diagnosed in April and
advised to undergo a double mastectomy.