229. Dos and Don'ts for Friends Chapter 1 Why Mastectomy? 7 -- Inside the Breast 8 -- Surgical Treatments 10 -- Male Mastectomy 13 -- Do You Really Need a Mastectomy? 14 -- Chapter 2 Mastectomy without Reconstruction 17 -- What to Expect 18 -- Prosthesis Alternative 19 -- Paying for Mastectomy and Prostheses 22 -- Chapter 3 Breast Reconstruction Basics 24 -- Sorting through the Options 25 -- Timing Your Reconstruction 28 -- Health Matters 31 -- Coordinating Reconstruction with Treatment 34 -- Chapter 4 How Mastectomy Affects Reconstruction 39 -- Mastectomy Cause and Effect 39 -- Skin-Sparing Procedures 42 -- Saving Your Nipple and Areola 43 -- Chapter 5 Considering Prophylactic Mastectomy 48 -- Should You Have Genetic Testing? 49 -- How Real Is Your Risk? 49 -- Preventive Surgeries That Reduce Your Risk 51 -- Paying for Preventive High-Risk Services 54 -- Part 2 Reconstructive Procedures -- Chapter 6 Breast Implants 57 -- Implants Inside and Out 57 -- Are They Safe? 61 -- Tissue Expander-to-Implant Reconstruction 62 -- Direct-to-Implant Reconstruction 64 -- Recovery 66 -- Potential Problems 68 -- Chapter 7 Expander Experience 74 -- Getting Your Fill 74 -- Minimizing Your Discomfort 76 -- Living in Limbo 78 -- Exchange Surgery 79 -- Potential Problems 80 -- Chapter 8 Tummy Tuck Flaps 82 -- Tissue Flap Basics 82 -- Borrowing from the Abdomen 85 -- TRAM Flap Procedures 86 -- DIEP and SIEA Flaps 90 -- Potential Problems 95 -- Chapter 9 Other Flap Methods 97 -- Flaps from the Back 97 -- Flaps from the Buttocks 101 -- Flaps from the Hips 104 -- Flaps from the Thighs 105 -- Chapter 10 Fixes with Fat 109 -- How It's Done 111 -- Is It Safe? 113 -- BRAVA+AFT 115 -- Chapter 11 Altering Your Opposite Breast 117 -- Breast Augmentation 118 -- Breast Reduction 121 -- Breast Lift 123 -- Chapter 12 Final Touches: Creating Your Nipple and Areola 127 -- Icing on the Cake 127 -- Building the Nipple 129 -- A Colorful Finish 131 -- Problems and Solutions 133 -- Non-surgical Alternatives 134 -- Part 3 Prep, Post-Op, Recovery, and Beyond -- Chapter 13 Preparing for Your Surgery 139 -- Countdown: Four Weeks to Surgery 139 -- Two Weeks before Surgery 141 -- One Week to Go 143 -- Day before Surgery 146 -- It's Reconstruction Day 148 -- Chapter 14 What to Expect in the Hospital 149 -- Admitting and Pre-op 149 -- Showtime in the OR 150 -- A Peek into Post-op 151 -- Your First Day alter Surgery 153 -- Rest of Your Hospital Stay 154 -- Chapter 15 Back Home 156 -- A Timetable for Healing 156 -- Managing Medication 161 -- Dealing with Drains 162 -- Tips for an Easier Recovery 165 -- Seeing Your New Breasts for the First Time 168 -- Chapter 26 Dealing with Problems 170 -- Inherent Surgical Risks 170 -- Lingering Pain 174 -- Lymphedema 175 -- Cosmetic Do-Overs 177 -- Improving Scars 179 -- Chapter 17 Life after Reconstruction 183 -- Adjusting to the New You 183 -- Back to Work 187 -- Dating, Intimacy, and Sex 187 -- Surveillance after Mastectomy 190 -- Part 4 Finding Answers, Making Decisions -- Chapter 18 Searching for Dr. Right 195 -- Shopping for a Surgeon 195 -- Five Characteristics of an Ideal Plastic Surgeon 196 -- Your Pre-appointment Footwork 198 -- Making the Most of Your Consultation 200 -- Value of a Second (or Third) Opinion 202 -- Tips for Travelers 203 -- Chapter 19 Paying for Your Reconstruction 205 -- Are You Covered? 207 -- Appealing When the Answer Is No 209 -- When All Else Fails 214 -- Other Types of Insurance 216 -- Chapter 20 Making Difficult Decisions 218 -- Ten Steps in the Right Direction 218 -- Other Sources of Information and Inspiration 223 -- Chapter 21 Information for Family and Friends 225 -- Hints for Family Members 225 -- Food for Thought for Partners and Spouses 226 -- Issues for Caregivers 228 -- Dos and Don'ts for Friends 229.
Summary:
"Since 2002, The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook has been the best resource on this topic for women who have had a mastectomy. Equal parts science and support, it is filled with stories that illustrate the emotional and physical components of breast reconstruction. Kathy Steligo, a gifted writer and breast cancer survivor who has twice had breast reconstruction, compassionately answers women's questions about how they will respond emotionally and physically to losing a breast, whether to treat or prevent breast cancer. Steligo provides detailed descriptions of the various surgical options for mastectomy and reconstruction, as well as information on choosing and paying for a surgeon, preparing for and recovering from surgery, and handling the many practical details and difficult decisions women will face along the way. A road map of the mastectomy and reconstruction journey, this book gives women the comprehensive, unbiased details they need to make their own informed decisions about whether reconstruction--and which reconstructive option--is right for them. Readers learn how breasts can be recreated using implants or their own tissue and the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Surgery timelines, recovery, and potential problems (and how they can be resolved) are also explained. A new foreword by Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, of the PRMA Plastic Surgery Center for Advanced Breast Reconstruction, highlights the book's strengths and offers a medical perspective on breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. The extensively updated text includes new discussions of" innovative reconstructive procedures" contralateral mastectomy" the benefits and limitations of nipple- and areola-sparing mastectomies" nipple delay procedure" patient-controlled tissue expansion" cohesive gel silicone implants" microsurgical advances that improve tissue flap procedures" fat grafting" nipple reconstruction" nipple and areola tattooing" reconstruction with the BRAVA system" pregnancy after TRAM" male mastectomy and reconstruction" decision making and solving cosmetic and medical post-op problems" surgical procedures that reduce the risk of cancer" the latest research data on mastectomy and reconstruction" and much more."-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.