Kathy Steligo (SAN CARLOS, CA) is the coauthor of Living with Hereditary Cancer Risk and The Breast Cancer Book. She is a two-time breast cancer survivor.
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Description
Foreword by Sue Friedman, DVM
Introduction
Part I: Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Basics
1. Chapter One: Why Mastectomy?
Inside the Breast
Surgeries to Diagnosis, Treat, or Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
Lumpectomy or Mastectomy?
2. Chapter Two: Considering Risk-Reducing Mastectomy
Should You Have Genetic Testing?
How Real Is Your Risk?
Risk-Reducing Mastectomy
Paying for Genetic Counseling, Testing, and Risk-Reducing Surgeries
3. Chapter Three: Mastectomy without Reconstruction
What to Expect
Going Flat
The Prosthesis Alternative
Paying for Mastectomy and Prostheses
4. Chapter Four: How Mastectomy Affects Reconstruction
Mastectomy Cause and Effect
Losing and Regaining Sensation
Skin-Sparing Mastectomy
Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy
5. Chapter Five: Breast Reconstruction Basics
Sorting through the Options
Timing Your Reconstruction
Health Matters
Coordinating Reconstruction with Treatment
Part II: Rebuilding the Breasts
6. Chapter Six: Reconstruction with Breast Implants
Implants Inside and Out
Prepectoral and Subpectoral Placement
Tissue Expander-to-Implant Reconstruction
Direct-to-Implant Reconstruction
Are They Safe?
Potential Problems and Fixes
7. Chapter Seven: The Expander Experience
Getting Your Fill
Minimizing Discomfort
Living in Limbo
Exchange Surgery
Potential Problems and Fixes
8. Chapter Eight: Autologous Tissue Flaps
Tissue Flap Basics
Muscle-Sparing and Muscle-Sacrificing Flaps
Borrowing from the Abdomen
Other Donor Sites and Procedures
Potential Problems and Fixes
Part III: Procedures to Improve Symmetry, Shape, and Appearance
9. Chapter Nine: Revision Procedures
Making a Good Reconstruction Better
Revisions for Reconstruction with Implants
Revisions for Autologous Reconstruction
Fixes with Fat
10. Chapter Ten: Modifying Your Opposite Breast
Breast Augmentation
Breast Lift
Breast Reduction
11. Chapter Eleven: Recreating Your Nipple and Areola
The Icing on the Cake
Building the Nipple
A Colorful Finish
Problems and Fixes
Part IV: What to Expect from Prep, Post-Op, Recovery, and Beyond
12. Chapter Twelve: Preparing for Surgery
Countdown: Four Weeks to Surgery
Two Weeks before Surgery
One Week to Go
The Day before Surgery
Reconstruction Day
13. Chapter Thirteen: What to Expect in the Hospital
Admitting and Pre-Op
In the OR
A Peek into Post-Op
Your First Day after Surgery
The Rest of Your Hospital Stay
14. Chapter Fourteen: Back Home
A Timetable for Healing
Managing Medication
Dealing with Drains
Tips for an Easier Recovery
Optimism Helps You Heal
Seeing Your New Breasts for the First Time
15. Chapter Fifteen: Dealing with Unexpected Problems
Inherent Risks of Surgery
Lingering Pain
Lymphedema
Reconstruction Do-Overs
Improving Scars
Strategies for Minimizing Complications
Managing Depression, Anxiety, and Body Image
16. Chapter Sixteen: Life after Reconstruction
Getting Back to Ordinary
Returning to Work
Dating, Intimacy, and Sex
Surveillance and Follow-up after Mastectomy
Part V: Finding Answers, Making Decisions
17. Chapter Seventeen: Shopping for Surgeons
Characteristics of an Ideal Plastic Surgeon
Where to Start
Pre-appointment Footwork
Make the Most of Your Consultation
The Value of a Second (or Third) Opinion
Tips for Travelers
18. Chapter Eighteen: Payment and Insurance Issues
Are You Covered?
Appealing When the Answer Is No
Help for the Uninsured and Underinsured
Other Types of Insurance
19. Chapter Nineteen: A Roadmap for Making Difficult Decisions
Moving in the Right Direction
Sources of Information and Inspiration
A Checklist for Making Decisions
20. Chapter Twenty: Information for Family and Friends
Hints for Family Members
Food for Thought for Partners and Spouses
Issues for Caregivers
Dos and Donts for Friends
Bibliography
Glossary
Resources
Acknowledgments
About the author
Index
For more than 20 years, FORCE has recommended this essential resource to anyone who is considering a mastectomy to prevent or treat breast cancer. This updated version is the single most important resource available.
— Sue Friedman, Founder, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
A guiding light in your journey to wellness, this is the definitive work on breast reconstruction for those facing mastectomy. Twenty years after the books first edition, countless readers have been empowered by the voice in its pages, which speaks as a trusted friend whos been there.
— Frank J. DellaCroce, Founding Partner, Center for Restorative Breast Surgery