Many newly diagnosed breast cancer patients do not know what happens after they have a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
Nicole Jackson, a busy mother of three, was diagnosed in 2014. A visit with a doctor left her questioning what to do next.
"I went in thinking, OK, I'm thinking he'll say lumpectomy, but when he didn't I thought, OK, now what? Because now I have two different decisions," she said.
Her plastic surgeon, Dr. John LoGiudice of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, said there are a myriad of options whether they are implant based or using the patient's own tissue.
Jackson opted for a mastectomy and then a breast reconstruction using a surgery called DIEP flap. Surgeons use a patient's own tissue from their abdomen.
"It's the most similar tissue we can use to replace the breast," LoGiudice said.
His goal is for patients to put their diagnosis behind them and "to move on with life and enjoy everything their life will allow them to enjoy."
Jackson's advice for breast cancer patients is to do your research.
"Definitely find out what your options are," she said. "Do what feels best for you. Don't do what someone else tells you to do."
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin will hold B.R.A. (Breast Reconstruction Awareness) Day on Wednesday, Oct. 18th, from 3:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Clinical Cancer Center, 9200 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Mezzanine, Level 1.
Registration is required. Call 414-805-3666, option 2, to reserve a space.
