The oncologist finally told me that I'm in remission, of course God told me this from the beginning, that I'm gonna make it through

SSI DISABILITY

I recently found this information on Social Security disability.

I got SSDI two years after my first diagnosis, when the doctors said they saw a reoccurrence. The point is proving that you cannot physically, do the work you previously did. I was in education, and I could no longer lift children, sit or stand for long periods of time, plus I was weakened by the radiology and chemo. SSA has a record of the work you have done since you started contributing. You just have to prove that you cannot do that work anymore. Also, I just discovered that I can get my education loans wiped out by getting documentation from SSA. I don't get much money, but it's enough to cover my basic needs, it would be a struggle if not impossible to work.

 

Social Security Disability Benefits for Breast Cancer  http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/social-security-disability-breast-cancer.html

There are three ways to be found medically eligible for SSDI or SSI disability benefits when you have breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world. Although there are many kinds of breast cancer, the most common type of breast cancer for women is mammary ductal carcinoma. Mammary ductal carcinoma comes in two forms: infiltrating ductal carcinoma (invasive proliferation of cancerous cells in the breast tissue) and ductal carcinoma in situ (non-invasive cells that may be malignant and are confined to the lactiferous ducts). The latter, ductal carcinoma in situ, is also known as Stage 0 cancer, because doctors cannot even seem to agree that it is actually cancer. Currently, ductal carcinoma in situ accounts for about 20% of screening-detected breast cancer diagnoses.

Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer screening tests include MRI imaging, mammograms, and biopsies. While these tests are useful in detecting most kinds of breast cancer, they cannot accurately diagnose inflammatory breast cancer. If there is a possibility of inflammatory breast cancer, a surgical biopsy should be done that includes a larger breast skin sample, as well as a sample of the underlying breast tissue. Oncologists are leaning toward PET scans as the preferred testing technique for inflammatory breast cancer, because it allows them to see more of the disease.

Breast Cancer Stages

As mentioned, oncologists use a staging system to evaluate the extent of an individual's breast cancer. Cancer stages are based upon the following criteria: size of the tumor, whether or not the cancer is invasive or non-invasive, whether or not the the cancer has spread beyond the breast, and whether or not the lymph nodes are involved.
Stage 0 generally describes non-invasive breast cancers, such as ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ. In Stage 0, cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells have not spread from the part of the breast where they began and have not invaded the neighboring normal breast tissue.
STAGE 1 involves cancerous cells invading normal neighboring tissue. At this stage, the tumor can be up to 2 cm and have no lymph node involvement.
STAGE 2 is divided into two subcategories: 2A and 2B.
2A is invasive breast cancer in which no tumor can be detected in the breast itself, but there are cancerous cells in the lymph nodes under the arms. Or thee can be a tumor that is two centimeters or less and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arms. Or, the tumor is larger than two centimeters but less than five centimeters but has not spread to underarm lymph nodes.
2B means the tumor is five centimeters or more but has not spread to lymph nodes in the underarm area, or the tumor size is greater than two centimeters but less than five centimeters and it has spread to the lymph nodes in the under arm area.
STAGE 3 is divided into three subcategories: 3A, 3B, and 3C.
3A means no breast tumor. The cancer is located in the underarm lymph nodes, either clumped together or sticking to other areas, or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes near the breastbone, or the size of the tumor is more than five centimeters, or less than five centimeters and the cancer has spread to the auxiliary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other areas.
3B means any sized tumor that has spread to the chest wall, breast skin, or both. And, the cancer may have spread to the axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other areas, or the cancer has invaded the lymph nodes near the breastbone. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered to be three B or higher.
3C means that a tumor can be of any size and may have spread to the skin of the breast, chest wall, or both, and the cancer has spread to lymph nodes that are above and below the collar bone, and the cancer may have invaded the lymph nodes in the underarm area or near the breast bone.
STAGE 4 means cancer that has invaded other organs of the body such as the lungs, bones, brain, or liver.
Treatment options vary depending upon the type of cancer and the stage of the cancer. Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, lumpectomy, and mastectomy. Most breast cancer treatment involves a combination of these methods to ensure the best chance of survival.

Disability Benefits for Breast Cancer

There are three ways to be found medically eligible for disability benefits when you have breast cancer: qualifying as a Compassionate Allowance, meeting the requirements of the official disability listing for breast cancer, or showing your limitations are too great for you to work at your old job or do any new type of work.

Compassionate Allowances

Social Security recently set up a program called Compassionate Allowances to expedite benefits to those with serious diseases and advanced cancers. Breast cancer that is diagnosed as having distant metastases or that is inoperable (surgery not available) or unresectable (not able to be completely removed) qualifies as a Compassionate Allowances condition. Stage IV cancer always qualifies as a Compassionate Allowance condition, with proper documentation. The SSA requests a pathology report and an operative report, if possible, to provide evidence that your breast cancer qualifies for Compassionate Allowance treatment.
Sometimes breast cancer doesn't qualify as a compassioante allowance at first bu t then progresses; see our article on qualifying for a compassionate allowance when cancer worsens.
Learn more about how Social Security expedites Compassionate Allowance cases.

Meeting the Disability Listing

Social Security evaluates breast cancer under Listing 13.10, Breast Cancer, in its listing of impairments that qualify for disability benefits. In this listing section, Social Security specifies the qualification criteria. If an individual has breast cancer, she must have one of the following to qualify for disability benefits:

• inflammatory carcinoma
• tumor with direct extension to the chest wall or skin
• distant metastases 
• metastases to the supraclavicularor or infraclavicular nodes
• metastaes to ten or more axillary nodes
• metastases to the ipsilateral internal mammary nodes, or 
• recurrent carcinoma (excluding a local recurrence that is controlled by treatment).

Note: Distant metastases occurs when cancer has spread from the original (primary) tumor to distant organs or distant lymph nodes.
You can show your doctor the breast cancer listing and ask your doctor's opinion as to whether your cancer meets any of the above criteria.
If your medical records don't satisfy the requirements of the breast cancer listing, you can still be approved through something known as a medical-vocational allowance.

Medical-Vocational Allowance

When you don't meet the requirements of the breast cancer listing, it's usually because your breast cancer is not as advanced as the disability listing requires. For instance, you may have only metatases to two or three axillary nodes. Fortunately, you still have a chance to get disability benefits, because the SSA will assess how much functional capacity you have left, to see if you are able to work. The SSA will look at how much you can lift and carry and the length of time you are able to sit, stand, and walk. The SSA will use this information to assign you a "residual functional capacity" (RFC) rating.
Treatment for breast cancer can make it difficult to work because chemotherapy and radiation can cause pain, fatigue, headaches, depression, mood swings, and memory loss. In addition, recent studies show that a significant percentage of breast cancer patients who have undergone surgery later suffer significant pain for protracted periods. If you have pain and fatigue, your RFC may state that you can do sedentary work only. And if you are given a sedentary RFC and are over age 50, you have a good chance of getting benefits under a medical-vocational allowance.
Learn more about how to get a medical-vocational allowance.

#breast cancer #African American women and breast cancer #SSDI and breast cancer #

BREAST RECONSTRUCTION

The plan for the breast reconstruction sounded good.  It was just what I wanted.  The doctor, Dr. Miller, said 'The bad news is the breast cancer, but the good news is a tummy tuck.' If only it had been true.

The bad news continued, after the surgery:

- First, I had trouble breathing, so they put tubes down my throat and tied me down. I pulled the tubes out. I was in a dream like state, and I remember feeling like I was choking, so pulled them out. So they sedated me again, and used stronger bonds to keep me down. I was put in ICU.

- Before I was taken out of ICU, Dr. Miller came and told me that at some point, I had a heart attack, either during or after surgery. I was transferred to the cardiac section of the hospital, because now I was also a heart patient.

- I was being prepared to leave the hospital when I began to bleed profusely. It's a wonder that I didn't die because of the bleeding.  After many tries, they gave me a blood transfusion.  This did not help either, but the bleeding slowed down enough, that they sent me home.

- I was home a week or so, and going back in to see Dr. Miller in his office. I asked him what could be done for the bleeding, he suggested sanitary pads.  My daughter heard him say this, so she went out to buy some, bless her heart, I had no need for pads for several years.  She is young, in her twenties, and she had a hard time dealing with all of this.   At one point she called my daughter in California, and she came out to lend support.  But none of the measures that Dr. Miller suggested worked, which was basically applying pressure to the wound.  One day as I was preparing to shower, the blood started to spurt out rhythmically, and this really scared me. I asked my daughter to come and take me to emergency, but not Piedmont or Dr. Miller, which had not helped in the past.  We ended up at Emory midtown, where I had my mastectomy in 2011.   Emory did not address the issue of the bleeding, and discharged me after about 2 weeks, with a prescription for infections.

- I went back to Dr. Miller, and at the same time, had visiting nurses coming out. This was the first time I learned about wound care.  So between the nurses and Dr. Miller, they were changing the dressing every day.  The nurses were shocked that I was released from the hospital in my condition.  I looked like someone had taken a hack saw to the left side of my body. By this time it was ugly, there was blood, and pus and drainage, and it was smelly.  Neither my daughter or I could bear to look at them.  But still there was no change.  This was about October, the surgery had been the end of July.  My motivation was going to my oldest daughter's wedding in California, November 22, 2014.  Dr. Miller said he didn't think so.  I got on the internet and started to research wound care. I found out what was recommended and what medicare would pay for.  I also learned that Dr. Miller had set up wound care centers at several Piedmont locations.  I asked his nurse the next time I was in if I could be referred to his clinic.  She said she would check.  I followed up and she said she was working on it. So I asked Dr. Miller directly, when I could catch him.  A few days later his nurse called and said Dr. Miller had referred me to a wound clinic, but not at Piedmont, but Kindred Hospital. 

- Kindred Hospital admin. called me and told me to come in the next day. I learned after I was admitted, that Kindred, a small hospital, based their care and treatment on prayer.  I was at Kindred for about three weeks.  It was the best hospital experience I have ever had through this long ordeal.  The nurses were professional and caring.  Whereas the nurses at Piedmont and Emory midtown were like bullies for the most part, they acted as if I had done something wrong and must be punished.  

I also was seen by a wound care nurse and a wound care doctor at Kindred. The nurse changed my dressings once a day, and finally the doctor said changing dressings could go on forever, so he recommended the 'wound vac'.  Awwww.... I hear Angels singing.  I was on the wound vac for nearly two weeks.  I could immediately see the improvement.  When I was released, healing was on the way, I didn't want to leave because I was treated so well.  Also, they not only put me on antibiotics, but took cultures so they could determine what type of infection I had, and then based the antibiotic on that information, what a concept.

- Three weeks after I left Kindred, I was in California for my daughter's wedding. Today, 12/23/14, I am completely healed.

It was all God -

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ Jeremiah 30:17

I kept this Scripture posted in my bathroom and kitchen and would see and repeat it every day, I still do.

Well, I finally got my breast reconstruction, after over three years. the type I decided on was:

What This Is

One's own body tissue is used to re-create a breast. There are several potential sources for this tissue. A TRAM (transverse rectus abdominus muscle) flap involves skin, fat, and often muscle from the abdomen to fill the breast. A gluteal flap is one that uses muscle, overlying fat, and skin from the buttocks, while a latissimus dorsi flap uses fat and the swimmer's muscle from the back. Some of these procedures are performed as "free" flaps, in which the surgeon removes skin, fat and, often, muscle from the donor site and transplants it to the chest. Small blood vessels in the transferred tissue are connected to small vessels in the mastectomy site. By contrast, with a "pedicle" flap, surgeons raise a strip of muscle and flesh, leaving it partially connected at the muscle, and then tunnel from that part of the body to the chest, where the transferred tissue is sculpted to create the new breast. This does not require blood vessel reconnection, as the blood supply comes from the abdominal muscles. Which is best: free or pedicle? Experts differ, and it often comes down to the procedure your surgeon is most comfortable doing.

Recovery Time

Six to eight weeks

Risks

With TRAM flaps, 80 percent of women have no complications, but 6 percent have hernias, or bulging of tissue beneath weakened abdominal walls. About 2 percent of women (this included me) have bleeding or infection, and less than 1 percent have circulation problems that lead to the loss of the moved tissue. The last occurs more frequently with free flaps.

Pros/Cons

The surgery is more elaborate, requiring up to six hours (versus one hour for an implant). These procedures will leave a scar at the site from which tissue is taken (from the lower abdomen, back, or buttock area), but you probably won't need to be operated on again once the nipple is created. "It's the closest thing to a breast, versus a sac filled with salt water or silicone," says Joseph J. Disa, MD, a reconstructive surgeon at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and author of 100 Questions and Answers About Breast Surgery (Jones and Bartlett, 2006). If muscle is used, that which remains may not be as strong. If back muscle is used, the shoulder may be less mobile.

http://www.bhg.com/health-family/conditions/cancer/breast-reconstruction-surgery/

EXERCISE!!!

Exercise key in breast cancer treatment

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Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 12:00 am | Updated: 1:11 am, Tue Jun 17, 2014.

Exercise key in breast cancer treatment By Rich Suwanski Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer | 0 comments

According to a study at the University of North Carolina, only one in three women living with breast cancer is meeting the current physical activity guideline of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The study also said that African-American women, who tend to have higher rates of death from breast cancer than white women, were less likely to meet the guidelines

THE FOUR STAGES OF BREAST CANCER

The 4 Stages Of Breast Cancer 

By Mayo Clinic Staff

•     

The extent, or stage, of your breast cancer gives your doctor an idea of your prognosis — the likely outcome of your disease — and helps guide treatment decisions.
Your doctor determines your stage of breast cancer through examination of the tissue removed during a mastectomy or lumpectomy and of the lymph nodes under your arm.
Your breast cancer stage takes into account how large your cancer is and whether it has spread beyond your breast. Using this information, your doctor assigns a Roman numeral — I through IV — that describes your breast cancer stage.

You have stage I breast cancer if all of the following are true:

• The tumor is no more than 2 cm (3/4 inch) in diameter — about the size of a peanut without the shell.
• The cancer hasn’t spread to your lymph nodes.
• The cancer hasn’t spread outside your breast.

A stage II breast tumor is larger than a stage I tumor, but the cancer hasn’t spread to a distant part of your body. If your cancer is stage II, one of the following is true:

• The tumor is 2 to 5 cm (3/4 to 2 inches) in diameter. The cancer may or may not have spread to your underarm (axillary) lymph nodes.
• The tumor is more than 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter — about the size of a lime — but the cancer hasn’t spread to your axillary lymph nodes.
• The tumor is less than 2 cm (3/4 inch) in diameter, but the cancer has spread to no more than three of your axillary lymph nodes.
• No tumor is found in the breast, but breast cancer cells are detected in no more than three of your axillary lymph nodes.

If you have stage III breast cancer, known as locally or regionally advanced cancer, your cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near your breast — those located under your arm or by your collarbone — but not to more-distant parts of your body.
Here are some examples:

• The tumor is larger than 5 cm (2 inches), with cancer cells that have spread to your axillary lymph nodes. However, the nodes aren’t attached to one another.
• The tumor is smaller than 5 cm (2 inches), but the cancer has spread into nearby lymph nodes and the nodes are growing into each other or the surrounding tissue (stroma).
• The tumor is smaller than 5 cm (2 inches), but the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above your collarbone.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a form of cancer in which there may be no lump or mass felt in the breast. In inflammatory breast cancer, cancer cells block the lymphatic vessels in breast skin, causing swelling, redness, and ridged or dimpled skin. Inflammatory breast cancer is classified as stage III breast cancer.
Stage IV is the most advanced form of breast cancer.
At this stage, breast cancer cells have spread to other areas of your body. Breast cancer most often spreads to the bones, brain, liver and lungs. Stage IV breast cancer is also called metastatic breast cancer.

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

Recent Study Finds That African American Women Less Likely To Receive Standard Breast Cancer Treatment

New research from the The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that African American women diagnosed with early stage invasive breast cancer were 12 percent less likely than Caucasian women with the same diagnosis to receive axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, a minimally invasive technique, which has become the standard surgical procedure.
Further findings of this study show that African American women who are subject to the older, more invasive procedure, axillary lymph node (ALN) dissection, show higher rates of lymphedema. These conclusions, previously presented at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, updated and published in JAMA Surgery, were presented by Dalliah Black, assistant professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Surgical Oncology.
A minimally invasive procedure, SNL biopsy, for which about 75 percent of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients are eligible, has been the preferred practice for the staging of breast cancer since 2002 and became the standard of care in 2007, when it was endorsed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, together with other national organizations. A number of complications, including lymphedema, are associated with ALN dissection, the previously used technique.
“With this research, we wanted to determine if new surgical innovations were being incorporated equally amongst different patient populations,” says Black, who is the study’s first author. “This study looks at trends over time, comparing appropriate patients who all would have been candidates for the SLN biopsy to see how the new procedure was implemented in African Americans and Caucasians.”
This retrospective population-based study by the MD Anderson team was based on Medicare claims data between 2002 and 2007 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database in order to examine the surgical history of 31,274 women aged 66 and older, diagnosed with early-stage, invasive breast cancer. 1,767 (5 percent) of those women were African American, 27,856 (89 percent) were Caucasian and 1,651 (5.3 percent) were other, or of unknown race.
It has been found that 62 percent of African American patients received SLN biopsy, a number that compares with 74 percent of the Caucasian patients. Even though the SLN biopsy rate increased in both groups between 2002 and 2007, a fixed disparity persisted through the five years that the study analyzed.
Lymphedema, the most common side effect of ALN dissection, had an incidence of 12.2 percent in those who received this procedure, compared to 6.8 percent in those who received SLN biopsy. African Americans suffered a higher rate of the complication since 18 percent had lymphedema after axillary node dissection. However, patients who had the SLN biopsy ran a similar risk of lymphedema, regardless of race.
“The risk of lymphedema was primarily driven by differences in treatment: ALN dissection resulted in about twice the risk. When we looked at outcomes stratified by treatment, Caucasians and African Americans had similar risks of lymphedema if they had a SLN,” says Benjamin Smith, M.D., associate professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Radiation Oncology and senior author of the study. “This ties the treatment disparity to a disparity in outcome.”
Black and her team were thoroughly surprised at the findings.
“We were surprised to learn that the disparity persisted through 2007 and that there was an adverse patient outcome, lymphedema, associated with the findings. However, when we controlled for tumor characteristics and types of breast surgery, there was still a significant difference,” says Black.
“SLN is a safe and integral part of the surgical management of early invasive breast cancer. Improving patient education and creating ways to ensure all healthcare providers know practice guidelines and are able to implement them will help with this disparity. Appropriate patients with early stage breast cancer should not opt for less than this standard in care if properly educated,” Black continued.
Black and Smith led an MD Anderson team that included Thomas A. Buchholz, M.D., Executive Vice-President, Physician-in-Chief and Head of the Division of Radiation Oncology; Henry Kuerer, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology and Jing Jiang, Department of Biostatistics, among others.
Reference: Dalliah M. Black, Jing Jiang, Henry M. Kuerer, Thomas A. Buchholz, Benjamin D. Smith. Racial Disparities in Adoption of Axillary Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Lymphedema Risk in Women With Breast Cancer. JAMA Surgery, 2014.
Reprinted with Permission by BioNews Texas

TOTAL HEALING

BREAST RECONSTRUCTION -  Understanding the principle of returning what the devil took away - 

Jer 30:17
For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

Breast Reconstruction in Atlanta & Marietta

What is breast reconstruction in Atlanta?

http://www.georgiaplastic.com/breast-procedures-atlanta/breast-reconstruction/

Breast reconstruction in Marietta & Atlanta is surgery for women who have had their breast removed, usually due to breast cancer. Our goal in breast reconstruction is to rebuilds a natural looking breast that resembles the opposite breast in size and shape. The nipple and the darker area around the nipple (areola) can also be added. We now offer Nipple Sparing and Skin Sparing Mastectomy reconstruction for Marietta & Atlanta women who qualify. Most women who have had a mastectomy can have reconstruction. Women who have had only the part of the breast around the cancer removed (lumpectomy) may also need reconstruction. We believe that there is life after breast cancer.

Every woman has a right to breast reconstruction. This is now a federal mandate and insurance companies are required to cover breast reconstruction after mastectomy. There is no age limitation for breast reconstruction and there are multiple reconstructive options available. There is no single procedure that is best for everyone; the best option will become clear after detailed discussion with Dr Okoro. He has tremendous experience with all the options of breast reconstruction.

Today, more women with breast cancer choose surgery that removes only part of the breast tissue. This may be called breast conservation surgery, lumpectomy, or segmental mastectomy. But some women have a mastectomy, which means the entire breast is removed. Many women choose reconstructive surgery to rebuild the shape and look of the breast.

Why have breast reconstruction in Marietta or Atlanta?

• to make their breasts look balanced when they are wearing a bra
• to permanently regain their breast shape
• to reconstruct deformed breast from surgery or trauma
• to avoid the use of an external prosthesis
• to improve body image and self esteem

What are the results like?

If you have bilateral mastectomy, the results usual are similar. If you have one sided mastectomy, you will be able to see the difference between the reconstructed breast and the remaining breast when you are nude. But when you are wearing a bra, the breasts should be alike enough in size and shape that you will feel comfortable about how you look in most types of clothes.

Immediate or delayed breast reconstruction

Immediate breast reconstruction is done at the same time as the mastectomy. An advantage to this is that the chest tissues are not damaged by radiation therapy or scarring. This often means that the final result looks better. Also, immediate reconstruction means less surgery.
After the first surgery, there still may be a number of steps that are needed to complete the immediate reconstruction process. If you are planning to have immediate reconstruction, be sure to ask what will need to be done afterward and how long it will take.

Delayed breast reconstruction means that the rebuilding is started later. This may be a better choice for some women who need radiation to the chest area after the mastectomy. Radiation therapy given after breast reconstruction surgery can cause problems. Some women do not want to think about reconstruction while coping with a diagnosis of cancer. If this is the case, you may choose to wait until after your breast cancer surgery to decide about reconstruction

Types of breast reconstruction

Several types of operations can be done to reconstruct your breast. You can have a newly shaped breast with the use of a breast implant, your own tissue flap, or a combination of the two. (A tissue flap is a section of your own skin, fat, and muscle which is moved from your tummy, back, or other area of your body to the chest area.) Dr. Okoro has extensive experience with all of the options of breast reconstruction including nipple sparing and skin sparing mastectomy reconstruction.

Tissue flap reconstruction involves transferring a woman’s own tissues to her missing breast, usually to avoid an implant or replace damaged, radiated tissue. Tissue is commonly relocated are from the abdomen (TRAM flap, DEIP), back (lat dorsi flap), or buttocks area (S-GAP flap). Many patients and doctors find that flap reconstruction outcomes look and feel more natural, despite the added scars and healing time. Dr Okoro has a has performed many of these procedures and is well experienced.

DIEP ((deep inferior epigastric artery perforator) flap reconstruction, a newer type of flap procedure, uses fat and skin from the same area as in the TRAM flap but does not use the muscle to form the breast mound. This results in less skin and fat in the lower belly (abdomen), or a “tummy tuck.” This method uses a free flap, meaning that the tissue is completely cut free from the tummy and then moved to the chest area. This requires the use of a microscope (microsurgery) to connect the tiny vessels. The procedure takes longer than the TRAM pedicle flap discussed above.

The latissimus dorsi flap moves muscle and skin from your upper back when extra tissue is needed. The flap is made up of skin, fat, muscle, and blood vessels. It is tunneled under the skin to the front of the chest. This creates a pocket for an implant, which can be used for added fullness to the reconstructed breast. Though it is not common, some women may have weakness in their back, shoulder, or arm after this surgery.

Nipple and areola reconstruction

You can decide if you want to have your nipple and the dark area around the nipple (areola) reconstructed. Nipple and areola reconstructions are optional and usually the final phase of breast reconstruction. This is a separate surgery that is done to make the reconstructed breast look more like the original breast. It can be done as an outpatient after drugs are used to make the area numb (under local anesthesia). It is usually done after the new breast has had time to heal (about 3 to 4 months after surgery). A tattoo may be used to match the color of the nipple of the other breast and to create the areola.

It is common to get a second opinion before having any surgery. Breast reconstruction and even mastectomy are not emergencies. It is more important for you to make the right decisions based on the correct information than to act quickly before you know all your options before surgery.

Planning your surgery

You can start talking about reconstruction as soon as you know you have breast cancer. You will want your breast surgeon and Dr Okoro to work together to come up with the best possible plan for reconstruction.  After reviewing your medical history and overall health, your surgeon will explain which reconstructive options are best for you based on your age, health, body type, lifestyle, and goals. Talk with your surgeon openly about what you expect. Dr. Okoro will be frank with you when explaining the risks and benefits of each option. Dr Okoro will also explain what to expect before and after surgery.  Health insurance policies often cover most or all of the cost of reconstruction after a mastectomy. Check your policy to make sure you are covered.  Almost any woman who must have her breast removed because of cancer can have reconstructive surgery. Certain risks go along with any surgery, and reconstruction may have certain unique problems for some people.

Can breast reconstruction hide cancer, or cause it to come back?

Studies show that reconstruction does not make breast cancer come back. If the cancer does come back, reconstructed breasts should not cause problems with chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
If you are thinking about breast reconstruction, either with an implant or flap, you need to know that reconstruction rarely, if ever, hides a return of breast cancer. You should not consider this a big risk when deciding to have breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

OTHER PROTOCOLS COMBINED WITH GTFC

Other Protocols Combined with GTFC

The vast majority of cancer clinics toss out chemotherapy as the one and only form of treatment coupled with radiation. Our group has furthered the protocols to include treatment to boost the body's natural defenses, so the GTFC is more effective. These protocols include a host of integrative, specialized treatment steps developed by our team to enhance patient healing. In our clinical experience, helping slow down these epigenetic environmental factors are what truly impact cancer mutations, growth and spread. Those therapies involve:

• Immunotherapy – State of the art forms of immunotherapy to rebuild a patient's immune system. After all, the immune system is the first and last defense against any disease. By strengthening these defense systems, it makes it easier for treatments such as chemotherapy to be effective, in our experience. This is especially important when patients have infections and chemical toxins at the root of their cancer. Immunotherapy can function independent of genetic changes. Read more about immunotherapy here.
• Nutrition therapy – Modern food is pumped full of preservatives, toxins, GMOs and other horrible things that can severely impact one's health and in some cases, may even lead to cancer. An important alternative is organic and healthy foods that are immune-supportive. However, cancer patients have numerous deficiencies caused by the cancer itself, not to mention the chemotherapy and/or radiation. Intravenous nutrition, guided by detailed testing, is vital for energy and recovery. Read more about nutrition therapy and proper dieting here.
• Chronic inflammation therapy – Chronic inflammation has been well-recognized as a cause of cancers for a long time. However, agents that cause chronic inflammation not only cause cancers, but also impact its growth, signaling and spread.
• Oxidative Medicine – Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg famously hypothesized "…the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar," meaning, cancer is caused by a lack of oxygen. Today's modern cancer cell biology has shown he was on the right track as mitochondrial health and shifting to a more oxygen-rich environment may protect healthy cells and further neuter cancer cells.

- See more here, cut and past, the entire article and additional information:
http://envita.com/cancer/what-is-genetically-targeted-fractionated-chemotherapy?utm_source=OB&utm_medium=GTF+Chemo&utm_term=Chemotherapy+linked+to+Cancer+Spread+&utm_content=article+&utm_campaign=GTF+Chemo#sthash.dYA2zbkU.vpA1t8Sy.dpuf

Why Are 70% Of Cancer Patients Unresponsive to Chemotherapy Treatments?

This is a very important research finding.  Essentially, they state the importance of individualized treatment plans. Chemotherapy treatment does not work for everyone. I am a prime example, after going through two chemotherapy treatment plans, the surgeon and oncologist told me that it did not work. I lost my hair and the tumor was not affected.

==================================

What is Genetically Targeted Fractionated Chemotherapy?

Major discoveries in the cancer world are pointing toward more personalized methods for treating cancer, giving a better explanation and solution as to why only a small percentage of people respond satisfactorily to chemotherapy treatments.

In this article, we'll explore the new science and important application of translational cancer genomics and epigenetics in a unique integrative medical setting and how this information can help patients and clinicians alike attain much more personalized cancer treatment plan.

Genetic Research Sparks Hope of Cancer Breakthrough

The Scientific Consensus on a Genetically Targeted Future

The scientific understanding of cancer cell biology has continued to improve as better ways of targeting cancer cells are found through genetic information, the individual expressions of cancer cells and the microenvironment around the cancer cells themselves. Our team has spent over a decade bringing more personalized integrative cancer treatment application to help our patients target cancer cells, while supporting their overall health and energy.

Researchers have discovered numerous biomarkers and molecular changes that occur within a person's cancer genetics that can be used to better target treatment. In addition, studies have shown that two people with the same tissue type of cancer and staging may respond to treatment differently based on their own individual parameters. This is one major reason that people respond differently to the same treatment and even have different side effects to the same treatments. This application is vastly different than what is being practiced in most hospitals and cancer centers.

At the world famous Cell Symposia: Hallmarks of Cancer, that took place in San Francisco in 2012, numerous presenters made it very clear that the way forward in curing cancer is understanding each person's cancer cell biology via genetic and molecular profiling.[1] This symposium included talking points from Robert Kruger, Deputy Editor at Cell, Lynda Chin of MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Sandra Horning of Genentech, Richard Gilbertson of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Bob Weinberg of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. - 

The Science Behind Our Solutions

This vastly differs from the current chemotherapy approach being used by cancer institutes and hospitals elsewhere. This soon-to-be outdated methodology has been around since President Nixon declared his War on Cancer in the '70s. Yet four decades and billions of dollars later, we're relatively no better off in treating metastatic cancers, especially when compared to other developments made in other areas of medicine during the same time periods.

Improvement in cancer survival has come mainly from early detection and surgical removal in early stages of certain cancers (breast, prostate and colon), however whenever spread is involved with advanced metastatic cancer, the old or rather current chemotherapy practices are not much more effective at aiming for long-term remissions, dare we say cure. The War on Cancer has had several of the same challenges for decades, including difficulty:

• Reforming the clinical trials system, including reducing costs and including better designed and more complete studies to review a multi-step approaches to improving quality of life and lengthen of overall life for each patients. Many of these new blockbuster drugs only increase survival for a few months with poor quality of life.
• Readjusting the drug approval and regulation processes and reducing costs. It takes about $1 billion dollars currently to produce a new cancer agent and many are stopped in stage two of the process.
• Improving cancer treatment and prevention. Many existing chemotherapy drugs have been shelved due to political and legal reasons. Agents may have not have worked in one type of cancer trial, but paired with genetic and molecular profiling it could be helpful for some patients. Unfortunately, we'll never know because the results aren't given much room to improve.
• Formulating new, more specific and science-based approaches toward impacting the epigenetic environment around cancer cells. Epigenetic refers to the substances that influence or cause cancer growth, cancer mutation or resistance.
• With all these new biomarkers and molecular profiling discoveries, there lacks better ongoing monitoring and testing through our treatment process as cancer cells become resistant to treatment and even mutate. This is making it very necessary to personalize treatment.

Additional Background on Cancer Growth and Chemotherapy

Having translational cancer genomics, biomarkers and molecular profiles is like having the blueprints to better treat the patient and provide a much better way forward. Chemotherapy treatments, both presently and in the past, have focused solely on the location of the tumor, tissue pathology and staging, but the future of research and our group included focuses on the genetic typing and molecular profiling of the tumor, giving the patient a much needed edge.

Cancer cells are constantly mutating and becoming more resistant to treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Studies suggest that every tumor and possibly even different cancer cells within the same patient can be genetically different, expressing different biomarkers and responding to treatments differently.

One of the main reasons for this heterogeneity of cancer cells is the ever-important epigenetic environment around the cancer cells that may contribute to mutation and uncontrolled growth. In a nutshell, cancer cell biology illustrates that successful cancer treatment is like trying to hit multiple moving targets at once. However, there is hope; our experience has shown that a multi-step approach including GTFC may provide helpful options to patients.

Most people have a general understanding of chemotherapy, but for the purposes of this article, let's review. Cancer is when your body's cells begin uncontrolled, unchecked growth that is malignant; it is caused by a mix of environmental toxins, infectious agents leading to chronic inflammation and genetic mutations. In fact, these mutations can continue throughout the evolution of the cancer. Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer using cytotoxic chemicals (poisonous to living cells) and other drugs.

Typically, the problems with high-dose and protocol-driven chemotherapy treatments are the many adverse side effects, which depends on the type of medication used. These side effects become worse when combination of drugs are given to help reduce resistance from cancer cells, but it can often times increase toxicity in the patient. This explains why some chemo drugs work for some, but don't work for others. In fact, it has been proven that chemotherapy increases survival only slightly over 2% in late-stage cancers for five-year survival.[2]

In the end, there is no way of knowing where these chemotherapy agents are going to work at all or if the cancer is going to come back even worse. Some of the most common side effects include:

• A weakened immune system, which may lead to caecitis, also known as typhlitis, which is inflammation of the large intestine.
• A stronger tendency to bleed or bruise.
• Gastrointestinal distress, especially nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and constipation, which can lead to dehydration and malnutrition.
• Fatigue, as the treatment can be physically exhausting for the patient, especially when coupled with cancer-related fatigue.
• May contribute to muscle atrophy, or muscle thinning.
• Hair loss, which is superficial, but can lead to low self-esteem, poor self-image and depression.

These side effects might be tolerable if you knew it was a once and done thing, but that is not at all the reality for patients. It's important that we step up our efforts to help patients.

Most cancer centers and hospitals have adopted a "let the patient die in dignity" attitude, but our group is passionate about helping patients live with dignity. That's why we've been spending over a decade developing what we call the most comprehensive approach. In that approach, we can utilize GTFC (genetically targeted fractionated chemotherapy).

1Genetically Targeted Fractionated Chemotherapy

Most cancer clinics have a "one-size fits all" approach to cancers, but because each tumor is unique (based on specific genetics in the cancer itself, markers on the surface of cancer cells and epigenetic environment around the cancer cells toxins, infections, deficiencies and inflammation factors that cause cancers to spread and mutate) this approach fails to answer the bigger question.

That's where Genetically Targeted Fractionated Chemotherapy comes in. In short, GTFC is an advanced form of chemotherapy that applies molecular profiles, genetic typing and targeted treatment, providing patients with much needed alternatives. This method allows us to use multiple drugs in lower dosages to help reduce resistance, enhance targeting and improve overall treatment.

GTFC sessions are also shorter and use lower-dosages. Therefore, GTFC is much less taxing on your body. When combined with targeted immunotherapy and nutritional therapy, patients that utilize GTFC often claim they have more energy and feel healthier compared to the standard methods used.

It's fair to say that this technology is still in its infancy and getting better all the time, but if you ask patients like Nicole Sanko, she'll tell you it was a lifesaver. It was this approach coupled with a complete treatment protocol that brought her into remission in late-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma. It's worth noting some patients were hospice-bound, being told to go home and die, but have now enjoyed a longer and better quality of life.

- See more at: http://envita.com/cancer/what-is-genetically-targeted-fractionated-chemotherapy?utm_source=OB&utm_medium=GTF+Chemo&utm_term=Chemotherapy+linked+to+Cancer+Spread+&utm_content=article+&utm_campaign=GTF+Chemo#sthash.dYA2zbkU.dpuf