The following is the real-life
story of Sally, a mastectomy patient.
Dear Dr. Allen, Debbie, Mary and Michelle, I just want to thank you
for turning a mastectomy--- which I would have thought would be an
awful experience--- into something positive.
Two months ago, when I was diagnosed with DCIS and told that I needed
to have a mastectomy, I was shocked, upset and angry. From my perspective,
I was facing what I thought would be mutilation of my best physical
feature. I visited numerous surgeons who all recommended an implant
for my reconstruction, since I was told I did not have sufficient
tissue for an abdominal flap. They all said I would need a reduction
of my other breast because they could not achieve the same volume
with an implant. I asked them about the gluteal flap I had read about,
but they did not perform that procedure.
Fortunately, I was given Dr. Allen's name through a personal friend
who is a plastic surgeon and researched the issue for me. I vividly
remember the day I met Dr. Allen in New York. He spent several hours
with my husband and me, and his soft-spoken and calming demeanor immediately
eased my fears. Whereas in the prior month I had left every other
doctor's office in tears, I left Dr. Allen's office smiling.
Upon scheduling the surgery with Dr. Allen in Charleston, I then began
my battle with my insurance company. They kept giving me names of
in-network physicians whom they claimed could perform the gluteal
flap. However, some of those doctors had only done the procedure a
handful of times, and others were not available within the timeframe
in which I needed to have the mastectomy.
I persevered through several levels of appeal with the insurance company,
and ultimately prevailed. The time for surgery arrived, and I traveled
to South Carolina on a Friday and had my pre-op visit with Dr. Allen.
Meeting Debbie and Mary was like getting together with old friends.
They had been so helpful over the phone, and were even more wonderful
in person. And the whole office gave us restaurant recommendations
for Charleston which my husband and I enjoyed over the weekend.
After the surgery, it was hard to believe I had just had a major operation.
There was almost no pain. The nurses at East Cooper Regional Medical
Center were so attentive, kind and caring, and they helped make the
recovery incredibly easy. I was discharged on Friday, and felt well
enough to travel and tour Savannah on Saturday. I am now a month post
surgery, and even though I haven't had stages two and three of the
reconstruction yet, I can't believe the results Dr. Allen was able
to achieve. It is amazing to have a reconstructed breast of my own
tissue.
Back home in New Jersey, I am fortunate to be in close proximity to
Dr. Levine in New York. I have visited him several times in the last
few weeks for stitch removal and other minor post-op issues. He is
as accommodating, approachable and wonderful as the rest of the team
in Charleston.Who would have thought that having a mastectomy could
be a positive experience? But, despite all of my initial dread and
anguish, that is exactly what it has been.
Janet
New Jersey
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