Key points from today’s guests:
Heather Handlin, breast cancer survivor
- She and her husband recently painted a mural near the Cancer Center to provide moral support to women with breast cancer.
- A failure of one breast implant led to a cancer diagnosis in the other breast.
- It was really important for her to regain her whole self by undergoing a breast reconstruction process.
- She said she is so happy with the transformation. She said she actually feels like a better version of herself now and is full of so much hope with a new outlook on life.
- She is thankful for the team that helped bring her to that point.
Camy Crank, living with breast cancer
- She had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with Stage 3B cancer in 2015.
- Even though she lost her breasts, she knows that’s how her life was spared.
- She said that you are more than just your body. We're a soul that inhabits a body rather than a body that has a soul.
- Camy said that women tend to try to be strong and do things themselves, but it takes a support network to get through this.
Dr. Richard Korentager, plastic surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System
- The number one goal is to rid these women of cancer and get them through treatment.
- But the reconstruction process is also very important and we look at this with a team approach.
- We first need to listen. Everyone is at a different place in the journey, so we have to be cognizant of where they are and what information they need.
- If your insurance covers the cancer treatment, it is mandated that the insurance cover reconstruction.
- Deep flap is a very specialized form of reconstruction that uses your own tissues. It involves taking tissue from an area where many people have excess, which is their stomach area, and it involves very carefully dissecting out the blood vessels that supply that tissue, and then hooking the blood vessels back up underneath the sternum or breastbone.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The Health System has 17 patients with active COVID infections this week, up slightly from last week.
- We are probably about 1-2 years away from a combination vaccine for COVID and influenza.
- They continue to undergo testing and clinical trials.
Wednesday, Nov. 1 is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. Those new weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have helped a lot of people. But it’s not as simple as getting a shot and watching the weight fall off. We’ll explain what else you need to do to achieve success on your weight loss journey.
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