NEW SURGEON, NEW HOPE, NEW ME!

After 3 months of anxiously waiting......I finally had my second opinion for breast reconstruction revision.


My appointment was with Dr. Toni Zhong, University Health Network breast clinic.  I met with her at the Princess Margaret Hospital site in Toronto, Ontario.  
My husband and I had been anticipating this moment for months.  I had so many emotions prior to meeting Dr. Zhong.  Anxiety, fear, eargerness, apprehension you name it.  Mainly, I was afraid that Dr. Zhong would take one look at me and say "this looks pretty good, you wont get much better than this". 


There are many options available to women for breast reconstruction around the world, but not all of these state of the art, new techniques are available here in Ontario through OHIP.  
Previous to this appointment, I had received opinions from two surgeons in the United States.   Both of these surgeons had suggested very similar treatment plans.  I wanted to have these outside non/OHIP based opinions prior to meeting Dr. Zhong so that I could ask Dr. Zhong the right questions, and compare her treatment plan (covered by OHIP) with the very expensive option of traveling to the USA for my reconstruction revision surgery.


As my wonderful husband and I took the train into Toronto to meet with Dr. Zhong, there was an awkward silence, yet an unquestionable feeling of being loved and supported.  I can't really explain it but it made me feel at ease.  The surgeon gave us a very realistic picture of what her reconstruction plan would look like.  She was candid, honest and empathetic.  She valued and understood the cosmetic appeal of breast reconstruction as a part of a woman's overall health and wellbeing ..something that other Canadian surgeons seem to have lost.

Her plan is to start over from scratch.  My current breast implants have been placed only partially under the muscle.  She said there are different techniques and that particular technique doesnt seem to be working for me.  She will remove my current implants, and replace them with expanders completely under the muscle.  I will attend her office for bi-weekly fills and roughly 4 months later she will swap out the expanders for permanent high profile implants.  Approximately 3 months after that she will perform nipple reconstruction and tattooing.  The whole process could take 6-8 months.  

She had all the right answers to my questions.  Including what type of bra to wear (she will have me sized at their boutique), what exercises to do, massage and she will be recommending a physiotherapist in the Toronto area.  This is when I was overcome with emotion.  All the questions that I had asked the previous surgeon, to which she really had no answers to were now answered.  By someone with clear knowledge, experience and confidence.   I broke down in tears in my husbands arms.  I felt so relieved, happy and angry all at the same time.  This experience has been so traumatic.  

The surgery will take place in early October.  Dr. Zhong will be using Alloderm to provide additional cushioning and support.  I will require extensive time off work to recover and most importantly to ensure that the transplanted Alloderm tissue is accepted by my body and has an opportunity to survive in my body.  This time around we will utilize all supports available to us through our extended benefits such as homecare, nursing care, physiotherapy and massage.  I don't care if this means I am taking the Go Train into Toronto 3 times per week.  This recovery will be ALL about me this time.  No family drama, no work drama, and no stress.  We now have a very good idea of what to expect and will be prepared!