IN Better Health
with Rebecca Conwell
by Leah Draffen
Condition: breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma)
photo: STROUT PHOTOGRAPHY
Treatment: bilateral nipplesparing mastectomies and bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction
Rebecca Conwell with Dr. John P. Guste of Guste Plastic Surgery. 38
I n side N ew Orl ean s
AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED with atypical hyperplasia 11 years ago, Rebecca Conwell always has had mammograms every six months. Many mammograms and multiple biopsies later, Rebecca thought her last biopsy would be another false alarm, but this time, it was cancer. After her initial breast cancer diagnosis, Rebecca was referred to Dr. John P. Guste of Guste Plastic Surgery. “While I was waiting for my appointment I immediately tapped into my network for advice and recommendations. We are fortunate to live in a city with two top medical schools and three highly respected health care systems, so I was armed pretty quickly with a list of surgeons who came with strong endorsements including Dr. Guste,” Rebecca says. Dr. Guste says: “When I met Ms. Conwell for the first time, she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. However, she was calm and confident that she would be a survivor. What impressed me the most was how informed and well-read she was in regard to her reconstructive options. Most patients initially are not. She had a list of very specific questions and was definitely ‘interviewing’ me.” After meeting Dr. Guste, Rebecca knew her choice. “I chose Dr. Guste because of the way he communicated with me as a prospective patient. He was intrigued (not offended) that I had a list and was carefully considering my options,” she says. “He immediately discussed the importance of building a network of support (friends and family) and mapped out in detail what to expect when facing a double mastectomy and reconstruction. For the first time since my diagnosis, I left his office optimistic about my new journey with cancer.” When talking about Rebecca’s treatment plan, Dr. Guste says, “Due to her type of breast cancer, and having a history of multiple biopsies, she underwent bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomies. Since she desired to use her own tissue for reconstruction, she had bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction immediately at the same time as her mastectomies.”