Dr. Baltrusch (00:00):
My name is Kyle Baltrusch. I am a plastic surgeon at Portland Plastic Surgery Group in Portland, Oregon.

Eva Sheie (00:05):
What do you want women to know if they've just been diagnosed with breast cancer?

Dr. Baltrusch (00:09):
I just want patients to know that they have options. We're here to guide. We're here to answer questions. Ultimately, the goal is to make them cancer free, but I always want my patients to feel like they're making an autonomous decision and what they feel is best for them in their reconstructive journeys. But I want patients to feel like they can advocate for themselves, ask questions. We're just here to give them information and what our best recommendations are based on our medical literature. But from my perspective as a plastic surgeon, I just want patients to know that they do have options, and we do see in more rural communities that patients don't seek plastic surgery because they are unaware that it's even an option. Here, I serve a greater area. I have patients coming from all over Oregon, Northern California, Idaho, Montana, even Washington, and so people are being diagnosed all over, in their hometowns. And so sometimes you have to travel hundreds of miles to talk to a plastic surgeon. But I want women to advocate and say, I want to talk to a plastic surgeon, because we can always set up telehealth visits and chat with patients about their options, even from afar. You don't necessarily have to travel hundreds of miles just to talk to us. Just know that we're here and we're an option.

Eva Sheie (01:30):
On this podcast, we bring you directly to the doctors who are where before meets after. Links to our guest's website and contact info are in your show notes. Follow us on Instagram @wherebeforemeetsafter. Where Before Meets After is a production of The Axis, the podcast agency for aesthetics, theaxis.io.