Planning and scheduling reconstruction surgery and post-travel considerations. This week, Gail Lanter, CPC Practice Manager, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your question. Question:I had a phone consult with Dr. Kline in December and was very impressed with our conversation.  After researching several microsurgeons, I keep coming back to this center as the perfect fit for me. I had bilateral mastectomy in Jan. 2014 due to DCIS and have saline implants under the muscles. I experience constant inflammation, burning, and the right implant has “shifted” (as my PS said) and feels like it is under my armpit. Due to life situations I am not considering surgery until the end of this year or January, 2019.How many months ahead should I contact you to schedule the surgery? Also, I’d like to talk to someone about getting insurance approval. I have BCBS of Alabama.Is it possible to come from Decatur, AL to have this done? I do not feel comfortable using anyone closer at this point. Just worried about the travel afterwards. Thank you. Answer: We have many women who travel to have surgery so we know how to help you navigate that hurdle.  As far as your timeline, one thing to consider is that this is a staged procedure - typically the first stage is inpatient for 4 days and then outpatient for Stage 2 a few months later.  Sometimes a 3rd stage (outpatient or in office) if you require nipple reconstruction or further revision to get the result you desire. Taking into account your deductible and out of pocket expenses - you may want to make sure you can get all of those stages done within one plan year.  I'll be happy to run an eligibility inquiry through your insurance plan and we can find out exactly what your benefits are so you'll know what to expect. Insurance approval should be no problem at all as we are in the Blue Card Network for BCBS plans. Check your insurance card and see if you have a little suitcase on the front with some letters within it.  That will tell you that your plan is a member of that network. If you'd like to send me some basic demographic information i.e. full name, date of birth, address and a copy of your card, I can get that process started for you. We typically have openings within a 2-3 month time period but to reserve the date you really want, I'd choose it as soon as you know what will work for you.  We operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.Here is a blog post from September discussing the stages of surgery and how we work with patients out of our area.http://breastreconstructionnetwork.com/ask-the-doctor-how-many-trips-are-required-to-have-reconstruction-with-your-doctors/I've forwarded your e-mail to Dr. Kline to discuss post- operative travel with you.    Have a great day and I'll look forward to your reply.Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask!(opens in a new tab)