finding a good doctor

dainty

how does one go about finding a good doctor i am in mississauga ontario i will see a breast surgeon in a few days to have an ultrasound biopsy to determine if it is a solid lump or a complicated cyst whatever that means how do i know he is telling me the right thing to do and how do i find out about others surgeons i don't know anyone who has gone through this and my family doctor is sending me to this guy but she does not know him personally..i am feeling stupid and my way of coping is to arm myself with knowledge and i just don't know where to start with this...
please is there anyone out there who can give me some sane and helpful advice i don't like feeling stupid

thank you!!!!!!!

Ontario

My suggestion would be to find surgeons who specialize in Cancer surgery. I am sure that the hospitals in Mississauga have a list and the Canadian Medical association should as well. A friend of mine had her surgery in Mississauga a number of years back and if it would help I could ask her what surgeon did hers. BTW: NEVER feel stupid about anything during this journey, its long, scary and sometimes lonely. The more knowledge you can gain the better and you are not expected to know where to start, afterall this is all new territory for you.
Hang in there.

Beesie

A few suggestions:

- Ask people you know if they can talk to their family doctor to get a recommendation. Or if you know any other doctors, even specialists in other fields, ask them who they's recommend.

- Check out this website: http://www.cpso.on.ca/Doctor_Search/adv_Srch.asp?Scr=FIRST

- Check out the website for any hospitals in the Mississauga area to see who is listed as their surgeons and what their specialties are (surgical oncology or breast cancer specialist is what you would be looking for).

- Do you want to stay in Mississauga? I'm in the west end of Toronto, but decided that I wanted to go with a surgeon at a hospital that specializes in breast cancer treatment. Princess Margaret and Sunnybrook are two I know that have BC departments. You could ask for a reference to a surgeon at one of those hospitals.

- For any names I got as I asked around and checked hospital websites, I put the names into Google to see what came up. That gave me a good idea of who the more well-known and well-respected surgeons are.

raluca63

Hi Dainty,

I am a BC patient and I live in Toronto. I don't know if you would like to come to Toronto to see a doctor, but if you like to, I would strongly recommend my surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital, Dr. David McCeady. He is a wonderful person and a very good surgeon. If you want, you can send me a PM and I can give you more info.

All the best,

Calipso

lrs

Hi Dainty,
I live in Ottawa and my altra sound biopsy was performed by a doctor. But I had a different surgeon. When I look him up he is listed as a general surgeon so I was worried also. A friend had him checked out and I was told he was an excelent surgeon. I can say that he is! I had no stiches on the outside for the node removal or the partial masectamy.
Back on subject though the biopsy will be sent to pathology to review it is not the surgeon who says what it is. Once that come back you meet with the doctor to go over the results and what the next steps are. Is this doctor associated with a breast clinic if so you may already be in good hands. Most family doctors do not have knowledge of every surgeon especialy in TO.
Personaly I would go for the biopsy and see how you feel before changing doctors. Sometime that could make the wait longer and your family doctor wants the biopsy done.
Keep us posted on your results and search for a different doctor if that is what you decide. Good luck and don't be afraid. We are here to support you.
LRS

Sierra

Hi Dainty:

We all feel like that
at this time

but you can acquire
knowledge.. be pro-active

I hope for the best
possible results for you

Keep a paper trail
or diary

I did send you a PM>


Hugs

Toronto

Go ahead and have the biopsy and see what you are dealing with. You can ask your family physician why she referred you to this doctor - likely she had a good reason for the choice.

I can second Calipso's recommendation as I had the same surgeon and have been very happy with my treatment at PMH.

CherylG

IRS .. wow I live near Ottawa and had all my treatments there. Were you at Civic or General? Are you in tx or done with it all??
Cheers
CherylG

lrs

Hi I am at the general, just started tx. Who is your doctor?

CherylG

Hi
Bilat mast sept 05 Dr Mirsky Queensway Carleton. My onc is Dr Dent. I finished chemo at the general March 31
My rad onc was DR Meng I finished 25 rads Aug 22
Just starting chemo or surgery? What tx are you going to have? PLease feel free to PM me if you need ANYTHING. I only found these boards at the end of treatment and felt so alone. These women are all wonderful source of inspiration

Duhhh! Just read your post... my surgeon was at the breast center. Wasn't strictly cancer specialist but an EXCELLENT surgeon.

lrs

Hi,
My onc is Dr Segal and my Rad onc is Dr Meng also.
Just started chemo, I will be on 4 ac and 4 taxotere and herceptin, then herceptin for a year. My surgeon was Dr Chadwick, he was not a listed as a specialist but he did a great job. No stiches on the outside so both scars are just a line. All the people doc's nurses who check keep saying WOW, you heal good and you had a great surgeon.
That makes me happy, and no longer have fears that my boob looks weird. You feel free to PM me also it you wish.

Bye for now
LRS

katiejm

Dainty:
MOST IMPORTANT- that YOU feel you can trust and work with whatever surgeon you pick. I saw 2 locally then got myself referred to one with a great reputation at a hospital 45 mins from where I live. He did a wonderful job and didn't patronize me at all- not like the other two! Good luck and keep us posted.

CherylG

Hi Everyone
Finding doctors you trust is VERY important. They are the ones who will be feeding you the information which you will use to make decisions on your treatment.

LRS ... I have heard of Dr Chadwick. He and Mirsky are the top 2 in Ottawa Like you I had lots of comments such as nice incision ... who was your surgeon... Mirsky? I figured it looked like his work. And talk about bedside manner! He called me on a Sunday afternoon between surgeries to tell me he had received my pathology reports and they were good!!!
I saw Dr Segal's name but never heard anything good or bad about him. I like Dr Meng. She is very caring and she actually remembers your history when you go for appointments... she doesn't treat you like a number. Will you have rads at Civic or General?

So basically my advice to everyone is if you are not happy with one of your doctors switch! We will be in their care for a long time to come and we want to feel confident that we are getting the best care we can.

Hugs to all
CherylG