How do I find a breast surgeon who cares?

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kidpurple
kidpurple Member Posts: 3
edited December 2015 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

I am about too give up.. and let nature take it's course... I went to a NRAD Dr for breast cancer. I brought her all my CDs from Lenox Hill, she seemed very nice and caring... well that changed fast when she ordered more tests. She wanted me to go to an Nrad facility, I went for one test, than told her I would be having the rest of the tests in Manhattan as the travel back and forth was too much on me. Her NRAD office manager gave me total grief over going to a NY imaging center, I stood my ground and told her I was going and to mail me my CDs and all my scripts. She never did mail me anything, and she faxed two scripts only to the NY imaging center not the four needed. My primary care Dr and one to the NY imagining employees spent three days getting the correct scripts which office manager never sent but said she did.
This set me back one month. I called the doctor, but she was nasty to me, and tried to guilt me into using the Nrad facility. So bottom line Nrad and the doctor are corporations only. I would not consider her a real Dr as they care nothing for cancer patients the bottom line seems to be money. BTW the doctor told me one of the tumors was aggressive, so this is the way a CANCER NRAD DR treats someone with aggressive cancer.. making them wait a month than refusing to return any calls. Now I am left finding a new Dr. I have called many breast cancer organizations, they were all in shock at the way I was treated, the imaging place was stunned at the malpractice of the doctor and the Nrad employee working for the doctor. If you are even thinking of using Nrad and their doctors, please reconsider you life may be at stake .

If anyone has any advice can you pLease help me.. .. right now I am scared the doctor sent me poison instead of caring.. now I fear going back to another doctor HELP

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  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 1,455
    edited December 2014

    I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience. It's important you find a BS who you feel comfortable with. Maybe your local imaging center can suggest one or two, or put out a request on these boards for someone close to where you live.

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  • Outfield
    Outfield Member Posts: 1,109
    edited December 2014

    Kidpurple, do you have friends or friends of friends who have had cancer? Call them, ask about their experiences. I pulled out all the stops to get as much info as I could in a short period of time.

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  • kidpurple
    kidpurple Member Posts: 3
    edited December 2014

    thank you..I will ask the imaging center.. I am trying me best but am alone have no family so I am getting tired ...but thank you, I hope you are well

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  • kidpurple
    kidpurple Member Posts: 3
    edited December 2014

    I don't know anyone, I lost friends to cancer but they were all men, the only other woman I knew was when I was a child and she was distant relative, she died when I was a kid. Thank you, I will continue to look.

    I wish you the best!

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  • Beatmon
    Beatmon Member Posts: 1,562
    edited December 2014

    so sorry you are having such a rough time. Wish you were here in friendly Oklahoma. We could fix you right up.

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited December 2014

    Hi kidpurple. I find the "rate my md" website very helpful when chosing a specialist. I'd love to provide the link for you, but I'm on my phone and it only provides me with the Canadian website. Google for the .com US verion. It will allow you to do a search in your particular area for surgeons and give you other's experiences. Please don't just let nature take its course. Granted, there are many bad doctors out there, but there are also many good ones. Good luck to you and hang in there.

    Also wanted to mention that doctors use this website too. I've been with my onc for 19 years and he used to have this nasty habit of looking at whomever I was with when he was taking instead of me. In the last several years, he stopped doing that and I asked him what changed. He told me he read about himself on "ratemymd" and realized what he was doing was aggravating his patients and he really wasn't even aware he was doing it. It's a wonderful website.

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  • anotherNYCGirl
    anotherNYCGirl Member Posts: 1,033
    edited December 2014

    Purple, - are you able to travel to Nassau county/Lake Success area?

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  • Suki39
    Suki39 Member Posts: 5
    edited December 2015

    I am in oklahoma and am hoping someone can recommend a Surgeon who does good lumpectomy work. Not leaving obvious scars etc.., I need to have a tumor removed but am not happy with the surgeon I consulted with in okc.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited December 2015

    There is no way to guarantee a barely visiable/not obvious scar. No matter how great the surgeon is some of us will develope more scaring than others. It's just our individual skin and any issues our body has with healing/forming scars.

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited December 2015

    But of course it does help to have a skilled surgeon who takes pride in his/her work. Try to get the most specialized person you can, i.e. breast specialist, surgical oncologist, rather than a general surgeon who does all kinds of surgery. Ask how many lumpectomies and sentinel node biopsies they do each month. Also, try asking women at your local in-person bc support group.

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  • Skittlegirl
    Skittlegirl Member Posts: 428
    edited December 2015

    My surgeon is the one recommended to me by the radiologist who did my initial biopsy. I was a little concerned because he took my gallbladder out about 5 years ago. So while I have experience with him as a surgeon, it's not exactly the same. I have two local friends who reached out to me, so I asked them who they/their family member used and both recommended the same surgeon that did my gallbladder. Apparently his breast cancer patients have just grown in the past 5 years and is most of his surgery. A lot of my support group also have him as their surgeon and the ones that have him love him. At the initial consultation after my dx, he gave me his cell number, so it's really nice being able to text him with any questions.

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  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited December 2015

    Skittlegirl IMO a surgeon who specializes in breast cancer is who you want to treat you.Your doc sounds great as far as accessibility but does he still do general surgery? I would just be more comfortable with a surgeon who only does breast surgery. They just have more experience. I also feel its very important to be treated at a university based teaching hospital. Where you are treated is a very important part of this process. I can help find you one in your area if you are not at one now. I also sent you a private message. Good luck and please keep us posted....

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  • Skittlegirl
    Skittlegirl Member Posts: 428
    edited December 2015

    Not very much general. Some, but the majority of his practice is breast cancer. And if you look at my signature you see that I have small children at home. I have an excellent surgeon that I trust here. I am not going 3 hours away, throwing my kid's routine up in the air to go to a university hospital.

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited December 2015

    I found that my excellent breast surgeon is a member here: www.breastsurgeons.org

    I stayed local and am very pleased with my care. I didn't know until after my initial surgery that my local hospital is in the process of becoming an accredited breast cancer care center, but I think that's a great sign as well. I went for a second opinion to a very well-respected university based teaching hospital but was not happy with what I heard from them. I would prefer my local hospital any day.

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