Selecting a surgeon???

I live in central Nebraska and even though my community has a wonderful medical community the selection isn’t large when it comes to surgeons. My general physician suggested a surgeon in their clinic with whom I have an appointment Friday. He is not a certified breast surgeon but lists breast surgery and mastectomy as some of the areas that he does. Upon research I found that another local clinic has a certified breast surgeon but her online ratings are not as good as the other surgeon. If I need a mastectomy will it be necessary to have a plastic surgeon on board to do reconstruction? I hate the idea of going to the med centers in the eastern part of the state since that would be 150 to 200 miles away. And I think we have excellent doctors locally. I know this is a really major decision and I am scared to make a mistake. Any suggestions

It would depend on what type of recon you're having if you do mx. If you opt for a natural tissue reconstruction, odds are there is no one in your town that does them and you'll need to travel (it is 100% worth it to travel for that type of recon). If you opt for implants, there likely will be someone in town that does them. Either way, you will still want to research the plastic surgeons, do a consult, and see their before & after photos (make sure when you see any PS's before & after photos that you'd be happy to have the results you are seeing for yourself not just happy considering you'd had bc). Many PSs have a BS or two that they prefer to work with, so you might want to start there.

I was referred to a general surgeon who does a lot of breast surgery. I took the referral because I live in an area with lots of choices and trusted the doc's opinion on who she thought was best. Otherwise it would have been a needle in a haystack trying to pick. Turned out to be a good decision. I love my surgeon and she did a great job. Turns out she is now becoming a specialist, so that's great.

Thank you everyone for taking your time to share with me what you have learned. I'm just at the onset of this diagnosis but have been through this nineteen years ago in the other breast. I had completely put cancer out of my mind and was rather blindsided by this occurrence. This time around I will probably opt for mastectomy. I do think I will look for a second opinion. The university hospital is 200 miles away, but I think It would be worth it to request a second opinion. Do I have to have my GP make the appointment?

My BS was the second opinion one that I saw. I just felt more "secure" with her. She recommended my PS and they were able to do the BMX and implant recon at the same time.

Prariedog,

My two cents: I think you are going about this in the right way. It is important to me to have a positive relationship with medical professionals. And I have great respect for those who take as much time as needed to answer all of your questions. I also think that any good medical professional should understand and accept that the potential patient would want to seek a second opinion.

(My “first opinion” just did not feel right to me. Found my second opinion, a very capable and compassionate surgeon. Forever grateful that he helped me. Made a world of difference to me. Time does not matter when you are making this level of decision

The beauty of this site and community is that one can get honest advice from people who truly understand.

Best wishes and prayers as you move forward.

It really is a tough choice. I know at the time I didn't want to have a choice, I wanted someone to just tell me what to do.