Do not go to Brendon Burke. 2 days after he did my annual breast exam I found a lump on my chest wall above my breast. I returned to his office the next day and he told me it was a lymph node. I said it was a tumor and he repeated it was a lymph node. I demanded that he change my order for a routine mammogram to a comprehensive mammogram(that includes and ultrasound). The radiologist found that the Lump was not a lymph node nor a cyst. She said she did not know what it was.
I am a nurse practitioner and demanded a biopsy the very next morning.
The results were in 3 days later. It was infiltrating ductal carcinoman Grade III high grade invasive and HER2 equivocal which meant it had to be sent out or special testing . When the results for that test came in 4 weeks later it was Her2 positive the second most invasive breast cancer you can have.
While I was waiting for the results of the HER2 test, I ran to the best surgeon I know and had a mastectomy done immediately with sentinel node biopsy. The nodes were negative and my tumor was 1.8 cms. If I had waited or believed Dr. Burke that it was a lymph node I would be dead today.
This type of cancer almost doubles every month and that is why so many women die of this type of cancer.
His attitide was arrogant when he called me with the first test result and never called me with the results of the positive Herceptin. He sent those results to my internist because I am sure he was , at least I hope so, too ashamed to face me..
So, ladies take your health care into your own hands. If I had not been an aggressive Nurse Practitioner I would be dead today. I was treated with mastectomy, 6 rounds of chemo including Carpoplatin, taxoter, taxol when the taxoter had an unusual side effect on me and rendered me in a wheelchair for 6 months. and Herceptin for one year. This therapy was given to me every 3 weeks for 1 year. I have less than a 10% chance that I will have a recurrence.
My oncologist was the best, Dr. Fred Smith.
So when you go for your breast exams make sure your Dr. examines all of your chest wall not just your protruding mammary tissue as most health practitioner do now because a complete breast exam is so time consuming.
I saved my own life by being very assertive and aggressive. Don"t be afraid to confront. This is your life.