First of all you are called in by a specialist breast care nurse who will put you at ease. Then you meet Miss Dua, who introduces herself and finds out a little more about why you are here, your menstrual history, general health, family history and starts piecing your story together. Miss Dua then examines you with her nurse as chaperone, and shares her findings with you.
The next step – if you are coming for a breast problem is some form of imaging. For a younger woman, it’s just an ultrasound but for older women we do a mammogram as well. If we find a lesion of concern, then the radiologist will counsel you about a biopsy. This can be done on the same day, or another day, depending on your commitments.
We do a thorough radiological check of both breasts and armpits in every case.
After the radiology department you are escorted back to the waiting room to allow Miss Dua to confer with the radiologist about your imaging. When we are satisfied, we call you back in and talk to you about our findings.
Miss Dua then has a lengthy chat with you about how to manage your benign changes such as breast pain, cysts or discharge or more infrequently, how we are going to manage your breast cancer.
We then either discharge you with written information or make plans to see you again. At any rate we ensure that you know how to access our service should you ever need to see us in the future.
What should I wear?
It’s a good idea to wear comfortable clothes that have a separate top and bottom, as you will need to take your top and bra off for a physical examination and any tests.
How long will it take?
Your appointment might take up to two or three hours. We apologise in advance if you have to wait but some people’s appointments will take longer than others, and we cannot estimate how long each will take as the care is tailored for every individual.
Make sure your car parking, public transport, child minding and other arrangements allow for this. It’s also a good idea to bring something to read or do.
Miss Dua undertakes all breast cancer surgery and reconstruction with a specialist team of oncologists, plastic surgeons and clinical nurse specialists with a private MDT within her Brentwood Breast Clinic split between the Nuffield Hospital Brentwood and The Spire Hartswood Hospital, also in Brentwood.
