By Gwinn Volen
I suspect each of us has had a recent medical story where either a) it took months to get an appointment b) you felt like a number, not a human or c) you felt like the CYA culture in our medical universe precludes you from getting real answers.
I found a lump in my breast a couple of weeks ago. It was alarming, though I tried to keep my cool. I scheduled an appointment with my general practitioner, and he confirmed that he felt what I was feeling and gave me imaging orders for an ultrasound and diagnostic mammogram.
I left the office thinking I'd take those over to my regular imaging center that afternoon to have the scans done hoping to alleviate my anxiety. I called the imaging center, and after waiting on hold, listening to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik for 15 minutes, I was transferred to the breast scheduling service. "No ma'am, today is not available. Our first available is Oct 4 in St Augustine," said the scheduler. It was September 4th. A little stunned at the timeline, I took the next available appointment that was closer to me, October 11. What's an extra week with that kind of timeframe.
And then, I started to stew. How on earth was I going to wait 5 weeks for a scan? I could practically feel the tumor growing inside me. I was annoyed, verging on mad, and scared.
Sadly, I know several friends who have recently gone through breast cancer treatment over the last few years, so I reached out to one for advice. After offering some reassuring words, she suggested Boutique Breast Imaging and radiologist Dr. Kathryn Pearson, M.D. She knew Dr. Pearson from her own scans a few years prior and was going to contact her directly. In the meantime, I decided to call and see if I could schedule an appointment, though I remained skeptical.
After just two rings, a friendly, real voice came on the line. I explained my predicament, and the receptionist said not to worry, she'd get me on the schedule right away. In addition, she'd take care of getting the transfer of all my old mammograms from my previous imaging center. She would also call my general practicioner and ask that the imaging request come to her. There was nothing I needed to do but be there on Monday at 9 am. Seriously?
Upon arrival, I was welcomed by the receptionist and a knowledgeable technician who performed the mammogram. Afterward, I was taken to Dr. Pearson’s office to review the images. Dr. Pearson thoroughly examined everything, discussed the implications of dense breast tissue, and compared this mammogram with one I had from April. She then conducted an ultrasound, initially identifying a swollen gland but persisted in her examination. “I see something here, but I don’t think it’s cancerous,” she said. “There is some vascularity, though, and if it were me, I’d want to biopsy it.”
Though not the news I hoped for, I was immensely grateful for Dr. Pearson’s directness and her willingness to share her estimated risk of cancer. Her honest approach was reassuring, and she scheduled a biopsy for later that day. Throughout the process, she remained accessible to answer my questions and calm my fears, not even allowing me to wade into worst-case scenario waters.
If you’ve never had a breast biopsy, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There is some soreness afterward, but the procedure involves ample lidocaine, so the punctures are not felt. Dr. Pearson and her technician kept me at ease with friendly conversation, asking about my sons and my interests outside of work.
When the procedure was done, she explained that the lesion did not feel like cancer when the needle was inserted, though she knew it wasn't a cyst. We wouldn't know for sure until pathology reviewed it. And when I say we, I mean it. I felt like she was on my team and cared. She was even able to tell me that if it were cancer it would be stage 1 and curable.
Fast forward two days, and she left me a voice message. "I'm calling with good results. Everything is great but I do need to talk to you so please call me back." Two minutes later I called back, and she answered. She went on to reiterate, that there was no cancer and no current treatment needed while also explaining what kind of lesion was present (PASH) and what kind of follow-up I will need in the future.
Stanford-educated Pearson, with an M.D. from UC San Francisco, said this is a passion project for her, and you can feel that. I went on to her website to do some digging about her, and I see she's made breast radiology a life-long mission.
The service and compassion were an absolute A+, and I truly cannot imagine going anywhere else for my breast imaging needs. Even if my diagnosis had been cancer, I feel very confident that Dr. Pearson and BBI would thoughtfully guide me through the next steps. This is concierge-level medicine at its best. And yes, they do take most major insurance carriers including Medicare. Although my insurance was not covered (unfortunately United is not yet contracted with them, though BBI is working on it), they have affordable self-pay options. Moving forward, I will only do my annual breast mammogram at BBI, self-pay or not.
For more information:
Boutique Breast Imaging
6871 Belfort Oaks Place
Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-901-0110
About the author
Gwinn Volen is a REALTOR, Owner and CEO for The Volen Group, Keller Williams Luxury International, a top real estate team in Northeast Florida's Ponte Vedra Beach community with annual sales of over $100M. For real estate in Ponte Vedra Beach or the surrounding area, contact Gwinn Volen at 904.314.5188 or email thevolengroup@gmail.com.
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