FAQ's
If I have questions about my procedure, who should I contact?
Patients should email info@mybreastclinic.co.uk to get in touch with the clinic. Or you can go through to hospital where the surgery is to be done/was done to contact the breast care nurses.
How do I book an appointment?
There are two ways of booking an appointment; the quickest way is to call directly and speak to Jenny or Priti who are happy to book you an appointment at a time that is convenient to you or alternatively you can fill out the enquiry form on the website and we endeavour to answer your query as soon as possible.
Do I need to be referred by my General Practitioner?
A referral is not necessary to book an appointment for surgery; however, it is ideal to let them know about any surgery you are undertaking. As you GP is your primary care physician, they can also provide us with additional relevant information
What are the options for payment if I do not have private insurance?
If you do not have private insurance, you can pay for all the fees yourself, either up front as a package price or after each consultation/operation. Many of the hospitals also offer interest free payment plans. It is important to check with your chosen hospital prior to booking any operations to discuss any payment/ pricing queries
Can I drive after surgery?
You must avoid driving for 2 weeks. After the procedure, we would advise taking a taxi or bringing a family member/friend to take you home.
Do I have to be insured?
No, not all patients have Private Medical Insurance. There are many different payments plans available to suit your personal needs.
What happens before surgery?
You will be assessed pre-operatively for the procedure by the hospital team and anaesthetist. You then come in on the day of the operation. You will need to avoid all food consumption for 6 hours and not drink water for 2 hours prior to your surgery. The nurses will admit you and show you to your private room.
They will do some basic observations, fill out your care plan and liaise with the surgical team.
Ms Shrotria (the surgeon) will then come in to discuss your procedure once again for any final questions and any other points you might want to raise. She will do markings at this stage to confirm location of procedure.
What happens after surgery?
After the operation, you will be sent to recovery and you will be monitored closely by the nurses. After nurse review and you are well, you will go home the same day with discharge letter and post-procedure advice. If you are staying in, the breast care nurses will assess you and provide support as needed.
Ms Shrotria (the surgeon) will see you 5-7 days after the surgery. She will remove any dressings herself and check for wound healing. If any specimens have been sent off, the results will usually be available within 1-2 weeks.
Can I exercise after surgery?
When you are in bed, you should be moving your ankles and toes to avoid clots. From Day 1, we encourage patients to mobilise as much as physically possible. However, the upper body must remain still as much as possible for 6-8 weeks (to avoid affecting the area).
What happens if I have an issue after discharge?
You will be discharged with a letter with post-procedure advice and aftercare instructions. The breast care nurses are available for support over the phone. Otherwise, do contact our office or email us and we would be more than happy to advise and support you.
Resources
Breast cancer is the commonest female cancer affecting 50, 000 women and 400 men in the UK annually. Over 10.000 women die of the disease every year. However the majority of women when provided with good treatment will survive and lead normal lives. We have collated some resources for breast care. We also have included some research that Ms Shrotria has done for further reading.
Breast Care Advice
https://breastcancernow.org/: this is an important source of information on benign and malignant breast conditions. It provides free patient leaflets to access online.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer: Cancer Research UK is an important institution which carries out clinical trials and research into breast cancer. You can explore the institution website to see the latest in breast cancer research
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/breast-cancer: MacMillan is an important service for providing support for cancer patients and any cancer-related issue.
https://abcsupportgroup.org/: This is the Ashford Breast Cancer support group – run by patients and their families. You can join for ongoing support and advice. There are additionally activities to take part in as well as lectures/talks which you can attend.
Research (done by Ms Shrotria)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10979673/: Waiting times for patients with cancer. The two week target for breast cancer (BMJ 2000 – Shrotria S)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11237500/: Techniques for improving the outcome of breast conservation surgery (European Journal of Surgical Oncology 2001 – Shrotria S)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11520085/: Breast Mass Removal made easy by lump extractor: introducing a new instrument in breast surgery. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11520096/: The peri-areolar incision--gateway to the breast! (European Journal of Surgical Oncology 2001 – Shrotria S)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8548246/: Breast Reconstruction after mastectomy (British Journal of Surgery 1995 – Shrotria S)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14965571/: Prediction of cosmetic outcome following conservative breast surgery using breast volume measurements (Breast Journal – NW Bulstrode, S Shrotria)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21606012/: Macrolane injections for breast enhancement in undiagnosed breast malignancy (Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic Surgery - R Crawford, S Shrotria)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7917803/: Breast Haematomas: same appearance, different diagnosis (British Journal of Clinical Practice 1994 – Shrotria S, MW Ghilchik)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8322157/: Fishtailing of quadrantectomy scar (Surgical Gynaecology/Obstetrics 1993 – Shrotria S, MW Ghilchik)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/: Breast volume assessment - comparing five different techniques. (Breast. 2001 - Bulstrode N, Bellamy E, Shrotria S)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15647084/: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis in the male breast (Breast Journal 2005 – Sunita Shrotria, K Marcus Reddy, Carl ER Meyer, Amir Nakdjevani)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11207122/: Surgical axillary incision for quadranectomy, axillary clearance and immediate reconstruction with lattismus dorsi (British Journal of Plastic Surgery 2001 – S Shrotria)