A number of doctors in Madison County could diagnose breast cancer and describe that specific moment, but few health-care professionals have the vantage point that Janell Burk does.
Burk’s title at Saint John’s Cancer Center is “breast cancer navigator,” and she guides the newly diagnosed through everything that happens before and after the diagnosis.
“In the Women’s Center here, we do the biopsy, but the results are not displayed for two or three working days,” Burk said.
“Where I come into play as the navigator is, I direct the patient back to the doctor to get the results. ... The ordering doctor will send her to a surgeon. At that point, the surgeon will tell the patient her options.”
Burk said that sometimes the doctor will offer the patient a day or two to decide the treatment. Once the patient has chosen her path, Burk again steps into the process. And things begin to move fast.
“I call the patient and ask if they have their follow-up appointment and results, and ask if there’s anything they need,” she said.
What they might need -- and don’t know it -- is a binder full of information that covers the entire process, much of it not even relevant at the moment.
“I tell them, ‘This is overwhelm you. Do not look at every pamphlet I give you. You’ll need all of them along your journey, but don’t read everything now.”
The two she suggests concern questions for the doctor and post-surgical exercises. The rest deal with what tests mean, understanding the pathology report, things to watch for, background on the doctor involved, etc. She also discusses a breast cancer survivor support group that patients may join.
Burk said the most important thing for her was to explain things so that each patient could understand. And that’s not always easy.
“Everybody understands at different levels.,” Burk said. “Sometimes what you have painted in your mind is much worse than what it really is, and sometimes it’s the opposite.”
Emotions can run the gamut, she said, but she tries to keep patients focused on what IS instead what MIGHT be.
“Most (patients) are nervous,” she said. “Some are tearful. Some get a little angry. It’s a very emotional time for them, because we all think, if we’re told we have cancer, we’re going to die. But that’s not the case with breast cancer.
“Now, it’s not 100 percent curable, but it’s in the 90-percentile range, if we catch it early. If we can diagnose at an early stage, breast cancer is very curable and very livable. It’s not a death sentence.”
xBreast Cancer
Related Photos
Discussion
October 2, 2009
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
Few health professionals have Janell Burk's perspective
- xBreast Cancer
-
-
Carla Castor nears five-year mark
ANDERSON — When Carla Castor noticed a tenderness in her left breast and felt a dime-sized lump, she was shocked and frightened.
- Indianapolis man sentenced in cocaine smuggling ring INDIANAPOLIS — A man who pleaded guilty to being part of a ring that smuggled cocaine from Mexico to Indianapolis has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.Twenty-four-year-old Danny Delgado of Juarez, Mexico, will be deported when he completes his 200-month term in federal prison.
-
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
A number of doctors in Madison County could diagnose breast cancer and describe that specific moment, but few health-care professionals have the vantage point that Janell Burk does. Burk’s title at Saint John’s Cancer Center is “breast cancer navigator,” and she guides the newly diagnosed through everything that happens before and after the diagnosis.
-
Husband and wife beat breast cancer together
ANDERSON — When Judy Massey found out a lump in her right breast was cancerous, she wasn’t scared. She had already seen the effects of breast cancer, already been through the surgery and post-operation procedures and healing. She had already handled the uncertainty and terror that comes with such a diagnosis.
-
Volunteer became patient, heeded her own advice
ANDERSON — Tricia Daugherty practiced what she preached. Turned out to be a blessing.
“I would stand on the podium every day and preach to women to get their mammograms, and even men to do self-exams,” said Daugherty, who was an American Cancer Society volunteer for years before her breast cancer diagnosis. - CBS worker arrested in Letterman blackmail plot A CBS News employee is accused of trying to extort $2 million from David Letterman, forcing the late-night host to admit in an extraordinary monologue before millions of viewers that he had sexual relationships with female employees. Letterman, who grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Ball State University, said that "this whole thing has been quite scary."
-
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
NJ Official: NYPD Muslim Surveillance Legal
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
Hurricane Forecast: 15 Named Storms Expected
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Search Intensifies for Missing Louisiana Woman
Bloomberg: Man Implicates Self in Etan Patz Case
NYPD: Person Implicated in Etan Patz Death
Raw Video: Fire on Nuke-powered Sub in Maine
Illegal Burn Suspected in Nevada Fire
Obama: 'We've Got More Work to Do'
Astrologers Predict Outcome of Presidential Race
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
