Dr. Robert Barkwell
Annapolis Community Health Centre
PO Box 426
Annapolis Royal, NS, Canada
B0S1A0
PO Box 426
Annapolis Royal, NS, Canada
B0S1A0
9025322381
No Website Provided
At the top of 2020 I found a lump in my breast. With no family doctor I managed to book a mammogram through my history with our provincial breast screening program. It was done in hospital . Inconclusive findings, ultrasound recommended. I have close family history with breast cancer, my mom died of it, her sister battled it. Despite the fact the “cyst” was easily felt by a hand examination, the technician admitted to having difficulty pinpointing it with the wand. Report came, 8 weeks into the Covid pandemic, “Inconclusive findings, likely cyst”. Hospitals shuttered their doors in an effort to reduce number of cases of the virus. I waited a total of 8 hrs - 6 the day prior to being seen by Dr. Barkwell and then 2 more hours the next day waiting again early in hospital emergency Dept. Dr. Barkwell felt the lump - it was visible through my shirt so no issue locating it now - and said “cyst”. I began doing up my bra, one with a tricky front closure, and I asked him “are you certain? I have two daughters depending on your findings … ?” Still fumbling with clasp, I looked up and realized he was staring, not blinking, at my apparel issue and immediately thought “Dear God, what’s he staring at???” Some more now somewhat urgent attempts, he still staring, I finally got the bra clasped. Like a light switch, it broke his trance. “It’s a cyst, some women just have cystic breasts”, and with that he headed for the door. “But given my family history can we biopsy?” His response was astonishingly condescending, “It’s a cyst … but then you already knew that from the ultrasound,” and he walked out the door. I found my own way out. Five months later, over a long May weekend, I suffered excruciating pain in the armpit beside the breast and even without being told by a doctor I knew I was out of the cyst business. The first moment a clinic was open I was seen by a physician who was terribly concerned about my breast, referred me to a surgeon - who biopsied the lump on the spot - carcinoma the lab’s findings. Biggest carcinoma, in fact, the surgeon had removed in his career (and all glands in armpit - also found with tumours). Dr. Barkwell truly worked well beyond his expiry date as a physician and should never have been allowed to see patients. This province has enough obvious issues with our healthcare system, without adding this individual in the path of any patient.
Submitted Feb. 18, 2023