Battle with cancer status update
Last week I saw 3 separate surgeons - one general surgeon who used to specialize in colon rectal / gi tract cancer and two current specialists...
There seems to be a bit of a dispute regarding my recovery - specifically around the ostomy reversal procedure...
My original surgeon is the head of the department and chief of surgery at one hospital system - he will not do the procedure and none of the doctors in his department will provide a differing opinion - or will say anything that contradicts his position...
However I have seen a highly recommended surgeon who practices at a separate system of hospitals who seems positive about my recovery and my having the reversal procedure
He has called me at home twice last week to discuss things - and wants me to see the head of his department first - and wants to know if I will have the surgical procedure done at his hospital.
My generation physician and my oncologists think the surgical procedure is possible - but carries some risk
One surgeon won't proceed and none of his colleagues will offer any difference of opinion - but another set of equally rated surgeons seems ready to proceed (along with most of my existing team)
I kind of feel like a shuttlecock being batted back and forth by opposing badminton rackets - and the rollercoaster ride of one side saying you can recover versus the other side saying the risk is to high or that I would die has become emotionally taxing.
The original surgeon kept saying reversal was possible - but kept moving the bar - kept setting goals that needed to be achieved prior to moving forward. After well over a year I have met every one of the goals set before me - which pretty much nobody expected me to be able to meet.
I had one doctor say I would end up dead or would die in a hospital bed hooked up to feeding tubes with a tracheotomy than dead...
Other doctors seem positive and while making certain I am informed and understand the risk look ready to proceed.
Simultaneously I have appointments scheduled with a neurologist specialist department head and both oncologists and my general physician - and probably will have multiple types of scans and blood draws and biopsies over the next 2 months (to further recovery from one cancer and to monitor against new cancers - as well as keep an eye on the brain tumor that appears to be in remittance)
The struggle has me a bit tired and spent and worn out - and the last few days have been rough as far as pain and function goes.
I don't want to go negative at this point - but I also don't want to act or feel positive at this point - and to be honest just maintaining and moving it forward some days has been a struggle.
Plus they have pulled the reins hard on me in physical recovery therapy - they say if I keep pushing to hard or keep passing out from pain they will greatly retard or suspend my current activity level
They are pretty adamant about it - but it's tough for me. I feel the need to move forward and advance things despite the pain but they are concerned I will make things worse - and I have not found that balance yet.
It's been a struggle.
Mike
There seems to be a bit of a dispute regarding my recovery - specifically around the ostomy reversal procedure...
My original surgeon is the head of the department and chief of surgery at one hospital system - he will not do the procedure and none of the doctors in his department will provide a differing opinion - or will say anything that contradicts his position...
However I have seen a highly recommended surgeon who practices at a separate system of hospitals who seems positive about my recovery and my having the reversal procedure
He has called me at home twice last week to discuss things - and wants me to see the head of his department first - and wants to know if I will have the surgical procedure done at his hospital.
My generation physician and my oncologists think the surgical procedure is possible - but carries some risk
One surgeon won't proceed and none of his colleagues will offer any difference of opinion - but another set of equally rated surgeons seems ready to proceed (along with most of my existing team)
I kind of feel like a shuttlecock being batted back and forth by opposing badminton rackets - and the rollercoaster ride of one side saying you can recover versus the other side saying the risk is to high or that I would die has become emotionally taxing.
The original surgeon kept saying reversal was possible - but kept moving the bar - kept setting goals that needed to be achieved prior to moving forward. After well over a year I have met every one of the goals set before me - which pretty much nobody expected me to be able to meet.
I had one doctor say I would end up dead or would die in a hospital bed hooked up to feeding tubes with a tracheotomy than dead...
Other doctors seem positive and while making certain I am informed and understand the risk look ready to proceed.
Simultaneously I have appointments scheduled with a neurologist specialist department head and both oncologists and my general physician - and probably will have multiple types of scans and blood draws and biopsies over the next 2 months (to further recovery from one cancer and to monitor against new cancers - as well as keep an eye on the brain tumor that appears to be in remittance)
The struggle has me a bit tired and spent and worn out - and the last few days have been rough as far as pain and function goes.
I don't want to go negative at this point - but I also don't want to act or feel positive at this point - and to be honest just maintaining and moving it forward some days has been a struggle.
Plus they have pulled the reins hard on me in physical recovery therapy - they say if I keep pushing to hard or keep passing out from pain they will greatly retard or suspend my current activity level
They are pretty adamant about it - but it's tough for me. I feel the need to move forward and advance things despite the pain but they are concerned I will make things worse - and I have not found that balance yet.
It's been a struggle.
Mike
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Whatever you decide, I pray it works out for you. [:)] 0 -
Prayers said for you. 0 -
Prayers for continued recovery. Could it be that being the department head doesn?t necessarily mean he is the best?
The Peter Principal?0 -
C-fun said it best...........young doctor old lawyer........ 0 -
prayers asked for you 0 -
The surgeon who removed the massive tumor in my GI tract saved my life...
When they opened me up they discovered massive internal scarring and radiation damage - I was on the table for over 6 hours...
When they discharged me from the hospital and sent me home with a persistent fever complaining of abdominal pain - I was back 4 days later with a nasty flesh eating staff infection in my abdomen...
This same surgeon operated on me multiple times and saved my life - was a key factor in my not being dead.
He is probably one of ten or so surgeons with the skill and experience in north America to have done these procedures and end up with a positive result.
Even now - right now if the choice was up to me he would continue to be my surgeon and perform any future operations.
I only found out later that he had only originally agreed to take my case and perform my surgery because he thought I would never make it that far - that I would be dead first.
It's a tough one to wrap my head around...
I saw the radiation oncologist this morning and he wants to do a head CT scan and a brain MRI - he has ordered both scans in the next two weeks as well as additional in depth blood work...
He and my general physician have reviewed things and don't think the abnormal mass in my head is active - may not be a tumor or cancer.
But they feel it important to investigate and to do so thoroughly and quickly.
So I have surgeon A saying no ostomy reversal - it would kill you and you would die on a feeding tube with a tracheotomy confined to a hospital bed...
So I have surgeon B saying he thinks we can do the ostomy reversal procedure and the outlook appears positive...
I have one doctor saying I have a brain tumor that's inoperable...
I have another doctor saying its not cancer and does not appear to be a threat...
It's puzzling and exasperating.
Mike0 -
Good luck and god bless 0
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