Dr Battafarano at Hopkins

helpingsisinlaw
helpingsisinlaw Member Posts: 6
in Esophageal Cancer #1

My bil saw Dr B at Hopkins yesterday and got a completed different opinion than University of Penn.  Dr B does the open Ivor Lewis and claims to not have had an anastomosis leak since 2006.   He claims that the neck incision requires that the surgeon pull the stomach up higher and the stomach is post radiation/ low blood supply due to the cut vessels to mobilize the stomach and this all increases the chances of leak.  He keeps his patients in the hospital for 14 days and doesnt introduce anything by mouth until day 9 or so.  He allows for complete healing of the site.  This is no MIE for sure but its his preference not because he is incompetent.  Penn surgeon does the neck incision and works with GI surgeon together to perform transhiatal approach in 31/2 hour surgery.  They say they get some leaks but they deal with it.  

What are your opinions????

 

T

Comments

  • garystephans
    garystephans Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2017 #2
    Dr. Battafarano at Hopkins

    I had open Ivor Lewis by Dr. Stephen Broderick and Dr. Battafarano at Hopkins on June 23, 2017. My hope had been that they could do the MIE, but tafter looking at the final scan they realized that I had a very large lymph node under the main artery to my liver that they wouldn't be able to reach with the MIE without riskin damage to the artery (which would have been a very bad thing!).  As it turns out, it took an extra hour to get that lymph node out because of its location, and they told me they could not have gotten it if they had done MIE.  

    It's a rough surgery, but I think it was the right choice under the circumstances.  I'm now 3 months post-surgery and doing better than a lot of people I read about on various forums, so I can't complain.  My experience at Hopkins and with those two doctors and the staff that attended me was 100% positive.  I have complete confidence in those two surgeons at Hopkins.

    I haven't had any major complications other than extreme pain around my feeding tube for a few weeks after going home on day 10.. I can eat almost anything now (one cup per "meal" is my limit), only two minor episodes of "dumping syndrome" apparently after I drank a beefed up protein shake too fast, and have started teaching dancing again (I'm a professional ballroom dance instructor) and feeling "pretty good about it".  Yes, I'm pretty tired afterwards, and I still want to nap ANYTIME I get a chance.  

    I definitely don't have my old energy and stamina, which is very frustrating to me, but I can see that I'm kaing progress - SLOWLY but surely.

    Again, I have total confidence in Drs. Battafarano and Broderick at Johns Hopkins.  Best of luck and wishing you complete healing.

     

     

     

     

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