Confused and seeking advice

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  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #22
    Chelsea71 said:

    Yup, that's the doctor I'm
    Yup, that's the doctor I'm talking about. I figured she was your doctor. Dr Asmis spoke very highly of her. Said she knows all her patients by name. I am going to try and get an app with her. Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of time. Should have per sued this when Steve was in the early days of chemo. He goes for his final session (#14) in two weeks. The plan has been to wait four weeks, do some scans and then hopefully surgery. There is also a liver surgeon at Boston Mass to whom I will send Steves scans. Want to be comfortable that we have done our homework before making the next move. Really wish I would have done this months ago.

    Thanks a lot!

    Chelsea

    Wish I had some words of wisdom here...

    about all I can say is that for me surgery was absolutely the right choice.  One thing I have noticed is that oncologists will often have a different attitude about surgery than the actual surgeon (tending to be more conservative), and that some surgeons are definitely more willing to tackle a challenge than others.  I think if it was me, I'd go with the surgery, but it's an awfully hard decision to make (I have the benefit of 20-20 hindsight so it's easy for me to say that).  What does Steve want to do?  Does he have a strong opinion one way or another?

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #23
    annalexandria said:

    Wish I had some words of wisdom here...

    about all I can say is that for me surgery was absolutely the right choice.  One thing I have noticed is that oncologists will often have a different attitude about surgery than the actual surgeon (tending to be more conservative), and that some surgeons are definitely more willing to tackle a challenge than others.  I think if it was me, I'd go with the surgery, but it's an awfully hard decision to make (I have the benefit of 20-20 hindsight so it's easy for me to say that).  What does Steve want to do?  Does he have a strong opinion one way or another?

    Hi Ann,
    I agree. Surgeons
    Hi Ann,

    I agree. Surgeons want to cut. Medical oncologists want to control with chemo. Some surgeons are more aggressive than others. Steve has always wanted to take the aggressive approach. He likes the surgeon we are dealing with in Montreal. He is very comfortable with the idea of surgery. I get what Dr Asmis means with his comparison of navigating a minefield. It's so easy to make the wrong move and have it all blow up in your face. To me it makes a lot of sense to have the cancer removed with surgery, when possible. This doctors attitude really made stop and think about the big picture. I would hate to make the wrong move now and have Steve miss out on a future treatment or clinical trial. But the cancer in his liver is an immediate threat. I don't think he has the luxury of waiting around for a liver pump to possibly become an option. With our luck, we would sell the house, spend our savings and investments on an out of pocket treatment only to have him succumb to one of those freaking blood clots! Can you imagine! I would have a hard time convincing him to forget doing the surgery (providing it will even be an option). I guess what's important is that this is what he wants to do. Sometimes I forget that it's not my cancer.

    Thanks
    Chelsea

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