HIPEC at UCSD

thxmiker
thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member

We made my appointment at UCSD with Dr. Lowey.  They had all of my files previous to us coming out.  They looked over the scans with a team of Doctors.  Bottom line they need more information.

 

I will under go a Laproscopy Thursday at noon. They will take pictures and probe around.  This will give them the information they neeed to decide and plan for my surgery.  Hmmmm, a Doctor team that thinks and plans!  As an engineer that seems like a good thing.  They will know what surgery I need and what procedure(s) I will need. How the Chemo really did, etc...

 

We will stay in San Diego a couple of extra days and get more information before we leave. We are on Pins and needles here.

 

Best Always,  mike

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Comments

  • AnnLouise
    AnnLouise Member Posts: 276 Member
    Thinking of you Mike......

    Sending positive thoughts for all the best results....seems like you are in good hands! ~ Ann

  • fatbob2010
    fatbob2010 Member Posts: 467 Member
    Sounds Great

    Mike, Please accept my best wishes and hopes for you and yours.  I know that you are a regular poster and will keep us informed.  Art

  • Maxiecat
    Maxiecat Member Posts: 544 Member
    A plan is a good thing!  It

    A plan is a good thing!  It sounds like your team is very thorough.  I have less than a week now before my first visit with Dr Alexander's team at the Univ of MD to evaluate me for possibly HIPEC.  I have heard a lot of PMP patients say that their dr did not do a laproscopic look-see first before  the day of CRS/HIPEC.  That most of them like Sugarbaker like to breach  the peritoneum as few times as possible...so they start with a look see laparoscopically...then move onto to the CRS/HIPEC immediately after.

    alex

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    Thank You all for the well

    Thank You all for the well wishes.  

     

    The laproscopy ended with better news then expected!  The laproscopy was expected to take up to 75 min and took about 20 min. (no adhesions or strictures)   They found everything they were looking for and my mets and tumor had shrank considerably. They told me they will not be able to remove most of the mets, but the mets are not as bad as they expected. 

     

    We will find out when the main surgery will be next week, and what type of surgery to expect.  We were told by the staff at UCSD it is nice dealing with happy people. I told them we chose to deal with life in a happy way. 

     

    We will leave San Diego tomorrow with a positive experience, and knowing we have a positive future.  What a difference seeing the best Docs and Surgeons.  We will step up the Med Diet, juicing, and the supplements.  We also stimulated the economy while in Cali. (We do not have much for shopping in small mountain town.)

     

    Best Always,  mike

  • Dyanclark
    Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
    UCSD

    Keep us informed.  Hope you are able to get the HIPEC surgery soon.

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    Testing

    Wishing you the best for further testing and hoping they give you the answers you need.  Thinking of you.

    Kim

  • AnnLouise
    AnnLouise Member Posts: 276 Member
    thxmiker said:

    Thank You all for the well

    Thank You all for the well wishes.  

     

    The laproscopy ended with better news then expected!  The laproscopy was expected to take up to 75 min and took about 20 min. (no adhesions or strictures)   They found everything they were looking for and my mets and tumor had shrank considerably. They told me they will not be able to remove most of the mets, but the mets are not as bad as they expected. 

     

    We will find out when the main surgery will be next week, and what type of surgery to expect.  We were told by the staff at UCSD it is nice dealing with happy people. I told them we chose to deal with life in a happy way. 

     

    We will leave San Diego tomorrow with a positive experience, and knowing we have a positive future.  What a difference seeing the best Docs and Surgeons.  We will step up the Med Diet, juicing, and the supplements.  We also stimulated the economy while in Cali. (We do not have much for shopping in small mountain town.)

     

    Best Always,  mike

    Positive experience. ..

    So glad you had a positive experience, with doctors and surgeons you have faith in. Will be thinking of you and hope for all good results! Your happy and positive attitude is contagious ....thanks! ~ Ann

  • Cathleen Mary
    Cathleen Mary Member Posts: 827 Member

    Testing

    Wishing you the best for further testing and hoping they give you the answers you need.  Thinking of you.

    Kim

     
    Prayers and best wishes.

     

    Prayers and best wishes. Sounds like a great way to begin this piece of the journey. Your positive approach to life seems to be contagious. What a gift. 

    Will look forward to hearing more good news.

    Cathleen Mary

  • devotion10
    devotion10 Member Posts: 623 Member
    thxmiker said:

    Thank You all for the well

    Thank You all for the well wishes.  

     

    The laproscopy ended with better news then expected!  The laproscopy was expected to take up to 75 min and took about 20 min. (no adhesions or strictures)   They found everything they were looking for and my mets and tumor had shrank considerably. They told me they will not be able to remove most of the mets, but the mets are not as bad as they expected. 

     

    We will find out when the main surgery will be next week, and what type of surgery to expect.  We were told by the staff at UCSD it is nice dealing with happy people. I told them we chose to deal with life in a happy way. 

     

    We will leave San Diego tomorrow with a positive experience, and knowing we have a positive future.  What a difference seeing the best Docs and Surgeons.  We will step up the Med Diet, juicing, and the supplements.  We also stimulated the economy while in Cali. (We do not have much for shopping in small mountain town.)

     

    Best Always,  mike

    Mike - great news that your mets have shrunk.

    San Diego must be lovely this time of year, actually ... isn't it pretty nice there all the time? I know you must be relieved that the laproscopy wasn't as long as you expected and that your plans for surgery are coming together.  Sounds like a great trip. Best ~ Cynthia

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    Dr. Lowey is one of the best

    Dr. Lowey is one of the best for this procedure.  Wishing you well. 

    Keep us informed!

    Alice

  • doctorc
    doctorc Member Posts: 12
    Her faith made the difference...and attitude!

    my wife had HIPEC April 5th, we are still in Houston, MDA, out of hosp now .  good experience with Dr Kieth Fournier and his crack team.  had 22 hr surgery ( longest at MDA everf for HIPEC) shes having the usual after surg stuff:  diarreah, some minor nausea.  etc.  heres some tips: eat low or no fat foods, avoid sugar,  avoid coffee if you can, ha, take it slow.  drink as much as can.  the body can go weeks without food, very short without fluids...  she lost 20 lbs or more..expect that.  its ok.  the new you.  your caregiver needs to jump in and become a nurse before you leave hospital.  trust me.  do it. watch and learn all the GJ drain tips, timing, etc. if you have a feedig tube flush that sucker often.  idiot nurse didnt ours, and stopped up.  took 3 days to unstop.  when she feels nausea, drain it IMMEDIATELY.  thumping on the connection will help drain.  also, drink some water or liquid during draining. helps. standing and walking will complete draining.  trust me on this. it works.  like dr f said this is a marathon not a sprint.  be patient.  my bride is a high intensity person wanting this to be healed NOW....patience.  its tough.  hang in there.  we are pulling for you.  Thank God daily for your life and health, and your blessings.  Life is a wonderful gift from Him.

     

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    Inspiratoin

    Your posts are always an inspiration to me, this one included.

    I am glad that all went well, and I will pray that this continues so. 

    I have taken up juicing and Medetrerain diet, and see a difference already. 

    My ex (but future) boss, a Podiatrist, whenever I grumbled about my (over)weight, would always tell me that he believes we should carry a little excess weight, so in times of physical stuggles (like ours), we have some reserves to fall back on. I am grateful for his outlook.

    My thoughts and prayers and love are with you. 

    SUE

  • traci43
    traci43 Member Posts: 773 Member
    Dr. Lowy

    Mike - I too met with Dr. Lowy.  He's awesome and I wish my insurance had let him do the surgery instead of one of their doctors.  You're in good hands.  Hope it all goes well for youi. Traci

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    Surgery Date

    Thanks Again for all of the prayers and support. It does make the entire ordeal a lot easier to deal with!

     

    We went to San Diego to get a surgery schedule.  (Actually we hoped to get fast tracked in to the schedule.  I must wait until 8 weeks after taking Avastin because of posible bleeding issues during surgery.)  We met with Dr. Lowey. I had a laparoscopy (camera in the abdomin) and pictures taken.  They showed 8 mets and nothing really ugly. (Better then the 30 I was told I had in November at Banner/MD Anderson.)  Dr. Lowey told my wife that surgery was not going to remove all of the mets, but that it would mitigate future problems for a long time. (Another Positive Doctor!  Yeah!) We stayed in San Diego a couple of extra days for me to feel comfortable enough to drive home.  We met with friends and had great conversation and dinner.  

     

    UCSD contacted us today and we are scheduled for me to have a follow up visit June 25th and for Surgery on June 28th!  Wooo Hoooo  The note said I was scheduled for HIPEC Surgery by Dr. Lowey on the 28th.  We will get times of the surgery tomorrow. This gives me six more weeks to get stronger and healthier. 

     

    A note:  USC , Saint Johns, & UCLA all told us not to worry about financing because they could help us find financing. We do not have this issue, but they all had told us this before they knew about our insurance, financial situation, etc...  (Unlike Banner whom wanted more money up front then our deductable. Banner did give us our money back after two weeks. We also had overpaid St. Johns and it took a lot of effort and a year to get those funds back.)  UCSD took our insurance and told us we are good. (Aetna PPO) 

     

    Another positive:  Our garden took off while we were in California. A neighbor whom is a gardening fanatic came over and over saw the garden. I had just finished a watering system for the yard two days before we left. I had planted over 250 seedlings the week before we left. (Our living room and dining room are now void of plants.  My wife is happier. lol)   A Friend stayed at the house and watched and played with our dogs.

     

    Again, Thanks to all for the suport and strength.

    Best Always,  mike

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    thxmiker said:

    Surgery Date

    Thanks Again for all of the prayers and support. It does make the entire ordeal a lot easier to deal with!

     

    We went to San Diego to get a surgery schedule.  (Actually we hoped to get fast tracked in to the schedule.  I must wait until 8 weeks after taking Avastin because of posible bleeding issues during surgery.)  We met with Dr. Lowey. I had a laparoscopy (camera in the abdomin) and pictures taken.  They showed 8 mets and nothing really ugly. (Better then the 30 I was told I had in November at Banner/MD Anderson.)  Dr. Lowey told my wife that surgery was not going to remove all of the mets, but that it would mitigate future problems for a long time. (Another Positive Doctor!  Yeah!) We stayed in San Diego a couple of extra days for me to feel comfortable enough to drive home.  We met with friends and had great conversation and dinner.  

     

    UCSD contacted us today and we are scheduled for me to have a follow up visit June 25th and for Surgery on June 28th!  Wooo Hoooo  The note said I was scheduled for HIPEC Surgery by Dr. Lowey on the 28th.  We will get times of the surgery tomorrow. This gives me six more weeks to get stronger and healthier. 

     

    A note:  USC , Saint Johns, & UCLA all told us not to worry about financing because they could help us find financing. We do not have this issue, but they all had told us this before they knew about our insurance, financial situation, etc...  (Unlike Banner whom wanted more money up front then our deductable. Banner did give us our money back after two weeks. We also had overpaid St. Johns and it took a lot of effort and a year to get those funds back.)  UCSD took our insurance and told us we are good. (Aetna PPO) 

     

    Another positive:  Our garden took off while we were in California. A neighbor whom is a gardening fanatic came over and over saw the garden. I had just finished a watering system for the yard two days before we left. I had planted over 250 seedlings the week before we left. (Our living room and dining room are now void of plants.  My wife is happier. lol)   A Friend stayed at the house and watched and played with our dogs.

     

    Again, Thanks to all for the suport and strength.

    Best Always,  mike

    Hi Mike. That is wonderful
    Hi Mike. That is wonderful news. I'm very excited for you. Great that you have some time to prepare for surgery. It will go by fast!

    Chelsea
  • fatbob2010
    fatbob2010 Member Posts: 467 Member
    Good News

    Mike,

    Good news is so very welcome.

    Wishing you continuance of what seems to be a great experience so far.

    Art

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    Best of luck, Mike!

    Best of luck, Mike!

  • AnnLouise
    AnnLouise Member Posts: 276 Member
    thxmiker said:

    Surgery Date

    Thanks Again for all of the prayers and support. It does make the entire ordeal a lot easier to deal with!

     

    We went to San Diego to get a surgery schedule.  (Actually we hoped to get fast tracked in to the schedule.  I must wait until 8 weeks after taking Avastin because of posible bleeding issues during surgery.)  We met with Dr. Lowey. I had a laparoscopy (camera in the abdomin) and pictures taken.  They showed 8 mets and nothing really ugly. (Better then the 30 I was told I had in November at Banner/MD Anderson.)  Dr. Lowey told my wife that surgery was not going to remove all of the mets, but that it would mitigate future problems for a long time. (Another Positive Doctor!  Yeah!) We stayed in San Diego a couple of extra days for me to feel comfortable enough to drive home.  We met with friends and had great conversation and dinner.  

     

    UCSD contacted us today and we are scheduled for me to have a follow up visit June 25th and for Surgery on June 28th!  Wooo Hoooo  The note said I was scheduled for HIPEC Surgery by Dr. Lowey on the 28th.  We will get times of the surgery tomorrow. This gives me six more weeks to get stronger and healthier. 

     

    A note:  USC , Saint Johns, & UCLA all told us not to worry about financing because they could help us find financing. We do not have this issue, but they all had told us this before they knew about our insurance, financial situation, etc...  (Unlike Banner whom wanted more money up front then our deductable. Banner did give us our money back after two weeks. We also had overpaid St. Johns and it took a lot of effort and a year to get those funds back.)  UCSD took our insurance and told us we are good. (Aetna PPO) 

     

    Another positive:  Our garden took off while we were in California. A neighbor whom is a gardening fanatic came over and over saw the garden. I had just finished a watering system for the yard two days before we left. I had planted over 250 seedlings the week before we left. (Our living room and dining room are now void of plants.  My wife is happier. lol)   A Friend stayed at the house and watched and played with our dogs.

     

    Again, Thanks to all for the suport and strength.

    Best Always,  mike

    Sounds like a great plan......

    And a positive doctor, too. I am really happy for you. Exciting news about your garden...mine is on a smaller scale and because of the cold spring my garden is a little behind. I had seedlings and pots all over my diningroom for awhile but they are outside now. Sending support and strength for your upcoming surgery...~ Ann

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    Sundanceh said:

    Best of luck, Mike!

    Best of luck, Mike!

    so glad

    your plans are going well,we always feel stronger in this fight when we know we can move forward.best of luck and Godbless....johnnybegood

  • Beachlace
    Beachlace Member Posts: 37

    so glad

    your plans are going well,we always feel stronger in this fight when we know we can move forward.best of luck and Godbless....johnnybegood

    Happy for you

    Im glad there is a plan.  I feel more in control now that there is a plan.  I just read what HIPEC is and it's great that there are such advanced tx available!!!