Ablation

Tom M.
Tom M. Member Posts: 223 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hi All,  saw my liver surgeon today and rather than have a full wide open surgeury I am being set up for IR cancer ablation. Has anyone have their own thoughts or advice on this.     Thanks,  Tom

Comments

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    edited July 2020 #2
    Yes, I have advice

    I mean, when DON'T I have advice - just look at how many comments I have posted.

    So, I had a Micro Thermal Ablation, April 24th 2014 on one liver met.  When they got into the liver, they did find that it was quite big. Bigger than the 2 cm which was there cut off point - it may have canged across the years.  

    After surgery - which is not a general - I think they used Propofol -I woke up, got dressed and went home. No staying in the hospital or anything.  I live 3 hours away from the big city, so it was a little uncomfotable, but nothing I couldn't handle. 

    Recovery - I really didn't feel too bad at all.  It hurt to breath for a little while, as my lung would press on the newly damaged liver. But you just take it easy, and pass through the discomfort. 

    It started to ache a bit across the days, but again, notihng compared to invasive surgery and NOTHING compared to a liver resection. 

    On the third day I called the surgeon's office and asked if I could start my moring walk, and got a right old lecture which ended up meaning NO, I could not.  You start to feel good, thus you forget that your liver has been cut open and burned - or frozen if its cryo ablation.  And it is SO EASY to overdo it. 

    So, my one bit of advice is DO NOT OVERDO IT.  Just don't. When you want to do too much, just visualize your liverl freshly messed with and trying to heal.  

    To this very day, six years post surgery, I get twinges in my liver, sometimes a little painful, other times just annoyhing, and I really think it is becasue I did a little too much too soon, and caused some extra scar tissue. 

    I have had 11 surgeries across the years - not all Cancer related, and on a scale from 1 - 10 this fell at about 5, maybe 4.

    I am all for ablations over resection if you are a candidate. 

    Keep us posted. 

    Tru

  • Tueffel
    Tueffel Member Posts: 327 Member
    #3
    My father had the choice

    My father was after the chemotherapy a candicate for ablation. He actually could choose between open surgery and ablation. I found this out later and I was asking my dad "why the open surgery?" He underestimated this surgery a lot because it was really exhausting, mentally and physically and he claimed he will not do it again. So I was curious why he did not have ablation considering that it is minimally invasive. 

    He asked his surgeon which method is the safest method to be 100% sure that the metastases are out and the surgeon answered "open surgery".

    I remember that doing my medical classes they had a patient with 5 liver ablations but they were not well done. So they had to do it again and again because they missed some small cells which always grew back. 

    I do think that both surgeries have their benefits and also disadvantages and I am sure if my dad will have a mets again he will try ablation (I pray that this will never happen and the cancer does not come back). 

    But I believe that your surgeons knows what to do and will do it well. I just wanted to tell you this because I had this discussion like 7 days ago 

  • Tom M.
    Tom M. Member Posts: 223 Member
    edited July 2020 #4
    Thanks

    Thank you Tru and Tueffel for your input. Tru, you and Kim were my very first friends on this discussion board. I vaule your opinion of things very much. Tueffel, I have read many of your coments on this site also and value your opinion as well. I was not given the choice between the two for now. I have a consult next week and after that I will have it done. My main goal is to beat this any way possible. I fully intend to. Thanks for your help and advice and I will let everyone know how it's going. They will be burning the lesions off.    Thanks,  Tom

  • SnapDragon2
    SnapDragon2 Member Posts: 720 Member
    edited July 2020 #5
    Hi Tom,  I wish you the best

    Hi Tom,  I wish you the best going into surgery!  I'm praying for you.

  • Tom M.
    Tom M. Member Posts: 223 Member
    #6
    SnapDragon2 said:

    Hi Tom,  I wish you the best

    Hi Tom,  I wish you the best going into surgery!  I'm praying for you.

    TY

    Thank you Snap.

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    edited July 2020 #7
    Opinion

    I'm sorry that I'm not able to help you with this question, but you have been given some good advice above.  This site has so many people that have gone through different procedures, eventually someone will give you their experience.  That is what is so wonderful here, there is always someone here to help.  Although I'm not able to answer your question on this particular situation, I'm wishing you the best going forward. 

    Kim

  • Tom M.
    Tom M. Member Posts: 223 Member
    #8
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Opinion

    I'm sorry that I'm not able to help you with this question, but you have been given some good advice above.  This site has so many people that have gone through different procedures, eventually someone will give you their experience.  That is what is so wonderful here, there is always someone here to help.  Although I'm not able to answer your question on this particular situation, I'm wishing you the best going forward. 

    Kim

    Thanks Kim

    Thanks Kim. I am always happy to hear words of encouragement from all here. That's what this group is all about. As I said before we do not have a cancer support group where I live. I am very glad I found all of you here.

  • danker
    danker Member Posts: 1,276 Member
    edited July 2020 #9
    Choice

    No matter how you choose to face this,just assume you chose the right one.  and that the results are the best possible.  

    I wish you my best!

  • Canadian Sandy
    Canadian Sandy Member Posts: 784 Member
    edited July 2020 #10
    Your in my thoughts Tom.

    Your in my thoughts Tom.

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