is this a resonable plan and time sequence?

impactzone
impactzone Member Posts: 555 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Thank you so much. It does seem overwhelming. I meet with the surgeon. He is certified from American colo -rectal, very respected, checked his references and feel good. He said surgery is necessary, and quicker is better than any waiting. I was concerned about doing this in Santa Barbara or perhaps going to someplace like the City of Hope with a larger facility and perhaps more experience but the surgeon felt this step could be accomplished here and he has extensive experience. If I desired to look there for a comprehensive plan after pathology report of the nodes that is great. He said he will laproscope it first, then go to open if needed. He will look at the liver if open and wedge any obvious tumor out. I have not had a PET scan or MRI yet. The colon is almost obstructed and this must get out. I am talking to an oncologist today but the surgeon said wait until the pathology report comes back about nodes before we start the Pet scans, treatment options, etc. He said that he still needs to see the outside of the tumor, and any involvment with other tissues. Does this sound resonable?

Comments

  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    #2
    Yes, it sounds reasonable. I was lucky to have the MRI to rule out my liver spots as cancer before surgery, but it is not always possible to do this. If you're looking at a possible obstruction then it needs to come out as soon as possible.

    My operation started out as laparoscopic and turned open when they had trouble reconnecting the two resected ends of my colon. Because of this my surgeon said I was not a candidate for a PET scan anytime soon because the PET scan would surely hone in on all the rapidly healing cells in my midsection (both in the colon and in my tummy). But they did have a chance to check out the liver while they were "in" there and everything did check out OK, confirming their findings that the spots were cysts.

    I guess it is a timing issue. You have to get it out, and soon, so it doesn't obstruct and hopefully hasn't spread outside the colon wall. And you do have to wait for the pathology reports to get a staging, which will help determine your ultimate treatment plan.
  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    #3
    Hi,

    I agree that you need to get the tumor out first. Like we say "one day (or thing) at a time". Hopefully while they are in there they can see if it is a cyst or not. Tell us when your surgery is so we can send good vibes to you. Remember to walk alot after surgery so you can go home sooner. HUGS and we are here for you.

    Lisa F.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #4
    Everyone is different, but this sounds reasonable to me....my liver 'spots' were examined twice...first with an ultrasound, and then during the resection a 'visual' inspection was done...

    Keep all of your results/labs/etc....create your own PERSONAL patient profile...ask...nice to have a complete medical record on hand...

    Hugs, Kathi
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #5
    Sounds reasonable. Best wishes for the surgery.

    My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    Eleonora
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #6
    Hi Zone -

    That really is a good plan. As you say it HAS to come out of there. I was in a similar situation - my surgeon told me I needed surgery within 2 weeks and that we could deal with treatment options once I had the surgery. As he said, "We really don't want to do this in the middle of the night as an emergency - we don't want "the B Team" - we want to do it during the day with us in control and with the "A Team" helping out. So I had surgery 2 weeks and 1 day after diagnosis. I did have a CT 4 days after diagnosis and an MRI was attempted the day before surgery (it failed).

    My 3rd day in the hospital the oncologist visited me and she told me to make an appt for the week 2 weeks post surgery - let the anesthesia clear from my brain, let me recover a little and then we could discuss treatment and move on to the next step. It was good advice. Exactly 3 weeks after my surgery, I had another CT scan and a PET scan and then we were ready to move out on treatment, although I had to wait 6 weeks post surgery to start since Avastin was involved.

    Good luck with your surgery.

    Betsy

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