Finally, we met the surgeon from Toronto today! He is a very confident doctor and his approach is very similar to that of the surgeon in Ottawa from just over a year ago.
Dr McGilvray indicated that the surgery, while extensive and somewhat risky, is achievable. The surgery would involve removing half of the pancreas in order to access the tumour. The surgery would also require removing the primary vein that drains the small bowel and reconstruction of that vein. The main artery appears unaffected in the scan.
The potential risk of the surgery is primarily if the pancreas leaks where it was bisected. This would cause inflammation in the area and potentially affect the reconstructed vein or worst case, the main artery. Risk to the main artery under these circumstances is clotting and would cause an entire loss of the colon system. Losing this function leaves you on a feeding tube for the rest of your life which comes with longevity and quality of life issues.
Studies are showing that once colon cancer moves to the lymph nodes, the tumour responsiveness of chemo is a good indication for a successful surgery. He would like me to continue with chemotherapy and he will monitor the response of the tumour to chemo. Any reduction in the tumour size is a positive response to chemo and would make surgery easier. I will have another CT scan at the beginning of May and he will book a follow up with me at that point.
In the end, there are risks to consider when surgery is made available but there is a goal and plan in action. This will help me continue with the chemo treatments and provide hope for a healthy future.
That is all for today. Next update will probably be about a month away.
Love to all,
Karen
xoxo
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