Hello everyone,
My Dad (76) is having an anterior colon resection at the end of this month. He has multiple myeloma, and was having bleeding and it was determined that he had a tumor (with no lymph node involvement) that will have to be removed. The first surgeon that he went to see was a general surgical oncologist in Surrey BC. During the meeting with this surgeon (of whom I could find absolutely no online trace) he said he was confident that my Dad would " Definitely not need a (colostomy) bag..." Looking around on these forums, I learned that a colorectal surgeon is preferable over a general oncologist. I suggested a gastro Doctor that his GP referred him to, and have every confidence in the second surgeon (Vancouver B.C.) This doctor will be performing the surgery laparoscopically which is by no means standard practice yet here in BC. However, this surgeon said that my dad will have a bag for six weeks in order for proper healing. (He said there is a small chance that it will be permanent, but my Dad's resection is high enough in the intestine that is seems unlikely) My Dad has some problems with his fingers, they are not very dexterous due to myeloma joint pain and he is understandably anxious about using the ostomy bag. (The stoma will hopefully be reversed in 6-8 weeks, as I remember. I am part of making these choices for my Dad, and I want to make sure we are making the right one.
Can anyone tell me why two surgeons (one considerably more experienced) would have such different opinions on a surgery? From what I see online, some laparoscopic surgeries do not always require an ostomy appliance. This confuses me... if my Dad's cancer is early stage and in a favorable place in the colon (maybe favorable is a stretch..) why will he need a stoma? We have been assured by many that this doctor/hospital performs more of these surgeries than any other area, and I cannot understand why two surgeon's approaches would vary so much.
Sorry for the long post, any and all insight will be truly valuable.