Surgery did not happen

[jep]

Hey everyone....I just wanted to give you an update regarding my husband’s surgery that was supposed to happen yesterday....when they got in there, they realized that the lymph nodes are not just resting against the aorta, but a tumor has grown around the vena cava and is basically compressing the VC....his surgeon was surprised by this, as this was not visible on any scans.....he pulled in numerous specialists to decide if this was worth the risks and they all agreed it was not. My husband’s surgeon feels that these nodes are not resectable....please understand that I am still in shock and was really floored yesterday as the surgeon was explaining everything.....we are waiting to meet with him this morning to clarify everything....they decided not to do the node resection or the rectum surgery/ostomy....we also meet with his oncologist today and I’ve made an appt with his doc at MSK.... this is not at all what we were expecting and my husband is very disappointed

[MetastaticEquilibria]

Oh no, that sucks. Just sucks.

Good luck with MSK.
I wonder if radiation might be an option?

[jep]

Yes, really SUCKS! His surgeon did talk about radiation as a possibility, but of course we're waiting patiently for his onc to come in this morning. Stay tuned . . .

[Rock_Robster]

I’m really sorry jep; wishing you all the strength in the world right now. I’ve heard good things about radiation for LNs as well. Just need to regroup, reload and come up with a new plan.

As my surgeon says, it’s a war and you don’t have to win every battle - you just need to win more than you lose.

Good luck,
Rob

[jep]

Just met with my husband's oncologist . . . he definitely thinks that intense/targeted radiation is the next step (once my husband has healed up (chemo to keep things at bay as well). He also suggested possibly pursuing some phase 1 trials, but he said that we're not there yet and there are other things to try (not sure I agree with him there). He is going to set us up with a doc at Smilow to discuss what possible trials are out there . . . he also said that my husband's surgeon will be coming to speak to us today about another possibility . . . can't wait to hear what he has to say . . . kind of overwhelmed right now, but we're so happy that there are still options out there . . . ready for the next round of this fight!

[Rock_Robster]

Very encouraging jep! Sounds like at least 2, maybe 3 options - a good place to be. Best of luck for next few days.

[stu]

My heart sank for you both but holding out that a better plan is coming together for his overall good .
Stu

[Siti]

I’m so sorry to hear that Jep. How long ago were the scans performed? I can’t believe they didn’t detect it!

[jep]

He just had a pre-surgery MRI this past Friday....

[boxhill]

Jep, how disappointing for you both. I'm glad they are presenting some options, anyway.

But I'm a little confused: from your sig it seems that your H already had a LAR? What was the additional surgery planned?

[jep]

His second surgery was supposed to include the resection of 2 lymph nodes, and the removal of his entire rectum (with permanent ostomy), as he had a recurrence in that area....

[natelaugh]

Hi Jep,

Hopefully, you will hear good news and options. I am surprised that a MRI didn't detect it. Did you had MRI with contrast or just normal MRI without contrast? Also, who read and wrote up the MRI report? Maybe it was there and they misread it?

Nate.

[Punky44]

I’m really sorry things didn’t go as planned and you are facing this challenge but I’m glad to hear they’ve got more options in mind—keep fighting.

[DarknessEmbraced]

I'm sorry you and your husband are going through this!*hugs*