UPDATE ON PETE

[hart2hart]

Pete has been in remission since January 1,2015.
A HUGE shout/out to all at MSK. From the sweet
doorman, check-in, pump nurses, Dr D’Angelica,
Dr Kemeny and her Fabulous nurses, Trish and Sandy.
We Love and Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Pete is thriving, were living life to the fullest.
Our kitchen renovation we had to put on hold we
are proceeding with this summer. Pete’s architecture business is doing well and his latest project in an
100,00 SQ Ft building in Mass and it’s a Pot Farm!
Really true! He will be starting acupuncture for
his neuropathy in his feet soon! So life is great—-we’re
grateful for this forum and everyone st MSK!

Shout-out to Kathy B, JulieJ, CRguy, Pete B,
My Mom:Lisa, Michael, Jane and anyone I missed!

For newbies please fight the fight, get second and third opinions, ask a lot of questions and remain positive.
It’s a marathon as we can attest too! Please PM
If you have any questions!? Love you all!

Julie and Pete
Stamford,Ct

[weisssoccermom]

Good to hear from you Julie.....it's been a LONG time.
It's hard to believe it was 8 years ago when we first talked
about resections and such.
Glad to hear that you are all doing well!

Jaynee

[Green Tea]

... For newbies please fight the fight, get second and third opinions, ask a lot of questions and remain positive...

Thank you for your encouraging update. Apart from your acknowledging the amazing work done at MSKCC, I think that one of the most important messages conveyed by your husband's journey is your persistence in acting early in getting second and third opinions to insure the best possible outcome. For example:

My husband Had Very, Very Low Rectal Cancer (11/11) - Stage 3

He had almost complete response to chemo/rad. Here is our findings.

Yale New Hospital and Mass General wanted to do a Colostomy. We sought-out 2 other opinions
at regional Connecticut Hospitals and two separate surgeons said probably 90/10 we can save your husband's
spinchters! Turns out we went with the slightly younger of the two surgeons and low and behold he did in-fact SAVE
Pete's sphincters. That was 4/12. The key is the skill of the surgeon.......Doc McClane spent 3.5 hours
handsewing this anastomies (sp?) vs stapling which he wasn't able to do and guess what it was successful. He is my hero forever.
How many surgeons would take the time to hand-sewn for 3.5 hours? Someone who cares alot about the PT and is not just a number in the operating room.

So --this tells me that some of these large teaching hospitals can't think out of the box or let me put it
this way..."It is not our Protocol to do this!" And yes in fact-, both Yale and Mass General said this to our faces.

Pete is one year post reversal and yes his new normal is not my normal --- But he is doing great and we will
forever be grateful for Doc McClanes skill as a surgeon and all-around nice nice guy! You rock Dr. McClane!

BTW, we have sent other PTS to him and he has also saved their sphincters!

Go get more opinions is our recommendation to anyone who feels not quite right about what their surgeon is saying.
We are sooooo glad we did this!

Cheers!

Julie And Pete
Stamford, CT

Ref: https://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45894&p=337940#p337940

[Beckster]

Pete has been in remission since January 1,2015.
A HUGE shout/out to all at MSK. From the sweet
doorman, check-in, pump nurses, Dr D’Angelica,
Dr Kemeny and her Fabulous nurses, Trish and Sandy.
We Love and Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Pete is thriving, were living life to the fullest.
Our kitchen renovation we had to put on hold we
are proceeding with this summer. Pete’s architecture business is doing well and his latest project in an
100,00 SQ Ft building in Mass and it’s a Pot Farm!
Really true! He will be starting acupuncture for
his neuropathy in his feet soon! So life is great—-were
grateful for this forum and everyone st MSK!

Shout-out to Kathy B, JulieJ, CRguy, Pete B,
My Mom:Lisa, Michael, Jane and anyone I missed!

For newbies please fight the fight, get second and third opinions, ask a lot of questions and remain positive.
It’s a marathon as we can attest too! Please PM
If you have any questions!? Love you all!

Julie and Pete
Stamford,Ct

Julie...I read in one of the following posts by Green Tea that your surgeon was Dr. McClane.....Steven McClane? I am from NJ and if so, he is now the head of the Colorectal Department and Co Chair of MD Anderson Gastrointestional Center at Cooper University. He performed my right hemicolectomy in November of 2016. I agree...he is a ROCK STAR! I was only in the hospital for 48 hours and went home with no pain pills or complications.

Beckster

[hart2hart]

Dr James MCClane, the younger brother of Steven
Is the head of Gastro Surgery at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. He is my forever hero and my nickname
For him is Ace McDreamy. He gets cookies for life!

Pete’s journey after Doc MCClane was that he developed a liver met 18 months after diagnosis. The local onc wanted to remove the met and “Wait and See”. That was unacceptable to us. We
Then hightailed it to Sloan and in 3 months the tiny speck of a liver met grew 4 fold.
Sloan resected and HAI pump was inserted for added insurance that Pete had the best outcome available. We are forever grateful to Sloan for saving his life and putting him in remission. Cure?

Doing our research, getting 3 to 4 opinions, asking LOTS of questions really benefitted us. Stay away from Dr Goggle please.
We love all of you here....try to be positive when things look bleak. We know, we really know.

PM me please if any questions!


Julie and Pete
Stamford,CT

[CRguy]

Glad things are going well for you Julie and Pete

Cheers and best wishes moving forward
Harmony on the Journey !
CRguy

[juliej]

Dr James MCClane, the younger brother of Steven is the head of Gastro Surgery at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. He is my forever hero and my nickname for him is Ace McDreamy.

Dr. D'Angelica is pretty easy on the eyes too!!!

I'm so happy to hear that you are both thriving and enjoying every moment of life! It was a long, hard road, but we did it!!! (Thanks to the brilliant docs at MSK!)

Dr. Kemeny is a saint. She found a way to get me to NED when everyone else gave up on me. Sandy was almost in tears the last time I talked to her because of how well I'm doing.

Thanks for sending a message of hope and inspiration to others!

xoxoxo,
Juliej

[justin case]

What up Jewels, it's good to hear things are going well !!!!!
Warm Regards,
Michael

[DarknessEmbraced]

I'm glad he's doing well!

[Sunnycd]

I’m so happy to read this post. I have been wondering if I should get a second opinion, if I should change doctors, if by doing so I would “offend” them (yeah, I know, but it is a habit that is hard to lose), etc. reading this post inspired me to go with my gut, ask lots of questions and don’t accept courses of action that doesn’t seem right without 2nd and third opinions. thank you!