Colorectal surgeon rec. needed, Camdenton, MO

[kitty,rn]

I learned so much on this discussion forum in 2007 and 2008 which I really appreciated. Today, I heard from a dear friend who lives near Camdenton, Missouri and her husband just had a colonoscopy that showed a mass. He's scheduled for a CT scan on March 9 but my friend is already looking ahead to possible surgeons and future care, including possibly chemo, for him. Their local hospital doesn't have a good reputation and the closest hospitals are at least 90 minutes from them. She doesn't know where to start to find a qualified surgeon and I told her I would first ask people on this support forum for any recommendations. I know it's early in this process, and there's not even a diagnosis, but the GI doctor who performed the colonoscopy is very concerned, and this is the first place I thought of to go for help.

[JJH]

I learned so much on this discussion forum in 2007 and 2008 which I really appreciated. Today, I heard from a dear friend who lives near Camdenton, Missouri and her husband just had a colonoscopy that showed a mass. He's scheduled for a CT scan on March 9 but my friend is already looking ahead to possible surgeons and future care, including possibly chemo, for him. Their local hospital doesn't have a good reputation and the closest hospitals are at least 90 minutes from them. She doesn't know where to start to find a qualified surgeon and I told her I would first ask people on this support forum for any recommendations. I know it's early in this process, and there's not even a diagnosis, but the GI doctor who performed the colonoscopy is very concerned, and this is the first place I thought of to go for help.

Hello Kitty -

I did some Internet searching for Board-Certified colorectal surgeons in Missouri, and what I found was this:

- There are about a dozen colorectal surgeons within 100 miles of Camdenton, MO, but among those I could only find three who were Board-Certified in colorectal surgery and still accepting new patients. (There might be more than this, but if so they didn't show up in my search.)

- The three that I found were either in Springfield, MO or in Columbia, MO.

• Springfield, MO - about 1 hour (75 miles) south of Camdenton, via US Hwy 54, US Hwy 65
  
  Mercy Hospital, Springfield
  
  Mercy Hospital - Colon Cancer Surgery Scorecard
  
  Mercy Hospital - Colon and Rectal Surgeons
  
  1. Board Certified colorectal surgeon
   
  2. Board Certified colorectal surgeon
  .
  
• Columbia, MO - about 1 hr 20 min (86 miles) north of Camdenton, Via US-54 E and US Hwy 63 N
  
  U. Missouri Healthcare - Colon Cancer Surgery Scorecard
  
  U. Missouri Healthcare: Columbia Surgical Associates
  
  3. Board-Certified colorectal surgeon

[kitty,rn]

Thanks so much for these links, JJH. I had started doing the same research after I posted my question and came up with some of those names, and I also limited my search to both Columbia and Springfield, MO as you did. I also focused on board certified colorectal surgeons. With your research and my own, I likely overwhelmed my friend with all the links and info I emailed this morning, but as she and her husband talk to their local doctors, friends, acquaintances, and do their own research (and also discover who accepts their insurance), perhaps a few of these doctors' names will keep coming up and they will have the links to refer to.

I also wondered if maybe someone here on the forum might have actually heard of a respected and reputable colorectal surgeon in this area. Seemed like a long-shot, but you never know who might know someone-- It's a small world!

Depending on what my friend's husband's diagnosis is, I will certainly direct her to this great forum for help and support.

[boxhill]

My surgeon was not a board-certified colorectal surgeon. He's a board-certified liver surgeon, who has a lot of experience with colorectal surgery (as well as liver transplants and so forth). He did an excellent job, and found and removed a tiny liver met that did not show on my pre-op CT in the ER. My hemicolectomy was an emergency procedure because of a blockage, so the time between diagnosis and surgery was probably about 4 or 5 hours. Obviously, I didn't have time to look around for a surgeon! My doctor was the person on call for my type of problem.

I would never argue that it isn't a good thing to find a board certified CRC surgeon--especially if you have rectal cancer--but it isn't ABSOLUTELY necessary. The location of the tumor is probably a major consideration, as is the hospital. My hospital, Maine Med, is a regional center and a teaching hospital. They use the New England Cancer Center for oncology, and NECC is closely allied with Dana Farber, which is of course one of the top cancer centers in the US.

Based on the experiences reported by other people in rural Southern areas, I think it is crucial to fine a hospital that is a significant cancer center with really competent surgeons and oncologists. if travel is necessary, so be it.