Monday, April 16, 2007

The Second Opinion

I was able to see another Urologist in Regina today (the second opinion) ... Dr. T. He is a specialist in laparoscopic surgery and was kind enough to squeeze me in at the end of the day. I had to wait for about 2 hours but he did see me.

The problem I have is that my Gleason Score is a 9 (out of 10). This means the monster is aggressive and the doctors primary focus is to remove the cancer and not sparing the nerve. If the Gleason Score would be a 6 or less then there would be an attempt to save the nerve.

I was hoping that Dr. T would give me some hope and tell me that he would recommend saving the nerve that allows guys to "full around". That he would perform the specialized surgery. However, his question for me was the same as my doctors in Halifax ... do you want the capability to have an erection or do you want to live without the "monster".

Dr. T. indicated the advantage of laparoscopic surgery was the decreased recovery time. Less cutting therefore quicker healing. The effectiveness of "open surgery" versus laparascopic surgery are the same; both procedures are very effective and offer a high probability of success to remove the "monster".

Dr. T asked me if I am comfortable with my surgeon(s). I am comfortable with the Dr. B and Dr. R of Halifax. What impressed me most with these 2 guys is there commitment to my care and their empathy regarding the side effects of the surgery. Dr. B always looked me in the eye when he answered my questions or "A"'s questions. He told me he would give me the very best care he could. I trust him. I have come to the conclusion that maybe all this is happening with God's guidance. I hope so.

A friend of mine summarized it best today ... "it sucks".

Maybe, just maybe, the surgery will have a better result than I expect. I have one week to pray. "God grant me the Serenity to ACCEPT the things I CANNOT CHANGE; the COURAGE to CHANGE the things I CAN and the WISDOM to know the DIFFERENCE".

As I write this, I just found out about the tragedy in Virgina. I pray for the families that lost love ones. It puts my issue into perspective.

I am back in Nova Scotia tomorrow. Can's wait to see "A", the boys and Gloria.

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