Surgeons

This is my first posting. I am 59 years old. My world has turned upside down and at times am psychologically frail thinking positive but constantly fending off negative thoughts. I was recently diagnosed with a small distal bile duct cancer. Today I will have a confirmatory test to determine if it has spread. Trying to be positive at this point I understand I am a candidate for a whipple and ask anyone on the site for recommendations on qualified surgeons in NYC - Manahattan who perform the whipple procedure and are backed by a good team.
Thanks.
Bob

Hi Bob,

Dr. Leslie Blumgart and his team at Sloan Kettering have as much experience operating on bile duct cancer as anyone. He is a very kind man and by reputation, a fine surgeon. Unfortunately, my wife's cancer was too far advanced to be operated on, but if you do not have metastasis, you could be a good candidate. He has an associate who will soon be an attending at a Chicago hospital. His name is Kevin Roggin. He seems very good as well. One caveat. The physcians at Sloan do not participate in the national Blue Cross network. We got hammered with huge bills. Check before you see him to be certain not only that the hospital is covered, but he and the other doctors as well. If you are a NY resident, you might do better; we were Michigan. Good luck.

Jeff

Try Dr. Jesus Esquivel at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. He is very aggressive. He studied under Dr. Sugarbaker, a world renouned surgeon for GI tract cancer.

Also check out a Dr. Cameron at Johns Hopkins. Several people on this site and the gallbladder cancer section speak very highly of him.

If it turns out you cannot have surgery, you may want to contact Dr. Howard Bruckner at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. He specializes in gastric cancers and has a better track record than most with this difficult disease.

Jeff,

Thanks for your feedback. Have decided to work with Dr. John Chabot at NY Presbyterian. I am comfortable with him and he regularly performs whipples. I am sorry to hear about your wife's advanced state. I sincerely hope other treatments will improve her outcome. I am faced with a similar insurance situation but feel having a good surgical team and a chance for a cure makes it worthwhile.

Bob

Bob,

I should have mentioned him. He performed a miracle with a woman here in Detroit whom no one else would touch. If you want to talk with her, let me know and I will contact her and get her permission to give you her name and number. I think you have made a great choice. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

Jeff

I am the widow of a Philmar. He passed away on July 22, 2005. I just discovered that he was on this site incontact with people that had the same surgery (Whipple). All I can say to all of you going through the decision to select a surgeon. Please be sure to ask all the questios of the surgeon & the hopsital where the surgery is performed. We asked. Surgeon was one of TOP DOCS in Philly. My husband had the operation at Hahneman University in Phila. His after care was a nightmare. From what I have found out since his surgery, the two most important factors are the surgeon's expertise & the after care. He was back in the hospital two days after being released with pancreatitis & abcess at incision. Pseudocyst, etc. After another week in hospital, he came home to home nursing care. He kept his followup appts. with surgeon. Had chemo & radiation to cleanup area around surgey site. Was cancer free as of May 31. Saw his surgon May 31. Saw his oncologist 2 days later. Was given a followup appt with surgeon for Sep 2005. On June 6, 2005, he was having severe pains in the upper right quadrant of abdomen. I thought it sounded like another pancreatitis attack. I called surgeon. He said my husband should see his primary. Another words, he was abandoned by his surgeon. I took him to the ER where he was admitted by the oncologist. As of that date it was a nightmare. His bile was backing up. We never saw the surgeon again. There was a leak somewhere, ets. He was in & out of hospital until he passed away on July 22. So please, research carefully who is doing surgery and where it is being done. Good Luck to everyone facing this diagnosis.