Second Opinions???

Glad to hear that your mom is doing well!  What type of surgery did she have?

 

On 2/25/2009 Maryin PA wrote:

Hi, I am writing to find out where to go for a second opinion for my mom's bile duct cancer.  She lives in South Carolina and I live in Pennsylvania-so, anywhere in between.  I heard that Mayo has a great reputation.  Do any of you know of any other hosptials to look into?  Thank you.

I have a good friend who just went in to remission after treating a very advanced stage of bone cancer at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.  My boyfriend is also a cancer survivor of non-hodgkins lyphoma and was also treated at Duke.  I would highly recommend this hospital, it is nationally ranked.  My dad passed away last July from bile duct cancer (aka cholangiocarcinoma) and I only wish we had time to get him to Duke.  I also know that Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC has a wonderful cancer center as well.  That is where my friend with bone cancer received his chemo treatments so that he would not have to travel so far to Duke.

 I hope this helps or that you have found a wonderful place for your mother to treat.

-Cortney, Raleigh NC

Hi, I can highly recommend my doctor, Dr. Joseph F. Buell. He is located in Louisville, Kentucky. He performed a liver resection on me Nov. 2007 (I have metastic colon cancer). I am now NED.

I have emailed Dr. Buell and he replied that he "can look at films and take care of your mom" 

You can email him directly at:

joseph.buell@louisville.edu

If you have any questions, please feel free to post again here or reply to me privately. His address info follows.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post again here or reply to me privately. His address info follows.

My best wishes for you and your Mom. I am confident that you will be in good hands with Dr. Buell.    Karen B.

Joseph F. Buell, MD, FACS

Professor of Surgery

Chief, Division of Transplantation

Director, Jewish Transplant Center

Co-Director The Liver Tumor Institute

Department of Surgery

University of Louisville

601 South Floyd Street, Suite 700

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Phone 502-587-4607

Fax 502-587-4879

Hb nurse 502-587-5955

http://www.survivelivercancer.com

 

 

On 2/25/2009 Maryin PA wrote:

Hi, I am writing to find out where to go for a second opinion for my mom's bile duct cancer.  She lives in South Carolina and I live in Pennsylvania-so, anywhere in between.  I heard that Mayo has a great reputation.  Do any of you know of any other hosptials to look into?  Thank you.

Hi Mary,

I also live in Pa and our daughter in Va.  We chose Johns Hopkins because of its reputation and location and are very pleased.  My husband has renal cell cancer and JH is right up there in the areas we were looking for. 

JEM

I would like to make two recommendations.  For the east coast, in NY

Sloan Kettering.  Go to their website.  People come from every state and

and every country for second opinions.  This is a cancer hospital located

in Manhattan.  But they will require you have slides and xrays, etc. They

will tell you.  My second recommendation would be Johns Hopkins in Maryland.  Another of the top hospitals in the country.  Good luck...... my partner was misdiagnosed in another hospital here in NY, and I'm sorry we didn't start out here.  Good luck.

 

On 2/25/2009 Maryin PA wrote:

Hi, I am writing to find out where to go for a second opinion for my mom's bile duct cancer.  She lives in South Carolina and I live in Pennsylvania-so, anywhere in between.  I heard that Mayo has a great reputation.  Do any of you know of any other hosptials to look into?  Thank you.

Hi Maryin PA,

I read all the suggestions by a lot of thoughtful people. I've been involved with bile duct cancer for over 6 years. There's bile duct cancer and there's really bile duct cancer. But before your go charging off through this jungle of horror allow me to ask a very simple question.

WHY do you want a second opinion, didn't like what the original doctor's told you about bile duct cancer. Maryin PA this is serious business. As you must know by now the prognosis is not good.

What hospital facility diagnosed the bile duct cancer?

How old is you mother?

What stage did her doctor the cancer is in?

Is it a primary cancer?

Is the bile duct cancer in the Hepatic ducts?

Again, WHY are you looking for a second opinion? 

Thank You, Leonard from Alamo California

PS...Very few doctor's will want to get involved...it's a very rare cancer with very little clinical research information...don't let anyone kid you , this one is a killer. 

 

 

 

On 2/25/2009 Maryin PA wrote:

Hi, I am writing to find out where to go for a second opinion for my mom's bile duct cancer.  She lives in South Carolina and I live in Pennsylvania-so, anywhere in between.  I heard that Mayo has a great reputation.  Do any of you know of any other hosptials to look into?  Thank you.

My mom had ampullary cancer (near the bile duct), and although it went into remission, it came back.  I agree with Sloan Kettering, and John Hopkins for two great recommendations.  The ampullary cancer was caught on time, but it was small cell cancer, for which there is no cure. As I understood it, ampullary cancer, and bile duct cancer ARE NOT the same as pacreatic cancer.  They should not be referred to as pancreatic cancer.

 

On 2/25/2009 Maryin PA wrote:

Hi, I am writing to find out where to go for a second opinion for my mom's bile duct cancer.  She lives in South Carolina and I live in Pennsylvania-so, anywhere in between.  I heard that Mayo has a great reputation.  Do any of you know of any other hosptials to look into?  Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear about your mothers bile duct cancer I hope she is doing well.  There are many things to take into consideration when thinking about traveling outside your area for medical treatment i.e. ability for patient to travel, means of transportaion, housing for family members, cost. Its easy to offer an opinion. 

 I will tell you that 5 months ago I traveled from the most southern part of Ohio to Cleveland Clinic for evaluation of a pancreatic cyst and history of pancreatitis.  This occured only after obtaining an much information as possible. I leared about the diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, benefits and risks as well as the hospital and physicians reputation for  performing pancreatic resection. 

 In my situation it was the best possible decision I could have made. I was informed that I would need a central to distal pancreatectomy to remove a possible pre malignant mucinous cyst.  My surgery was completly uncomplicated, I had a short hopitalization (6 days) ,next to no pain or post surgical complaints. 

I've had 5 previous hospitilizations and in comparision Cleveland Clinic provided the best care I have received to date.  Everyone I came in contact with from physicians, nursing staff, technicians, admissions, transport, and housekeeping  were all friendly, personable, and compassionate individulas.

You have a number of opions and all are very good Mayo, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and I wish for you what I found -  God Bless   

 

 

Recently saw a friend from Pennsylvania through cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer); we did go to Johns Hopkins; they were very nice, but not very helpful. You want to look for "centers for excellence" for the type of cancer you need treatment for. University of Pittsburgh would be the closest in Pennsylvania. There is probably a center closer to your mom. You can contact the National Institutes of Health to locate the center closest to her. You also may benefit from seeking care at a center that approaches her as a whole person. My friend's case, I had made inquiries about her Vitamin D levels (severely depleted) and we also used curcumin supplements based on research out of MD Anderson. Initially we were told her life expectency was around 6 months. She lived 18 and was active and travelled throughout (she was 81 when diagnosed); also she hosted her card club and played for several hours the night before she died. I believe had she been able to modify her approach to nutrition that she would have lived longer. Cancer Treatment Centers of America do offer an approach more compatable with what I am saying. So I guess I'd do centers for excellence AND CTA