On 11/18/2007
melody539 wrote:
Dr. Jerome Canady resected my 76 yr. old mom's tumor 6 days ago with great success. He removed 50% of her liver and the bile ducts and I believe gall bladder. She is doing well and probably going home tomorrow (Monday). She will need chemo/radiation for approximately 3 months to insure this hideous tumor does not return. This kind of surgery can be done!!! Her bilirubin is now 4 and her enzymes are almost normal. Please know that if your loved one has any kind of GI cancer there is help. It's in the person of Dr. Canady. He is the most dedicated, passionate surgeon. He never left the hospital the night after my mom's surgery, keeping an eye on her and has been with her every day since. I can not thank this man enough. He is a savior!!! Thanks to him I will be having more Thansgivings and Christmas's with my mom.
Very grateful daughter,
Melody
Good Morning Melody,
I haven't heard from you lately...but I realize why...you and your mom have been very busy...I am very pleased to hear your mom had surgery and especially pleased to hear she is doing well. In this situation remember quality of life is much more important than quantity of life. Did Doctor Canady do a Roux-en-Y Procedure to establish a new path of travel for the bile from the liver to her new common bile duct (small intestine)? Please do not misunderstand me...when I say the road ahead is not going to be easy...your mom's bilirubin count (4) is very high. It is very important to keep the bile count low and most important to keep the bile flowing correctly, if not...your mom will experiense bile infections that will send her to the hospital for IV antibiotics..I'm wondering why your mon needs Chemo and Radiation. If doctor Canady removed the Klatshin Tumor from the hepatic bile ducts along with the common bile duct, the Gall Bladder/Cysitc duct and most likely some close by lymph nodes...what areas are they planning to radiate and more important what type of radiation treatment are they planning? I hope all goes well, this sounds like it's going to be a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday....Keep a sharp eye on your mom's body temparture, if the bile backs up into the liver, it can and will spike immediately...a supply of oral antibiotics is a good idea...ask your doctor about it. Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season...Leonard...Alamo California