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6/05/06

We left home at 6:00 to go to Brigham and Women’s hospital to get a second opinion from a surgeon. He is the director of the thoracic surgery division, and who is interested in esophagus cancer.

My appointment was at 8:00, but it was already 10:30 when we (not him) cut the consultation short to leave. I had naively assumed that the consultation with the doctor would be done at 9:00, and accepted a job that starts at 11:30 at a company located about 50 miles away. Consequently I could not really talk to him.

He, however, knew a lot about the esophagus cancer, and said that the squamous cell cancer is most frequently seen in Japan, Korea, a part of China, and Iran. He said that diet is one possible suspect. “Kimuchi,” Korean pickles are suspected to be a cause in Korean cases, for example. Also, he explained how he would operate, pointing to and touching my back and chest. The surgical process sounded quite similar to the first surgeon, but he talked about 6 additional incisions to minimize the invasiveness (I need to study this.) He also said that I might need no other treatment if the cancer was truly localized.

On a Japanese medical site, I found the arguments between the surgery and X-ray/chemotherapy for the early stage cancer. In the U.S., however, the surgery seems to be the first and primary method if the cancer is in its first or second stages.

No matter what it is, doctors have to determine the stage of my cancer, and I am resigned to accept surgery, since one of the most advanced American doctors has suggested the surgery, and also it is still a standard method even in Japan.

So I went ahead and arranged an appointment to go through the esophagus ultrasound endoscopy (a special kind of endoscopy to find the level of penetration of the cancer in the layer of the esophagus) on Thursday. He also ordered a head MRI as proactive evaluation on Wednesday night. I also have to go through the trans-virginal ultra sound on Wednesday to check my ovaries and uterus. Literally every inch of my body is going to be examined this week; isn’t it, in a way, a wonderful 100,000 miles checkup?

Yesterday I talked to the hematologist who survived two different caners and talked about “ hope” at our church. He recommended to get treated at Brigham and Women’s, saying that we need to seek a care in a “focused factory” when the cancer is a rare kind. My friend from Mayo Clinic recommended Brigham and Women’s also.

My wish today, which changes day to day, is that the esophagus ultrasound endoscopy finds that I only need surgery.

Well, the reason why I had to cut the consultation short was because I had an interpretation assignment from 11:30 to 2:00. I was planning to go home first and change clothes for the job. However, it was 11:35 when I arrived at the job site in my funky clothes and Cowboy boots. It may sound crazy but I had another assignment from 3:00 to 5:00 at a different venue. I actually enjoyed my work very much… probably because Mark drove me from one job to the other.

So, my limbo is still continuing, and giving me time to prepare my mind for whatever my treatment to be.

The only sad thing is that I have to cancel my trip for my nephew’s wedding in Seattle, because of the appointment with the surgeon on Monday next week. Now I have an excuse to visit the newlywed couple in Arizona this winter.

For comments: lincicome@charter.net