It Is Not Over till It Is Over!!!

Friday morning I met with Dr. Weston, the colorectal surgeon.  I liked her a lot.  She regarded me as very healthy till she starts looking in my records in the computer.  Then she starts asking lots of questions and I am afraid I did not ask her all I should.

She confirmed as truth what I said about hemorrhoids and cancer.  She said this mass looked like a polyp but it is so lowdown when I asked her what it was.  It has been called a mass, a tumor, a ulcer, a polyp.  One thing for sure it has to come off and we need to make sure there is nothing going on underneath.  Will it be a clean cut or will she half to cut off some of my sphincter muscles and, or .... is not certain.  Will I have more damage than just a sore bottom, possibly.  I had to sign off on possibilities...but I did not get a copy of what I signed off on, yet.

Monday I go in at 10 and her assistant will give me a package and take me down to blood testing and all of that.  I will learn more I hope.

Dr. Weston seemed more concerned about the possibility of me having a heart attack on the table and so we sent for the last stress test I had with Dr. Fletcher, my cardio doctor.  I thought it was October but it may have been June.  October would give her assurance as I remember my doctor saying "I aced my stress test but I am not getting enough oxygen at night."  June may be too far away to be of much help and assurance to her.  She said the surgery .I had on Tuesday I was not fully "out" as I will be for this one coming up on Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM.  Yes, she is doing an emergency "fit me in somewhere now" surgery and not waiting.

Scripps Clinic is a very busy place.  I had the colonoscopy/endoscopy in the North Building and met with her in the Anderson Pavillion...not sure where the surgery will be.  My carotid surgery was downtown, my stenosis surgery was in Green Hospital.  I don't think I will be staying overnight anywhere with this surgery on Wednesday.  Will depend on what she finds and has todo I would assume.

I learned some more and see what it is important to identify what the mass is.  You see fissures and ulcers in colitis and Crohns disease.  Polyps can turn into cancer but it takes time and all do not.  If polyps are found they are usually cut off during the colonoscopy.  If they are found once they usually return and so you should have colonoscopies every 3 to 5 yrs instead of waiting 7 to 10.