This morning, I called Dr. Cameron’s office to schedule a date for my surgery. Tentatively, I have a surgical date of August 14. While I was coming to grips with a surgery date that was a month away, a date that is less than 2 weeks away is very overwhelming. I spent much of the day trying to focus on work and failing miserably.
As I have mentioned, however, I am a data guy, so I did some checking and here is some of the data points I have come up with:
- Johns Hopkins Hospital was ranked #1 overall in the United States by US News and World Report.
- In the same report, Johns Hopkins was ranked #3 for the treatment of cancer (behind M.D. Anderson and Sloan Kettering), while Emory was ranked #47 for the treatment of cancer.
- According to one surgeon with whom I spoke, Emory University Hospital is overcrowded with patients and understaffed with nurses. There is a possibility (no matter how slight) that I might NOT end up on one of the recovery floors designated for GI surgery because of overcrowding.
- Last year, the mortality rate for Whipple procedures at Johns Hopkins was 2%; almost half of what the mortality rate is for hospitals that perform Whipples regularly (I was unable to find the mortality rate data for Whipples at Emory.)
- Based on discussions I have had, it appears that Dr. Sarmiento’s approach to treating pancreas cancer patients is similar to that of Dr. Cameron: they do their job, and do it well, but neither is big on follow-up and hand holding after the fact. In fact, it would seem that Dr. Sarmiento simply has better interpersonal skills than Dr. Cameron, but otherwise follows a similar pattern.
Taken together, these data lead me to think that perhaps Johns Hopkins is the better option for me. I have had several people, family members and friends, tell me that it is important to go to the very best doctor you can. While many people on the Pancreas Cancer Chat board at Johns Hopkins speak highly of MD Anderson as an institution, unanimously, the people on the board sing the praises of Dr. Cameron (here is a link to a threaded discussion I started to ask people on the chat board THEIR opinions about my situation). In the end, I do not have to like my surgeon. As I said earlier, I’m leaning toward having the surgery with Dr. Cameron at Hopkins, though, I am going to discuss it with my oncologist, Dr. Kauh, on Monday.
Thinking about getting everything setup for surgery that will occur in 12 days is a bit scary, but I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from family and friends, most notably folks from the karate school, American Karate Productions, at which I teach. One parent went so far as to give me a Delta travel voucher to help defray the costs associated with flying up to Baltimore. I am not sure I adequately expressed my appreciation, but I was incredibly touched and moved by his generosity. Thank you Tracey.
Tomorrow (well, actually today, since it’s after midnight), I will be volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity build in Gwinnett county. I have always wanted to participate in a build, so I am glad I will have the opportunity to do so.
In the “When it rains, it pours” department, I got a decision letter related to the planning process for my intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) — which, by the way, I completed on July 10. Unfortunately, the insurance company has decided that the information provided by my radiologist “does not meet the medical necessity requirements for coverage.” The letter goes onto say that the use of IMRT is considered “investigational” because of the lack of peer reviewed evidence that it is effective in treating pancreatic cancer. What I find interesting is that the insurance company has paid the hospital for the radiation therapy TREATMENTS, but not the planning sessions necessary to implement those treatments (of course, the billed costs associated with the planning session are in excess of $60,000). Luckily, I have an appointment with my radiologist, Dr. Landry, on Tuesday of this week and I will see what he says about this. I am presuming that in the end I will not be responsible for these costs, but on a day in which I was overwhelmed with other issues on which to focus, thinking about having to come up with an additional $60k was just icing on the cake.
Finally, it would appear more members of my (extended) family have decided to go into competition with me in terms of health-related issues. Both my sister (Marjie) and my sister-in-law (Catherine) have undergone or will soon undergo, day surgery to deal with some pretty (or potentially) serious health-related issues. I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and hearts.
As always, thank you to all of you that have joined me on this journey.
Merle
Tags: Family, Main, The Martial Arts, Theology/Philosophy, Treatment by Merle
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