What is the prognosis?

10/28
We'll know more after meeting with the surgeon today, and one of the world-renowned carcinoid specialists -- Dr. Richard Warner -- on Thursday. Read more for an amazing story.

Amazing story: After speaking with the oncologist when Kev was in the hospital, i was still left with a lot of troubling questions. The pamphlet about colon rectal cancer he sent me home with stated on page six (of 30 some) that carcinoids were another type of colon cancer, were extremely rare and therefore "not covered in this document."

ARGGHH! I immediately logged onto the Web site of the American Cancer Society, which directed me to the Web site for the Carcinoid Foundation where i was able to learn that this is an extremely rare condition that is also very individualized in its manifestation, therefore highly individualized treatment is called for. The Foundations Web site included an extremely helpful paper written for laymen by a Dr. Richard Warner (medical director of the foundation) who is associated with Mt. Sinai Hospital (just blocks away from our new apartment). Originally, we assumed we would go to Sloan-Kettering for a second opinion, but after reading from and about this doctor, I said to myself, "We have to get this doctor!" (Turns out, carcinoid cancer is so rare, and he is such an authority that when Sloan-Kettering gets cases, they confer with him!) This was on the Friday before Kevin came home.

The following Sunday evening my rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) came to help get the apartment a little more ready for Kev's home-coming. I mentioned the above to her at which point she did a double-take and asked, "Did you say Carcinoid Foundation?" Turns out that she knew (I didn't) that a congregant at our synagogue just happens to be the president (for the past 25 years!) of the Carcinoid Foundation.

She called him the next morning, and as Kevin was checking out of the hospital, this fellow congregant called me to explain that not only is he the president of the foundation, he is a lifelong friend (their parents were friends!) of Dr. Warner's and speaks with "Dick" once or twice a day "just because." He had already called Dr. Warner, and within 24 hours, the doctor CALLED US to tell us he had already squeezed us into his appointment schedule. We could not be in better hands!


10/16
We were supposed to get the results of the pathology tests today, BUT bizarre circumstance interfered. Just as our surgeon was back at his office, catching up with all of his patients' progress, he lost a crown and needed emergency dental work. He called me still affected by Novocain in early eve. to say that he had missed the pathologist.

Will meet with her in early a.m. and then will meet Kev and I in Kev's room at about 9:00 to give us the results. Lot's of praying tonight!

10/13
He has a long road of recovery ahead. How long will depend on the rate at which his body heals, whether or not there are any complications and what the final pathology reports reveal.

Kevin will have to recover from a big incision in his abdomen, lots of layers of sutures in his guts and trauma to his body. This by itself will take a minimum of 6 weeks for enough of a recovery to return to work. However, somewhere in the midst of that recovery period (much too soon to know when) they will go back in to resection his intestine and colon, and he will have to heal from those sutures. The surgeon, who refused to be pinned down, did agree that we are looking at at least 8 to 10 weeks before a return to work.