Snap Shot

I will try to summarize what has happened from the beginning. In July 2008 Diane went to to the ER because she was having some chest pain. She did not think she was having a heart problem, but as soon as you tell your doctor chest pain off you go. They ran tests and could not find any problems with her heart. During there testing they found some abnormal fluid around her liver and a spot in her abdominal area that they where not sure what it was. They recommended that we follow up with full CT scans with her regular doctor. In September 2008 Diane had ultra sounds, CT scans & a colonoscopy. They abnormal fluid and spot remained unchanged the colonoscopy was normal. We saw a surgeon that recommended that he perform a exploratory surgery to see if there was anything to worry about. The surgery was scheduled for November 12th. After the surgery the doctor showed me pictures of her appendix that had mucus coming out of it. The appendix was removed and sent of to pathology. We where scheduled to see the doctor the following Thursday for follow up and removal of a drain tube. Sunday Diane received a phone call from the surgeon, he said the pathology report came back and that he will need to do another surgery. The doctor made room to see us the next day. At the office we where told that she has mucinous adenocarcinoma. A well differentiated low grade slow growing cancer. The problem is that the mucus that was spilled into her abdomen carries cancer cells that will eventually grow tumors. The doctor recommended that he removes the right portion of Diane's colon and start chemo. I had started doing research that same night of her original surgery and found a lot of information about this type of cancer and the different treatment options. The doctor here did tell us about some of the treatment options that he researched but still recommended his original course of treatment. I asked him how many patients with this cancer her treated and he said the last time I saw it was when he was an intern many years ago. We decided to make an appointment with a specialist in Cincinnati. The specialist that has treated this rare cancer over 200 times recommends removal of the right portion of the colon and any other nonessential organs that could result in tumor growth. Then perform a chemo wash of the abdominal area for 1 1/2 hours during the surgery. The chemo wash is intended to kill any cancer cells that spread throughout her abdomen that could grow tumors. The surgeon and oncologist that we meet with in Cincinnati is Dr. Sussman. He answered all our questions and discussed all options available. We have decided to have Dr. Sussman perform surgery to remove Diane's right colon and any other part in her abdominal area that might be contaminated by the mucus/cancer cells and then do the chemo wash. The surgery is scheduled for Dec 31st and will take 6-10 hours, depending on what he finds. The only thing that could postpone the surgery is if we have insurance problems. So if you could all pray that there will be no insurance issues and that Diane will feel Gods peace and comfort as we wait for her surgery. I hope this blog will keep everyone informed. This was a very condensed version of the past 3 weeks, I hope it makes sense. There is still a lot we don't understand, do to the fact that it is such a rare cancer.