Bring on the colon surgery!

Penny and I met with my colorectal surgeon Dr Buie this morning to discuss my upcoming colon surgery. The meeting went really well. Dr Buie is very polite, easy to talk to and very liberal with his time (I think we spent 45 minutes with him today).

He had a quick feel and said the rectal tumor has shrunk substantially. That is good news in that he thinks he will have a big enough margin to remove all the tumor and surrounding tissue and still save the rectum (avoiding the need for a permanent colostomy). However, the location of the tumor will necessitate the creation of a temporary illeostomy. This will likely be reversed at the time of my liver surgery in 3-4 months.

Dr Buie also spent some time reviewing the MRI and CT results and comparing them to my original scans from 3 months ago. The image resolution is amazing. There are definitely no secrets with those tests. He was able to show us the tumor in the colon and how much it shrank in response to the radiation. We were also able to see the spots in the liver (some imagination required). The imaging technology is truly amazing. I consider myself lucky to be dealing with this now and not fifty years ago.

The tone of the meeting today was definitely positive and I'm looking forward to my surgery. I still don't have a firm date although I expect to hear from Dr Buie's staff as soon as they have OR time booked. Check here for more updates as I get the info.