Stu Chalmers Carcinoid Story - continued

I had CT scans done in April at the U of MN hospital. They came back with information that the two tumors were basically the same size as had been previously reported, but that one of them was 3.8 cm in the body’s longitudinal plane. It is important to note that radiologists generally measure the longest distance across a lesion. What Dr. Sielaff ordered was to have the tumor measured in three dimensions. The CT scans also showed some possible disease in the Omentum. I talked to Dr. Sielaff and we agreed to go ahead and do the surgery on June 26 (last week) with the purpose of reversing the Carcinoid growth process and “eliminating” the known tumors in the liver.

The surgery itself – Four days before the surgery I talked to a nurse at the Fairview University Hospital. She told me that I needed to bring in a list of all the supplements that I was taking and said that my decision to stop taking them four days prior to surgery was a good idea. She also told me when I should be at the hospital and how the time would be spent based upon previous surgeries done by Dr. Sielaff. She was very nice and answered all my pre-operative questions that were detail not covered by Dr. Sielaff. I was told nothing to eat after midnight on June 25, 2000.

Monday June 26, 2000 – arrived at the hospital at 5:15 AM. They did all the usual history and making sure I was the right person. I had a lot of extra interviews since U of MN hospital is a teaching hospital I was interviewed by nurses, and residents for surgery and for anesthesiology. Just before putting me under both Dr. Sielaff and the chief of anesthesiology came in to ask me if I had any questions and to reassure me that they were going to be doing the procedures and closely supervising any residents who might be given some of the duties. 7:15 I was under anesthetics. They then put a tube down my windpipe to make sure that it could not receive and gastric juices and they also put in the NG tube to keep the stomach from becoming a problem. At 8:00 they started the surgery. An incision just below my lift lowermost rib was used for the scope and device to inflate the abdomen. An incision just above the bellybutton and the scars of the March 2000 resection to insert the ultrasound probe.

The ultrasound probe found no evidence of tumors greater than 5mm (resolution of technique) in the liver other than the two and the Omentum finding from the CT scan turned out to be scar tissue from the resection. Dr. Sielaff seemed to be real pleased that there was no other evidence of lesions other than the small sand grain sized ones in the mesentery.

The ablation was done on both tumors; the largest was about the size of a golf ball. Dr. Sielaff indicated to me later that I should tell my local radiologist that I had the procedure done because the RFA process ablates some of the healthy liver tissue around the tumor to make sure that the tumor tissue is completely ablated. CT scans for the next several months will appear to have larger tumor activity until the body absorbs the ablated tissue. The RFA probe makes an incision about 2 mm in diameter and has practically healed up on the surface after one week.

I woke up in the recovery room at 12:00, but Dr. Sielaff went and explained the procedure’s outcome to my wife about 10:45. I was in and out of the real world for about another four hours. I was given some “muscle relaxant alias pain relief medication IV at 1:00, again at 6:00 Monday evening and at 1:15 on Tuesday morning the IV infiltrated. The nurse was going to start another IV. I asked what for and she said that there were orders for two more doses of the pain medication IV ordered. I asked if there were alternatives and she said that since I had already eaten a clear liquid dinner and was now given orders to eat some soft foods that an option was to take Perkaset (Tylenol with codeine). I was told I could take one or two and opted for one. That worked just fine.

I went home on Tuesday afternoon around 2:30 after eating a solid lunch (small doses though). Took two more Perkaset and then decided to wean myself from that to just Tylenol. The Tylenol worked just fine. I began a process of walking outdoors three times per day along with mostly bed rest and watching videos of Bill Gaither and his Homecoming singers. I tell you this is the best therapy for me to listen to gospel music. It just lifted my spirits.

On Friday morning we began our trip by car back from Minneapolis to Austin Texas. We arrived last night and I am writing this today. I feel very good, but not enough to lift heavy things or do things athletic. I find that I still have to watch that I don’t eat too much at any setting. I am going to try weaning myself from the Tylenol today. I see my local oncologist’s nurse on Friday July 7 after taking the next dose of Sando LAR to see if my wounds have healed okay.

Will be having my next battery of tests (5HIAA, Chromagranin A and CT scan) in September and should know much more about how I feel. I will try to keep the group updated at that time.

Continued...

For More Information Contact:

Texas Carcinoid Support Group
Carol-Anne Wilson 2609 Windsor Place Plano Texas 75075
Tel: 972-867-4417
FAX:
Internet: carol-anne.wilson@carcinoid-tx.org