We received a call from Doctor Victor, the M.D. He said there was one report missing from my medical history that was very important for him to understand what was done previously. I phoned Michael in Vancouver and, fortunately, he was home and had all my records with him. He very obligingly went through the 3/4 inch stack with me until he found the ones I needed, went to the Knotty Boy office, scanned them and emailed them to me. I had them within an hour or so of calling him. The marvels of modern communication and the internet!
So, yesterday, after finishing on the phone, I transferred the reports from my computer to a wonderful little MP3 Player that Michael gave me. I then walked that little device to the nearest Internet Cafe and printed the documents.
I phoned Dr. Victor to let him know I had them, and he said to come in between 6 and 7:30 pm that evening, and he would give me a letter referring me to a cancer surgeon who has a lot of experience with this type of cancer. That gave us less than an hour to walk to the market, buy some groceries and bring them home.
We boarded an auto rickshaw and trundled down to Dr. Victor’s office. We didn’t get there until about 6:30, and his office was full. We had to wait about 20 minutes or so before seeing him, and it would have been longer if they hadn’t bumped us up the queue. I guess they thought it would be a quick visit, which it was. He examined the reports, said that what was needed, scribbled out a letter to the surgeon and told us how to find him.
By this time it was totally dark outside, so we decided to take an auto rickshaw instead of hoofing it. A short ride later we were at the office of Dr. Anil Thomas (a South Indian, in spite of what the name might lead you to expect), which was also full. After a wait of about 45 minutes, we were ushered in to see him. Again, I think we were bumped up, but I think the guy protesting was told we had an appointment, which could be true as Dr. Victor did phone him before we left.
Dr. Thomas attentively listened to my story and read through all my medical records, which we are now to carry with us everywhere we go, at least when dealing with doctors. He said that he had been doing cancer surgery for the past 11 years and my cancer was, by far, the most common. He said that they get an 80% success rate with a combination of surgery and radiation. That’s even when most of the patients don’t come in until they have had the cancer for years and it finally starts interfering with their bodily functions, like eating. The reason for that is, of course, they don’t have insurance, so delay the expense as long as possible. The result is that the whole side of the face, jaw and part of the skull often has to be removed, but no reconstruction is done because they can’t afford the cost or the time from work. For that reason, he has little experience with reconstruction, hence, I assume, Dr. Victor’s wanting to include a plastic surgeon on the team.
Dr. Thomas’ recommendation is that the plate, which is a foreign object the body is trying to get rid of, be removed along with all the old bone that Dr. Anderson put in. This will get rid of the infection and the plate, both of which have prevented healing. He said this should have been done long ago, and that my jaw would not come apart as we feared. It would swing to the left, so my teeth wouldn’t line up properly, which is not a problem in my case, as I don’t have any bottom teeth at all. He assured me that my ability to eat or talk would not be impaired. He would not even do a graft to cover the wound because it is better to let it remain open and heal naturally. He said that in about a week after the operation, tissue would line the wound that is actually more resistant to infection than skin. After everything has healed properly, then would be the time to consider reconstruction. That could be a month or two after the operation.
The actual time in hospital would be only 3 or 4 days, but I would have to come in a few times a day for another 3 or 4 days to have the dressings changed. This is possible if we have the operation at Vikram Hospital, which is about 5 blocks from our apartment.
They will also biopsy the removed bone and tissue to confirm the cancer is not active. Dr. Thomas also feels that they will turn out to be negative, but it is always better to be sure.
While we were consulting with Dr. Thomas, a little girl wandered in, cuddled into his lap, and started feeling in his pocket for his wallet. He explained that this was his daughter, and his family lives in the building in which he has his offices. She fished out a coin and wandered out again.