Part 6: The Second Operation
The Operation Scheduled
Saturday, January 14, 2006
It looks as if I will be having the operation Tuesday, January 24. We thought it would be at Vikram Hospital, just down the road a bit, but it is the most expensive hospital in town and I don’t think our Canadian insurance will cover all the costs. However, there is a hospital, Bharath Cancer Hospital, about 20 minutes or so away by auto-rickshaw that will probably be fine. We went to check it out and what we saw confirmed what people are saying; it is fine and clean, just simple.
The surgeon, who will do the operation, Dr. Thomas, has an excellent reputation, and he says he operates there all the time, the equipment is good, and it is clean, with a low infection rate. “It just doesn’t have the style of Vikram,” he says. He also said now that we have decided to have it at Bharath, he is happier, because the staff there is very familiar with my type of operation and knows how to treat it. Vikram specializes in heart problems, not cancer.
Sandra wrote the following . . .
Bill’s glad, the sooner the better — he doesn’t want to dilly-dally around any longer than is necessary, and the second screw is just about completely out; the wound in draining more than ever and looks a mess. It soaks right through the bandage and looks rather gory. We also visited Dr. Jayaram (the doctor from Chicago that Carolyn recommended) on Monday evening for a 3rd opinion. We went to his palatial home, near here beside the park. He’s a very diminutive little man (probably no more than 5 ft. 3 in. tall), but a very sweet, intelligent person and evidently a brilliant surgeon who has traveled the world and studied with the very best in Europe and elsewhere. He practices in Chicago, but is here doing a cleft palate clinic for the people who normally can’t afford that kind of operation. He is a bit frustrated because he is here only three weeks, and the blood work is so poor for some of them (probably due to poor nutrition) that he can’t operate.
Anyway, he examined Bill right there in his living room, and spent almost an hour studying all Bill’s medical records, x-rays, MRI, etc. Bottom line is, we’re on the right track. He says Dr. Thomas is the best in the business, and we were very fortunate to choose him as the major surgeon. Continue doing what we’re doing, and pls. let him know the outcome. He didn’t charge us a penny for his valuable time and expertise.
He also mentioned that it may be best if Bill never has reconstructive surgery done, nor try to get teeth at a later date. The heavy radiation Bill had in the past, left the tissue with a poor ability to heal, so there is a greater risk of the reconstruction breaking down later. They could maybe TRY a little plastic surgery in several months, just to make the chin look a little more normal, but it would be merely cosmetic. Teeth would most likely be out of the question, and could actually be more harm than good, because too much jaw action would speed up the breakdown of the plastic surgery. This is why reconstructive surgery is rarely done in this kind of case. As long as the patient can talk clearly and gum their food, or take it in liquid or soft form (as Bill does now), they usually just let it heal up naturally and then just leave it. The jaw would be a little misaligned, but not too bad, and eating would be no worse than it is now. But first all, that infection has to be cleaned out. The jaw is trying to reject the metal plate because it’s a foreign body, and it’s going to just come out very soon because here’s hardly any bone there at all now to hold it.
Bill will be checking into the hospital the Monday morning about 11 am before the operation on Tuesday, and will be there from 5 to 7 days, depending on how fast he heals. Because of all the radiation, it may heal more slowly, but the doc thinks he will be out in 7 days, at most.
Bill writes . . .
Other than all this, we are doing well, except I smacked Sandra on the head with mine yesterday afternoon. I was bending down to fasten my sandals and she bent over close to me to pick up a fruit basket; I didn’t see her, turned as I stood up and caught her right above the eye. Didn’t hurt me at all, but it sure did her. She has a nice bump there now. The most dangerous thing about India for her is me!
We just learned there is a big exhibition of Indian crafts and food nearby. I think we will check it out Monday.
The church here is adding their prayers to yours for everything to go according to God’s plan. We thank you for yours.
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