My fighting Cancer with a teenie weenie stick:Ouch!

I was in my office letting one of my colleagues know about my potential upcoming surgery.  She suggested that I get another opinion.  She had a similar experience with her father, though different illness, but his doctors had been saying one thing...when there were other options for him that they had no idea existed.  She said, search for an alternative--get a second or third opinion.  So I went to the Kansas City Cancer Center.  

The doctor walked into the office.  He was not in a white coat but in a coat and tie.  While he was a doctor, he was more of a coordinator.  He would coordinate doctor visits to get different looks from other doctors.  Thats when he mention a thing called Radio-frequency ablation (RFA).  I had never heard of it.  In short it is a needle that gets inserted into the cancer area...electricity heats up a small area to 105 degrees.  The electricity and heat kill the tumor, starve the cancer cells around it and cauterizes blood vessels to prevent any bleeding issues.  Now, of course, there are chances of bleeding but more invasive surgeries also have that chance.  He said since my cancer was still very small, I would qualify for the treatment and it had a high success rate.  History was showing that it had a very positive outcome.

Another MRI...pain and self imposed claustrophobia later--I was in my surgeons office again.  It had been several weeks ago that I met with the doctor at the Cancer Center.  When I told my surgeon about me considering the Ablation.  He did try to warn me that the cancer might return with that procedure and it was more for older people who could not withstand surgical methods to remove the cancer.  He was more about doing the surgery and with the new MRI...he was certain he could get it all without hitting the blood vessels.  BTW the ex-wife, the family nurse, came with me for the last couple of visits to make sure that questions I would not think of would get asked, she is good about stuff like that.  He then scheduled an appointment with a radiologist who was an expert in this treatment.

RFA Liver Treatment Illustration

Dr Underwood would explain the procedure...show me the device.  The device is a long maybe 8 to 10 inches with spider like prongs that are pushed through once it is inserted.  The prongs look like a naked umbrella...and hold everything in place and become electrified--creating a margin of heating to get at the cancer and surrounding cancer cells.  He then assured me that the outcomes from this procedure had been excellent.   My biggest concern was that the cancer not return.  He said in his experience doing these procedure since 1997...he did not have any patients come back to him with any recurrence.  He was confident that the outcome in my case would be positive and the cancer would be stopped in its tracks.  No surgery...no chance of losing my kidney...and I would no longer have the cancer...just slight scarring a white spot that would appear in any x-rays.  HMMMM.  I was hooked.  So, a tiny needle...an electrical device to isolate and destroy the cancer.  Sounds like some sort of weird treatment that you would see in a movie along with some sort of chant or maybe holistic approach with some grass diet.  However, it is a method touted by Cancer Centers, including the Mayo Clinic...for small cancers in the kidney and liver.  So, on September 26th, 2012...I will fight cancer, again...this time with a small teenie weenie stick.  Ouch.

Tomorrow: The Last Word