Second Opinion -- A Trip to Johns Hopkins

(I've been falling behind in my blogging. Sorry. It's because so many pleasant things are taking place to me and around me. It's certainly not a lack of interest or paucity of things to say...)

Anyway, last Tuesday, April 28, Deb and I drove to Baltimore for a Second Opinion discussion at Johns Hopkins Hospital about my upcoming surgery. The visit had been arranged by my wonderful sister, who works in the Radiology Department at Hopkins, ably assisted by her daughter (our niece) who is equally wonderful and is currently an oncology nurse at the same institution.

(NOTE: This confluence of need [i.e., a Second Opinion] and provision [i.e, the professional connections of my sister and niece at such a prestigious institution]is yet another example of how completely the Universe is looking out for my welfare. Of this I have no doubt.)

It was a beautiful spring day for a drive. Even I-95 seemed pleasant and bucolic in the splendid weather. We arrived at Hopkins at 10:00AM for our 1:00PM meeting, which proved to be perfect timing:

Our first job after parking the car was finding the office where we were to meet our Second Opinion doc. The Hopkins Hospital Campus is huge, with a dozen major buildings, and we wanted to make sure we could walk directly from our lunch date with Martha (my aforementioned sister) to the doc's office in good time. The hunt for the office took roughly 20 minutes, so it was good we did this pre-lunch rather than rushing around as our appointment time came close.

(On the subject of buildings, Hopkins has a large one completely dedicated to cancer research and treatment. No surprise, I guess. But just seeing the building started me thinking that maybe I should have the surgery at Hopkins rather than Chester County Hospital. My E/N/T doc back home said he would understand completely if I made such a decision, and clearly Hopkins has devoted a great deal more money and facilities to dealing with the disease. Hmmm... But read on to discover how this issue played out.)

Next task was to fill out the Patient Questionnaire that Hopkins had sent me a week beforehand. I kept meaning to fill this out back home, but you know how those things go... We filled this out in a coffee shop on-campus. Halfway through coffee and questionnaire, I called my sister to confirm our 11:00 lunch appointment. Martha said yes, she would join us at one of Hopkins' fancier dining establishments at the appointed hour.

Martha showed up exactly on time, and the three of us had a wonderful, relaxed and leisurely meal. (Martha is anxious about my welfare, and I hoped that our chat over salad and soup would allay her concerns. I think it helped...)

We parted company with Martha shortly after noon and made our way back to Dr. Christine Gourin's office. When we got there, I started filling out the other several questionnaires that were necessary to complete before we sat down with the good doctor. Finishing these meant that all the loose ends were tidied up by 1:00 -- and Dr. Gourin was ready for us just as we were ready for her.

Dr. Gourin's credentials were exactly what I was hoping for, and she was incredibly generous with her time. She spent over an hour with us, making sure that all questions were answered and our anxieties were minimized.

Dr. Gourin examined all the reports that Dr. Chuma had written and viewed the disk copies of the CT scan and PET scan that we had brought with us. She wanted the story from the very start -- and was as impressed with my GP's spotting of the potential problem as the other docs have been (as reported in previous postings). This deepened my admiration for my GP even farther, which I wasn't sure was possible.

Dr. Gourin listened attentively to my story, asking a few clarifying questions and interjecting explanations about my condition and its treatment. She described the course of action Dr. Chuma has outlined as "the Gold Standard" for treatment of this type cancer. She also confirmed that the surgery was fairly routine (inasmuch as any major surgery can be "routine") and that complications are rare and recovery and rehabilitation is usually complete.

She also suggested that I might be eligible to participate in one or more trials after the surgery. I liked that. I will be in touch with her after the results of the surgery are available to see what options I might want to pursue.

As we were leaving her office area, Dr. Gourin called after us to say: "And remember, this is a very, very curable condition!!" I liked that too. Especially the repetition of the word "very" with the added emphasis. Yay!

On our way out of the building, Deb and I sat down in yet another on-campus eatery to go over what we had heard. After ice cream and some additional note scribbling, we retrieved the car and started home.

On our way, Deb and I discussed what we had heard and how we felt. We decided that Hopkins would absolutely be the right place to have this surgery if my condition had difficult facets to it.

But since everyone we've talked to about the surgery seem in agreement that this procedure is routine, whatever advanced facilities and personnel Hopkins might have would not really benefit me. Coupled with our confidence in Chester County Hospital and Dr. Chuma, this became more than enough reason to have the surgery and follow-up work done close to home. Two miles' travel rather than eighty. This should make life as easy as possible on both Deb and me for the surgery itself and all follow-up work.

I checked this decision out with Dr. Frank Barch (an old friend, mentioned in a previous posting) and he concurred with this decision completely. His spouse (also a Dr. Barch -- she has her PhD in clinical psychology) said it best: "Sometimes, the very best facility is not at all the best place for you."

So the day was a complete success. We had a pleasant drive, a nice lunch with my sister, an extremely helpful discussion with Dr. Gourin -- and an important decision made with confidence.