I have somewhat of an odd question for anybody out there. I have a lot of faith in my surgeon. He has seen me through my worst and expect him to get me through the worst to come. Recently my mother has asking me if I would like to go to the Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion. I must add that she also has been asking me what color I would like to paint my room, I say I like it the way it is, White, she says what shade of tan or green. She wants to go to the Cleveland clinic. Albeit she wants the best for me. I had a surgery scheduled recently and he canceled for more testing. She sees this as uncertainty and not knowing what to do. He originally ordered the surgery after a scope where he and my GI attended and they both decided this is what would be best. He canceled after talking with colleagues and came to the conclusion there was more to it than the rectal cuff. The surgery was a pouch advancement by the way.

I see a second opinion as further per longing my suffering. Especially traveling across the country for a second opinion. I have recently talked her into a maybe a more more local doctor but I still see it as unnecessary. If my surgeon does not find any other reason for my pain in the tests he has done (CT, scopes, biopsy's, MRI) how would another. My mother recently asked him how he would treat his son if he were in the same position, he responded that he was treating me as his son. She worries that she read that UCLA only does 40 or so such surgeries a year and Cedar-Sinai does closer to 200. He has done two major surgeries on ME, and countless scopes and read countless x-rays,CTs and MRIs of my body. Nobody else has that experience.I know by seeking out another surgeon I am not committing to having them cut me open but I am comfortable in his decisions as long as he is. Should I email him and ask him what I should do. Ask him if he feels comfortable continuing with my case. I don't feel like I need to second guess him but am reaching out for your opinions as my mother will honestly, not get off my case about it and if I tell her no would like some good reasons (or more than I already have). Any musings on the subject would be much appreciated.

I don't have an answer on whether to get a second opinion or not. But what I can tell you about is a web site called patienttravel.org that helps people with medical concerns to hook up with any doctor they may need to go to. They help with free transportation, round trip, carepartner and patient as many times as needed...They cannot carry oxygen dependent patients. Their financial requirements are pretty darn loose, especially if I qualified(Avg. income)
I flew from Oakland Ca. to Orlando Fl. in the hopes of being able to have laproscopic surgery from a top notch doc.
O ya...On the second opinion thing...You are so much closer to UCSF or Stanford for that second opinion. A lot of folks, including me, had surgery at UCSF with Dr. Julio Garcia~Agulair. He is upfront and tells it like it is that's for sure.
Hope this helps
Julie

Most surgeons will welcome a second opinion. It can help you become fully on board with his plan if the other surgeon concurs. If the other surgeon has a different opinion, it can give you and your surgeon something to discuss that may not have previously been considered. An email regarding your thoughts probably would be well received.

While your surgeon may have the most experience with you, getting an opinion from someone with vast experience with your specific complications can be very helpful.

You can choose to go with Cedars-Sinai or UCSF to be more local. But, if you want a second opinion from Cleveland Clinic, there is no need to travel there for an in-person consultation. They do remote second opinions, where you just send them your medical records for their review. Obviously, Cleveland Clinic appears to have the most experience with pouch salvage. It costs $565.
http://www.eclevelandclinic.org/productHome.jsp?productId=standard

But, if you are completely satisfied with how your case is being managed, there is no reason you cannot sit tight with the status quo. I am sure your mom is just trying to give you options, so don't feel pressured into something you really are not interested in.

Jan