Rules and Regulations

I have incredible faith and trust in my oncologist. He's just outstanding.

I have incredible faith and trust in my radiation/oncologist. He's outstanding too.

I spoke with one on Friday, and the other on Monday, and we all agree that it would be in my best interest to get in for another round of Gamma Knife radiation treatment to the brain sooner rather than later.

There's only one problem. We need to find a neurosurgeon to come along for the ride.

Barb and I lost confidence in the neurosurgeon that we were working with previously. He had made some recommendations, and done some things, that we just felt were odd and we were very uncomfortable about. So recently we made a switch to a young neurosurgeon fresh out of Yale Medical School.

I always remember a surgeon, who worked with me through my initial cancer diagnosis, tell me that in cancer treatment young doctors are often very good because they're up on the latest greatest techniques and drugs in an ever-changing field.

He did impress us, although for our first meeting he did come rather unprepared. We learned that he is not allowed, according to hospital regulations, to perform Gamma Knife procedures without an experienced neurosurgeon present for his first ten procedures. The other neurosurgeon in that practice is on vacation for two-weeks and won't be able to schedule a treatment until the last two-weeks of the month.

What I've discovered over time is that the neurosurgeon really doesn't do much. It's just hospital regulations that one is there for the procedure. A neurosurgeon certainly could become involved in following up on the procedure. But, so far, that just hasn't been our experience.

So I've got to stop bloggin and start making phone calls to try to pull all of this together and make things happen. Wish me luck.