They found a tumor on my Dad's liver and have referred him to a pushy (my opinion) transplant dicision of the hospital that is 2.5 hours away from my father's home. I question why they would want to tamper with the quality of life for a fully functioning, sympton and pain free person. Would you get another doc's opinion even if this referral was from a doc you respect?
2006-12-30 10:23:54 · 15 answers · asked by mdetaos 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
In a nutshell, no, and i'd be wary of a couple of answers on here.
Your father is too old for transplant, and even resection. RFA might be considered, or maybe chemoembolisation, but it's unlikley in an assymptomatic 93 year old.
Whichever clown thinks tumour is a contraindication to liver transplantation clearly doesn't have a clue, it is often a reason they are sent for transplant. Providing is it a solitary hepatoma, not multi focal HCC, and that it is under 5cm in diameter it is transplantable. What prevents him being is that he is 93, as you are aware.
Just refuse transplant and ask to be kept under surveillance in the community by your doctor. Ignore pushy American surgeons. It's why i moved back to the UK as they would operate for the funds more than medical benefits.
2006-12-31 02:23:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should have already determined what type of liver tumor it was and given a group and staging. I can think of a few reasons for suggesting a transplant. In no particular order:
The first is that your dad is in such great physical condition that he doesn't even seem half his age.
Second is that his doc didn't look at that part of the record, which would be quite a grand oversight.
Third would be that the doc did know that the likely chance of him ever seriously being considered for a transplant was zero and he just wanted the extra $ services he could charge Medicare for. That's ugly.
Fourth was a miscommunication. The doc may have actually recommended a hospital that offers a variety of treatment options, one of which may have been transplantation.
Fifth, your dad and some other patient have been confused with each other, either in the records or the mind of the doc.
Get a clarification from the doc and/or the referring doc first. If you receive the same answer again, do get a 2nd opinion.
2006-12-30 13:08:50 · answer #2 · answered by gatcllc 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would also get a second opinion.
Getting a transplant is quite positve on someone whose health is otherwise good (hearth condition, general stamina), because that person can recover well from the surgery, which does involve some risks (anastesia, infection, complications, ect.). Also remember that a transplant receiver must take anti-rejection medication for the rest of his/her life. This medication suppresses the immune system, and at 93 years old, frankly, the immune system is not what it was. How does an aged person taking anti-rejection drugs resists to infection ? Were there trial cases before ? I think that's what I would ask the doctor.
2006-12-30 12:00:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tough decision to make on that one. If your dad is a healthy 93 and they believe the liver transplant is the only thing that will keep him going at a high quality of life, you need to think about that. There are obvious inherent risks when you operate on any person, but as you probably know, the older the harder the recovery. Good luck to you and your dad, I hope he makes the decision he wants and yes, I would get a 2nd opinion from someone who doesnt know either of the Docs you have now.
2006-12-30 10:31:30 · answer #4 · answered by Ross P 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The chances of a 93 year old man being given a liver transplant in the US are none and none. Maybe you dad didn't want you to know that he was terminal? I'd get another opinion at the best local hospital before I drove 2.5 hours just to be told no chance of a transplant. At 93 who would want to go through that serious of a surgery anyway? All the best to you and your dad.
2006-12-30 10:40:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What does your dad want?
I would get a second opinion. I would not encourage a 93 year old to get a liver transplant. We should all be living a pain free, fully functioning life at age 93. It's your dad's life....he should not worry about hurting the feelings of his doctor, if your dad does not want further treatment. There are certainly more conservative measures for controlling symptoms, if and when they occur.
2006-12-30 10:34:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Very unusual to even consider a man this age for one. Generally, over 65 is not done, at least here in the midwest. Why can't the doctor call, talk to the transplant coordinator, give them all needed information and get a decision over the phone?? Seems like a waste of time to travel there, when it could be done over the phone. Best wishes for a full recovery and a long life.
2006-12-30 12:18:13 · answer #7 · answered by David B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure they are suggesting a transplant? Malignancy is a contraindication for a transplant even in a young person. I suspect they have referred him for resection of the tumour. In fact I would be surprised if the person referring actually expects anyone to operate but (in the UK) doctors have to follow government guidelines and refer all cancers to a specialist centre and are also not permitted to discriminate on the basis of age- hence the totally barmy situation you find yourself in. It may be possible to treat the tumour by injection of alcohol or by heating it with electrodes but even this couldn't be justified in someone without symptoms. You should ask about the morbidity of the procedure and the 5 year survival expected in your father with and without the procedure. If it has no morbidity and they expect a five year survival of more than 50% then you are probably dealing with a liar or megalomaniac.
www.ukradiology.co.uk
2006-12-30 10:53:22 · answer #8 · answered by gillia6n 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would get a second opinion. You figure you have nothing to lose from doing that.
If the risks of the procedure are greater than the benefits gained from your father having it, then I wouldn't see it as a good idea. On the other hand, if your father is fairly healthy for his age, and the tumor poses a significant risk to his life, then it may not be a bad idea, provided his body can handle the stress.
2006-12-30 10:36:35 · answer #9 · answered by Lunarsight 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
properly what we (the universal public) ought to do is make a brilliant deal out of this... considering the undeniable fact that's.. She replaced into completely coated by employing the business employer.. i don't be attentive to ways a liver transplant is "experimental".. fantastically with the aid of fact the docs knew there replaced into no possibility of survival without it. there have been protests against the business employer.. one i think of replaced into spiraled by employing Mark Kirakos.. even nonetheless it needs to receive so lots greater interest.. i think of a petition could be a large theory... could it substitute something in terms of legislations? No... yet as quickly as we make a huge adequate deal out of it, different coverage firms could be greater careful with circumstances like those... i'm Armenian, so I fallowed the story from the beginning up.. It extremely saddened me to hearken to that she'd handed
2016-10-06 05:41:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋