Father recently diagnosed-what next?

Vallerina…..thanks for sharing with us and wish for success with the current treatment. I would however continue to engage with the physician regarding a future clinical trial. Perhaps he/she can explain to your father the viable option of participating in a clinical research study. Good luck.
Hugs
Marion

Val, sorry you had to find this website. I just want to tell you I am Dr. Chapman’s miracle. I am alive today because of God, 2 strangers, and Dr. Chapman and team. I have an amazing story to share and keep it posted at http://www.catherinedunnagan.com I am sorry to say though my story took a bad turn last October when my cancer returned after 61/2 years of being cancer free, but for me I remember 8 years ago I was told I had 6-8 months to live, so when I have my pity party I just remember that I got 8 years out of 6-8 months, lots of moments and memories made!
Dr. Chapman is more than a doctor, he is a kind man with a heart the size of Texas, he is very honest and loving. Dr. Chapman is very phone friendly and will move quick in reviewing your dad’s case, he know time is not our friend. Once you contact his office he will have you send records/scans and will make a decision if he can change your diagnosis or treatment before coming to St. Louis. He will not make you travel if he doesn’t think he can help you.
Please let me know if I can help, or if you come to St. Louis you have a friend here.
Prayers-Cathy

Vallerina, the surgeon at UCSF is Dr. Carlos Corvera. Best to your dad.

You are on a rapid learning curve my friend. This website is your first stop, there’s a lot of really good information and you need to consume it quickly.

Here is the doctor at USC I reached out to. Very experience, super confident in a comforting way, but also very honest and direct. We flew out there to do the surgery but ultimately too much time lapse and the cancer had spread by the time they did the surgery.

http://www.surgery.usc.edu/hepatobiliary/facultyandstaff-parekh_dilip.html

It’s been a little while since I’ve had my brain focused on this so I’ve forgotten some things that might be helpful. You, or someone else, need to start amassing medical records. Don’t overthink it, just get everything. The Univ of Colorado system is good because you can download a lot right from the website, but not everything.

You’ll need to put a package together for the surgeons to review. You’ll need copies of the CT scans on disks (make sure you order enough copies of them) and the reports that go with them. That will be the most complex thing you’ll need to get. You’ll get it from the imaging department at the hospital, I think.

It’s hard to comprehend how busy and how in demand someone like Dr. Parekh is. I don’t know how he goes on vacation. I tell you that because you’ll send this stuff and then you’ll wait until he and his team have time to review it, and frankly that could be a couple of weeks. Time is not your friend.

The number one rule for all of this, and I can’t stress this enough, is to develop a close relationship with the head nurse at every doctor’s office you deal with. They absolutely can move mountains for you. You are in this administrative phase where you need to get into the system and on people’s radarscope.

Make sure you’re organized, you don’t want to waste time searching for things that you know you have. Also, retain everyone’s phone numbers. My contact for the Univ of Colorado hospital must have 10-15 phone numbers on it.

Vallerina,

I live in Colorado and have experience with Univ of Colorado, I would touch base with them but I would not take their word as definitive. They told my mother surgery was definitely not an option, but the doctor at USC in Los Angeles said it was totally operable.

There is only two words your father needs to focus on: surgery and spreading. Keep searching for a surgeon until you find one that says yes, and it needs to happen before the cancer spreads or they won’t do the surgery. And this cancer spreads very easily, so there is no time to waste.

Even if he does have surgery they’re probably still going have him to chemo anyways, just to cover those bases. If it was me, I would look at it like there is a big clock ticking.

Good luck

Joe

Vallerina….I concur with all said by Lainy. Additionally, what type of insurance does your Dad have and does it cover UCSF, the dominant institution for our cancer in Northern California? First and foremost, a surgical removal of the tumor must be ruled out. Hepatobiliary surgeries are difficult and must be performed by a highly experienced physician.
Hang in there, Vallerina, too much is yet to be discovered and we are here to help you along.
Hugs,
Marion