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Follow up ……. Didn’t expect

 After three days, when we went back for a follow-up under Dr.TSR. He asked his assistant doctors to remove the staples and Dr.TSR examined the wound. I stepped into Dr. TSR’s room and asked him for the next steps. When they were performing surgery, they collected samples for culture. I collected the report from the lab and showed it to Dr.TSR. I asked him, to please tell me his cancer stage. Dr.TSR told me that we have removed the part, which is affected by cancer. This report doesn’t make much sense. But, as per this report, it is Stage 3. He asked me to consult a medical oncologist by giving a reference in the same hospital and get chemotherapy treatment.

All this while, only I was with Dr.TSR and my father was in the procedure room (to get rid of staples and a jejunostomy tube). When I told him about this to my father, he couldn’t take it, as he was still in the process of recovery.

Either I or my father didn’t expect that there would be the following treatment after surgery (within less than a month). We both were sitting there for a few minutes thinking about what to do. Then, we thought of consulting the medical oncologist and take his opinion.

Doctor: To make you understand, I would say that the cancerous part was removed and the surgery was also successful. There can be a chance that it might reoccur or there can be a few cells, which can’t be traced with the naked eye, to remove during the surgical procedure.

Me: When should this treatment be started, sir? How long would this treatment last?

Doctor: We need to give 8 cycles of FLOT, which is the most advanced chemotherapy for the kind of tumour your father had been infected with (Signet ring cell carcinoma). Each cycle should have a gap of 15 days. So, it would be completed in 3.5 months. With this kind of chemotherapy, there wouldn’t be a need for Radiation treatment.

Doctor: It is advised that you get accommodation in this city and stay here rather than travelling, as this chemotherapy involves many side effects.

Me: Side effects? What could they potentially be?

Doctor: There can be many side effects related to chemotherapy like fluctuations in BP, kidney-related problems and many more.

Me: (Inside) We were scared and couldn’t make a decision on it so quickly. Thank you, doctor, we will consult within a couple of days.

We went back home from the hospital, as we needed some time to process and understand what should be done.

I was in an indecisive state because…………….

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