Hi everyone
My husband is now 8 weeks post surgery for what we were told was T4 rectal cancer, has had his rectum removed and closed and a permanent stoma fitted. We went back to the hospital today to see the consultant who did the surgery and were told the great news that no further treatment is needed. They have removed the tumour, lymph nodes and a section of the bowel. The consultant then went on to tell us that when they sent what they had removed off for testing the results have come back as the tumour "only" being a T1 not the T4 we were told which led to the huge surgery that he has had done. He said there is obviously a huge discrepancy between T4 and T1, that they would be looking in that and that, and did we understand what they were saying? He said that the operation for a T1 would have been considerably smaller and not as invasive, with no need for a stoma, but that there was no guarantee that it would not have led to what my husband had done anyway. We have left the hospital a little confused to be honest, was he saying that whoever read the scans read them that badly that my husband had a much worse operation and a permanent stoma fitted when he didn't need to? That's what it seemed like to us. What he has been through has been horrific and progress after the operation has been slow, with infections, wounds not healing and he still cant yet sit without a special cushion. The wound underneath still has not fully healed and he is still leaking fluid. Fully aware that it could have been worse if it had been the other way round but I wondered if anyone else had experience anything like this?
I was staged T1N0M0, I had a local resection where only the tumour was removed followed by a reduced course of chemoradiotherapy & I am now 6 years post treatment & cancer free as far as I know. My oncologist told me from day 1 that following this treatment he would be very surprised if I had a reoccurrence. The surgery your husband has had is major, radical surgery & if his staging was stage 1 not stage 4 in my opinion it’s highly unlikely that this was necessary.
Nicola
Hi again Mrs Washington I agree wholeheartedly with everything that Robin (Phoenix Rising ) has said right there! I think the comments from your husbands oncologist concerning possible reoccurrence were completely self serving!
My heart breaks for your poor husband & the emotional distress the realisation that this surgery was unnecessary must be causing him on top of the long recovery from the surgery, you both must just feel complete disbelief that this is happening. I would also urge that if you’ve decided to go down the medical negligence route that you engage with legal representation from the start.
I hope that whatever your decision is moving forward that someone is held accountable for this dreadful error.
Nicola
