Читать книгу The Cancer Directory - Dr. Daniel Rosy - Страница 100

• Find out what sort of operation is being proposed.

• Establish how experienced and skilled at this type of surgery your surgeon is.

• Find out if there are any new developments in surgery for that operation.

• Find out how long you will need to be in hospital and need to take off work afterwards.

• If you are having surgery done privately, make sure you know all the costs involved.

• If you have health insurance, make sure in advance that all the fees will be covered.

• Do not sign the consent form to surgery unless you fully understand what is being proposed and the potential long-term side-effects.

• Make sure you are prepared physically, psychologically and practically before you undergo the operation (see Chapter 7).

If you are told your tumour is inoperable, you should certainly consider getting a second or even a third opinion. There may be a great variance in opinion, depending on the particular surgeon’s skill and experience, and certain hospitals specialize in certain types of cancer. You may find a surgeon who is specialized in your particular type of cancer and is highly skilled in removing difficult tumours. For example, some neurologists will operate to remove bony secondary tumours from the spine and reconstruct the vertebra using a titanium prosthesis whereas, in other places, only radiotherapy is on offer. Your scans and X-rays can also be sent to specialists in other countries for their opinion of the possible surgical help for more complex tumours.