Hi Cheryl,

Not my area of expertise but I have had problems with oncologists not being available due to holidays. In my case I rang her medical secretary and politely said that I wasn't prepared to wait and asked who was providing emergency cover for her patients. Literally half an hour later another oncologist phoned me back at home, we discussed my problem and she booked me in for an urgent scan. If you don't wish to wait for the extra week, you could try something similar. 

It does seem unfair for you to be put into this position, sometimes "patient choice" can be taken too far. The doctors are playing to rules which they may not fully agree with. They are not supposed to pressure you into making a particular choice but there is a way round this. Simply ask each of them "if you were the patient which option would you choose for yourself and why?". Don't be surprised if you get two different answers though - oncologists and surgeons are only human and will have their own personal preferences. I have used this tactic myself twice - once asking "if this lady was your Mum which option would you want her to take" and once about my own treatment. 

Good luck whichever option you choose.
Dave

Hi, thanks for taking the time to reply.

I did actually ask the surgeon that question, at which he screwed up his face and said about there being downsides to each decision, and that we had to be certain that we don't end up regretting our decision in the end!!??

Hi Cheryl,

I think Dave's advice to get in touch with the medical secretary is a good plan. If you've written down the questions you would like answering, even a telephone consultation with another, available Oncologist may help you and your husband make a more informed decision about what's the best route. 

I've responded as I've had both bowel and liver surgery, but I had the bowel resection before the liver mets were diagnosed, so I didn't have to make the difficult decision you're facing. 

In my experience, surgeons can be very non-committal about what they'd do! But as Dave says, sometimes this 'Patient choice' business can be taken a bit too far and as lay men, we look to the professionals for guidance. 

If your husband had the bowel surgey first, would he need to have a stoma (ileostomy or colostomy) as this may also be something to consider when making  your decision. 

Let us know how things are going and come and offload anytime! Take care, Jo xx

Hi, we were prepared for surgery including the stoma, before finding out that the tumour had shrunk so little now it seems that surgery would be a lot less certain along with the worry of the liver...! x