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Need help choosing a surgeon
Hi, My name is Karen and my father in law has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and he and my mother in law are at a loss on how to handle all of this so I am trying to get them as much information as I can. They have gotten to the point where they must decide which doctor to do the bladder removal and have asked me to find out what I can about these two doctors. Dr. Michael S. Cookson at Vanderbilt Cancer Center or Dr. John W. Davis at MD Anderson in Texas. Can anyone tell me where I can get information on these doctors as to how many times they have does this procedure and anything else about them or if anyone knows or has seen these doctors I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for your help
Karen :-/ :-/ -
2 Replies
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Hi Lou,
Thank you so much for your quick response. Our family really does need help and its feels so good to have others to talk with. I will get right to work on your suggestions.
Thank you again
Karen -
Karen,
You can find information about the two doctors by inserting their name into a search engine while using your computer, and the results could give you some information. You can also insert the name of each cancer center and go the urology section of their web site and find the doctor from that particular hospital. You will be able to see where they went to medical school, where they did internships and residencies, etc. Another source is http://www.abms.org where you can find whether or not they’re board certified (which they most likely are if they’re at either of those cancer centers), but it’s still something I always do when I check out a new doctor.
Something you may be able to tell from either of those locations is how long they’ve been practicing this type of medicine if any of their dates are listed, such as when they graduated medical school, years they did residencies, perhaps even the year they became board certified. The more recent the dates the less time they’ve spent practicing this type of medicine.
You can also call the doctor’s office and speak to the office manager or nurse and ask about how many operations of this sort has that particular doctor performed and how long they’ve been in their current position. I’m not sure if they would give you the information I mention next unless you are already their patient, but you could ask about speaking to any of this doctors patients (who have agreed to speak to potential surgical patients) who have already undergone this procedure.
After all of the above it may come down to what a person feels in their gut as far as what the right decision is for them.
I wish you good luck in your search for information to help your in-laws with this very big decision that faces them at this point in their lives.
God Bless.Lou Graham
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