Les,
> Get a second opinion - I don't believe that anyone would disagree here. Even the most highly skilled physician should respect your families' desire to obtain a second or third opinion before considering such a major surgery. When my wife was exploring her options prior to R/C we visited three well know and highly respected surgeons/hospitals.
> Consider major centers of excellence - while this is generally true for most things, there are other aspects to consider. Not every patient and family have the resources to travel to a major center for treatment. When my wife had her R/C in May, 2006, we spent 5 weeks away from our home while she recovered. We were fortunate to have the support of family, friends, and employers to allow us to exercise this option.
> What is the candidate surgeon's experience with the type of diversion your father is considering? At one of our surgeon/hospital visits, the doctor offered names of patients with various diversions that we could contact. The type of diversion that your father is considering is very personal and it must be something that he will be satisfied with for a long time.
Your father and family will need to make the desicion that's best for all involved. Hopefully, you'll be able to extract the helpful information from the previous posts and disregard the less useful information.
Please keep us posted on your father's progress and continue to seek advice and answers to questions.
Ed Kinsella
