Now What?

He had a daughter who was a physician.  In a conversation with her mother (his wife), she said "you must not let anyone operate on him."  

Because that could mean any number of things, he asked her during a visit to the beach what she had meant.  Did she mean she didn't like the local doctors and hospitals and wanted him to go to Houston for his next surgery?

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.  She meant his chances of recovering from surgery with good quality of life had a very low probability.  

Her thoughts were: 
1. He had big time problems with low blood pressure last time and probably would again. 
2. Diabetes has left his tissues very weak. She compared them to wet Kleenex and said that sewing wet Kleenex doesn't work.  And, that the reason he had a gaping wound last time was because of this problem. 
3. She thought he had so many antigens in his blood now that he couldn't count on there being enough blood if something goes wrong in surgery. 
4. Last time he was in near Kidney failure.  He should expect that again.  And he might wind up on dialysis.
5. He has short bowel symptoms now.  If more of his small bowel is removed, he will have problems with dehydration because he would not be absorbing enough liquids.  He might be forced to drink Ensure for nourishment because it passes through the gut the slowest or be hooked up every night for TPN.  And he would experience much more problem with diarrhea probably to the extent that he would be home bound. 
6. The possibility of an infection taking him out is high.     

He asked her what would happen if he had the oblation  procedure.  She said she thought poking a hole in his bowel trying to reach the nodules was a bad idea.  The weak tissue healing problems and the possibility for a puncture becoming infected leaving him in the same messed up bowel situation that he had last time.  Therefore not a good idea 

She said he could fight the cancer and probably have these results which would limit the quality of life or he could decide to make the most of the time I have left and do nothing. 

He asked, "What do we do if it metastasizes to my Liver or Lung."  She said to ask his oncologist.

He thought Holy Shit!