Taking Control of Cancer

Waking up from anesthetic at Marin General Hospital, I wasn't quite sure what was going on. The last thing I remember before that was heading into the operating room so Dr. Joseph Levin could "take a look around" inside my abdomen.

Honestly, I thought it would be a quick procedure and I'd be back home later that same day, relaxing on the couch and watching TV.

Nope.

I couldn't tell what time it was, but I could see by the dimming light coming through the window that it was late. I went to the emergency room at about 5 a.m. with severe abdominal pains. It looked like it was about 5 p.m. when Dr. Levin came into my room to tell me he had found a large tumor during the operation. He removed the tumor, my appendix and about 1 1/2 feet of bowel.

The word tumor hit me hard. Tumor. That means cancer, right? After a small moment of panic, I had to remind myself that it could be benign. It wasn't.

It was hard enough for me to hear about this, but I kind of wish my fiancee, Tracy, and my mother, Gerry,  didn't have to see it. When Dr. Levin was done in the operating room, he walked over to my family with a bucket in his hand. Inside was everything that was inside my body just a few hours earlier. Dr. Levin thought it was a great educational opportunity and seemed really excited. Tracy almost fainted.

We can laugh about that, but I sometimes wonder … If I had to tell my family that I have carcinoid cancer, could I have done it? Would it be easier on the people I love if they didn't know what was going on?

I couldn't hide it from them and, thanks to Dr. Levin, I didn't have to.

I have to say, the doctors and nurses at Marin General went above and beyond to make a hard time a little easier for us. The nurses made sure I had a private room and offered to set up a bed for Tracy to spend the night with me. At the toughest time in our lives, we found great support from the Marin General staff.

We've found continuing support and education at the Marin Cancer Institute located near Marin General. Recently, Tracy and I went there for a seminar on cancer-fighting foods. My local oncologist, Dr. Alex Metzger, has an office there and he's been good about connecting me to the top carcinoid specialists.

In the end, though, I know it's up to me to take care of this situation. I have to maintain my overall health, exercise, eat right, etc. I also have to make sure I'm getting the best care available. That can be tough and annoying.

Finding the right diet is driving me crazy. I spend nearly two hours in the store looking at all the ingredients on products before I buy them. I've discovered dark chocolate can be a cancer fighter, but it's not likely to help my waistline and I'm desperately trying to lose weight before my wedding in July.

I am finding that cooking is developing into a healthy habit, one that I can enjoy and allows me to control some aspect of my health.

Finding the right doctors is proving difficult. Commuting to and from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles wears me out. Dr. Ed Wolin and his team do nothing but carcinoid research and treatment, so it's worth going there to see them most of the time. Still, it would be nice to stay closer to home with my family the next time I have surgery.

So, I just go back to the advice I received from Jack Beckman and others: Take charge of your medical care, since it's your health.

Then there's my own advice to myself: Just enjoy being alive.