ok-so I talked to my mother and she is set on waiting until after the trip for a consideration of the neck dissection....... I am not real happy with that decision.

Like Brian said "russian roulettete". But I can't force her to do it sooner. From the peg stand point too, if she waits then I assume she will most certainly need to keep her peg until she is recovered from surgery right? I would think a trip to Hawaii would be more fun with out a peg-another reason to get it taken care of first. Like Gail said too.....she many not even need the surgery. If that is the case-wouldn't it be better to go on the trip knowing that you are "really" done with treatment rather than anticipating what is yet to come???

My next plan is to get her into MD Anderson for a consult prior to the trip. Perhaps if they find the surgery necessary, they can convince her to do it sooner than later. Which leads me to my next question. How does this process start?

Do I need to wait until her scan (in about5-6 weeks) to contact MD And? Can we get the ball rolling for a consult prior to the results of the scan? Do I need her current oncology team to make a referral? I would like to start laying the ground work for this to happen. Maybe if I make is super easy for my Mom to go and have a consult she might just do it prior to the trip in January. If you have any tips on how to get the MD Anderson consult going please let me know.
Thanks
Tami