I had an appt. with Dr. Smith, the general surgeon today. The ENT (Dr. Sandler) wants Dr. Smith to do the thyroidectomy. Dr. Sandler was supposed to talk to Dr.
Smith about how he wanted to approach things-- if he wants to remove the mouth lesion, lymph node, and thyroid all himself, or if he wants Dr. Sandler to do the mouth lesion and lymph node and he'll do the thyroidectomy. I knew Dr. Sandler is undecided about whether to go through my mouth to get the mouth lesion (which is way in the back on the floor of my mouth) or go through the neck. I had been thinking no matter what it would all be done in one surgery, but today Dr. Smith explained that since the mouth is considered "dirty" he does not want that done at the same time as the thyroidectomy (considered a clean surgery). Those of you who have had an excisional biopsy of the floor of the mouth lesion-- was it done throught the mouth or the neck? It has occurred to me that Dr. Sandler may be thinking about going through the neck just to save me from two surgeries, but if it is better I would rather have two surgeries and let him go through the mouth. Of course Dr. Sandler was out of town today, so I am in limbo (again). I am also wondering if I have to have two separate surgeries which I should have first. We know the thyroid is cancer, but it is slow growing with a high success rate of treatment. On the other hand, we don't know what the mouth lesion is or if it is in the lymph node. Any thoughts?

Where are you being treated?

Seeing that they did a partial glossectomy and a suprahyoid neck dissection in one surgery (and of course with different instruments), the worry of dirty to clean is not such a big deal. That issues may be because it's a general surgeon and not a head/neck surgeon.

As an OR nurse I understand the surgeon's point, but it's contradicting to most of the surgeries here.

David- I am being treated through the Baptist Hospital system in Jacksonville, FL. I had thought about Shands Jacksonville but have been told it is hard to get in without an actual diagnosis, although maybe thyroid cancer and a mouth lesion would suffice.
I had been thinking that if the mouth lesion is cancer, and esp. if it has metastasized to the lymph node, I might look into Moffitt CC in Tampa for any surgery needed beyond the bx. My mother has even offered to help send me to Anderson CC in TX but I don't know that one is any better than the other, and at this point I am really concentrating more on the dx. Thanks for your input Patty-- I totally see your point!! I don't want to be wasting a bunch of time while the MDs decide what/how to approach things!!

If you want me to get you an appt at Moffitt please let me know. I just hate to read posts about surgery unless I see a CCC involved.

David-

Can you give me some of the names of MDs at Moffitt so I can see if they are covered by my insurance?

thanks

Dr Andy Trotti, RO
Dr T Padhya, Oral Surgeon

Thank you for the names-- I am sooo frustrated right now I could scream! The good news is Dr. Trotti and Dr. Padhya are both on my insurance.

I just called my ENTs office and learned Dr. Sandler and Dr. Smith still have not even talked to one another, so I am still in limbo. To make matters worse, Dr. Sandler's secretary was very condescending. She reminded me he was out of town Friday, was in surgery all morning, and then went straight to clinic. She said he would probably call Dr. Smith at the end of the day, which means they probably won't touch base with each other today either. I told her I was about to become a very squeaky wheel, and that if there was a chance she might have oral cancer in her mouth, she might be a little anxious for her MDs to talk, too! I am going to go call my PCPs office and ask for a referral to a Shands MD, and see how long that would take. I kind of feel like I need a definitive dx before contacting Moffitt. Thyroid cancer is not that big a deal, but oral cancer would certainly change the urgency of things!!

Thanks for letting me vent!!

Just let me know. I know both of them personally, unfortunately!!