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Old 05-20-2007, 12:48 AM
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johannakat johannakat is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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15 yr Member
johannakat johannakat is offline
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johannakat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 894
15 yr Member
Default Dr Ahn, continued

Let's see if I can wrap this up...

In the end he said it was fine with him to do both the rib resection transaxiallary and the scalenectomy if that's what I wanted. He said I could think about it and as long as I decided before they put me to sleep on monday, he could do it for me. The caveat is that I had to understand there was a 75% chance I did not need the scalenectomy, and that as a second procedure it obviously increased the risk a bit, though not significantly.

So, it turns out that even Dr Ahn is flexible and will do a surgery based on the patient. I doubt I could have talked him into a scalenectomy alone...but I didn't try. In the process of our anatomy/geometry lesson, He gave me what sounded like some very good reasons for using two apporaches for the two surgeries. So, even though to get the scalenectomy and the rib resection at the same time you have two incisions, it seems to me that you disturb less important inner tissues by doing it that way.

I continued on to address pain control with him. I pointed out that I am currently taking a quite a bit of medecine each day. I asked how he would compensate for that after surgery. He stated that he uses alway uses a dualidid(sp?) pump and won't send you home until you can control pain with something oral. So, if you need a second night in the hospital for that you can have it. (I intend to need that second night!)

In the end, I felt really comfortable with all of the answers he had given me. I felt as though he understood my concerns, appreciated my research, and yet was one step ahead of me (and I consider myself to be a pretty well informed patient). He was able to give me a choice, and help me make an even better informed decision with his input.

I also really feel like he and Dr Jordan are doing something special with the ultrasound that Dr Jordan does and the special scalene block procedure that they use. (Although, you all know I am super fond of Dr Jordan, and I think HE in fact is the one who developed the block procedure and then taught Dr Ahn how to do it).
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