Referred to surgery for 3 centimeter flat polyp
It all started with my first screening colonoscopy in Phoenix AZ on 7/21/2015. As I was waking up from anesthesia my doctor informed me that I have a 3cm flat polyp that he could not remove and would require surgery. I was in shock as I was trying to absorb the news and trying to cope with everything around me at the same time. I was referred to a surgeon and upon my visit he gave me a brochure that has all the different types of colon surgery and mine was a right hemicolectomy and was informed by the surgeon that I would require a few days stay at the hospital after surgery and a few more weeks to recover. This did not sound too good and I started to panic as I scheduled for surgery but also began researching the Internet for other options. I found out about EMR (Endoscopic Mucosal Resection) and began reading about it. After I was convinced that the EMR procedure was a viable option I looked for an EMR specialist around where I live and I found a specialist in Chandler and immediately scheduled for consultation. Upon consultation the specialist informed me that he will attempt an EMR and removal of the flat polyp but if he encounters any difficulties during the procedure he will stop and I agreed. I immediately cancelled my surgery and scheduled for an EMR procedure in the hope that the polyp will be removed without having to take out almost one foot of my colon. The day came for my second colonoscopy "EMR" on 9/16/2015 and I was nervous but was hoping that the doctor will be successful in removing the entire flat polyp. I was informed after the procedure that the polyp was too big and spanned over two folds in my colon making it difficult to remove with EMR and the specialist referred me back to surgery as the only remaining option. All that was done in the second attempt was a lift performed on a specimen sent for histology to evaluate for possible underlying malignancy (which thankfully came back clean). At that point I was extremely disappointed and rescheduled for surgery but in my mind I felt that EMR was still a viable option so I went back and did more research. I found out that EMR is highly dependent on the skill of the doctor performing it, so it's important to find a doctor who is good and good EMR doctors are few. You might think it's important to find a doctor close to home. It might be possible but it's not necessarily easy and in my situation that was not the case. For EMR, I think the probability of success is more important than convenience. Remember good EMR doctors are few! Once again I started researching EMR specialists on the west coast and Dr Kenneth Binmoeller's name, from California Pacific Medical Center in San Fransisco, came up. I immediately contacted his office and sent all my reports and they came back saying that there is a good chance that Dr. Binmoeller can remove it so I went ahead and scheduled for the procedure and cancelled my surgery for the second time. I travelled to San Francisco with my wife the day before my procedure and started my usual liquid prep in the evening. The big day finally arrived on 11/20/2015, the day of my EMR procedure, I was feeling anxious but hopeful again that this time around the results will be different than previous attempts. Dr Binmoeller delivered the great news that the procedure was successfully performed but with great difficulty due to severe scarring of the tissue from the previous attempted EMR. I was extremely relieved and thankful for his expertise and ability to remove a difficult polyp en bloc (in one piece). In my dictionary Dr Binmoeller is the "Godfather of colonoscopy"!