The Cancer Doctor

Miracles really happen. I am a recipient of one right now. My 3 year old son has been a suspected case of Hirschsprung’s disease. He had really bad constipation, explosive bowel movements. Barium enema and xray results were all confirmatory for Hirschsprung’s disease. (This is a congenital problem wherein the last part of the colon has no ganglion cells, therefore, he can’t pass out his stools properly resulting in extended periods of no bowel movement). Anyway, this was since last Aug 2011, and a rectal biopsy has already been deferred twice due to his asthma attacks. After 6 months of trying to adjust his diet to make him move his bowels regularly, and also trying to control his asthma, so that he can be cleared for general anesthesia for his surgerv; we are finally here in hospital.

The procedure would be a rectal biopsy to look for the presence of nerves in the terminal part of the colon, if there are none, we will move on to a pull-through surgery of the colon through his rectum, cut out the part of the colon which has no nerves, then reattach the normal part to the rectum. This is a lengthy surgical procedure, and it really had me worried that my 3 year old has to undergo a colo-anal pull through and anastomosis.

Sounds simple, but being a doctor and being aware of all the things which can happen to a 3 year old, i was going crazy with anxiety, So i was awake at 4 am Wednesday, February 8, 2012, pacing the room, praying the rosary and imploring GOD, and Mama Mary to take care of my baby.

At 6 am, they fetched Cian and brought him to the operating room. Cian and I waited in the OR for our pediatric surgeon (who is a female and one of the best), and the anesthesiologist. Amidst the clatter of surgical instruments and the hiss and whiz of the anesthesia machines being double-checked, Cian was chattering away and asking all the nurses their names and talking about Blue’s Clues. I, on the other hand was eyeing all the surgical instruments and imagining these instruments being used via his rectum.

Anyway, Cian was given his sedatives, and was put to sleep and they started to put a tube down his throat for his general anesthesia. Even if I knew I could stay, being a doctor has it’s privelages,  I opted to stay in our room. Firstly because it’s hard to watch surgery being done on my son, and second, I take to heart what I always tell my cancer patients about which doctor to choose. You choose a doctor whom you can trust implicity and follow the doctor’s suggestions to the hilt.

So i walk out of the operating room and put my trust in my pediatric surgeon’s and pediatric anesthesiologist’s hands.

Again I pray, for there are things that you can’t control, and are for GOD alone to work on.
I was praying for an hour, when the phone rang, my husband looked at me and said- “you be the one to answer”. I went to the phone and quaveringly said hello, knowing that I would be asked to give my permission to go through with the Colo-anal pull through and anastomosis.

My pedia surgeon said- “Gin, we looked at the biopsy thoroughly and you have nerves sprouting all over the place, Cian doesnt have Hirschsprung’s Disease!” Which of course made me ecstatic, becasue this is a miracle.

How else can I explain the barium enema results, and the xray results, his symptoms, my every other day enema to make him move his bowels, and the opinion of 5 doctors, and my own research on the disease?
But I rather not rationalize and question the inexplicable result. Like the song goes – “God will make a way, when there seems to be no way”. And who am I to question miracles like these when I see miracles happen also in my cancer patients who believe and have faith. It’s different though when the leap of faith is required on oneself. When you intellectually know that Cian has Hirschsrpung’s disease. And yet you hope and ask God for the impossible. And here I am, granted the impossible. If anything else, today proves that He is the GOD of everything. GOD is good!