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DA VINCI SURGEON IN SO. CAL????

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Posted 3/20/2007 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,

Has anyone had the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery by a doctor in So. Cal?  We have an appt. to see Dr. Robert Reiter at UCLA next week.  I found him after a lot of research on the web and our insurance covers him.  My husband was diagnosed at Kaiser last week after is 2nd (!!!) biopsy showed cancer.  His biopsy 6mo. ago didn't show anything even tho' is PSA's had risen consistently over the last 2 years.   His doc is great but only does the open surgeries and we are leaning towards the robotic after reading many posts on-line and doing web research.

We have a beautiful 5 yr old daughter and he wants to be around for her future so we are going the radical approach and taking no chances. Wondering if anyone has anyone had surgery in LA area?  Thanks and best to all who are struggling with this!

*********************************

PSA- 8.12

Gleason - 7 (3+4)

Husband is 53

ANXIOUS in LA!!!

 

Posted 3/20/2007 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Anxious,

You are not alone in being anxious. I had two biopsies before they found cancer and remember well that the waiting was the worst part of the whole process. Once the treatment decision is made and times are set, things tend to settle down a little. Nobody likes uncertainty and uncertainity is the name of the game with PCa.

I'm sure someone here will respond to your question about docs at UCLA.

Good luck and please stay with us...

Jim
Posted 3/20/2007 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Anxious,

I have been researching Robotic Surgery Doc's in SO Cal for myself. Based on my research and testimonials from this message board I have narrowed it down to Kawachi & Wilson at City of Hope and Ahlering at UC Irvine. All three are renowned for their expertise and have extensive Robotic Prostatectomy experience.

Joe
Posted 3/20/2007 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Joe.

We also contact Dr. Ahlering's office but he is a cash only doctor and we are still looking...    I know that you can't put a price tag on your health but we want to see if there is someone comparable out there.  Thanks for the names of the docs at City of Hope. We will look into it.

Good luck on your journey.....

Cynthia (The Anxious wife)

Posted 3/20/2007 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck to you and your husband Cynthia.

FYI - Kawachi & Wilson get alot of positive buzz on this message board and COH takes insurance. Here's a couple of links about them.

City of Hope Home Page
http://www.cityofhope.org/urology


Dr Kawachi interview on Robotic Prostatectomy
http://www.ttmed.com/urology_japan/InterviewTexts.cfm?Id_Secc=23&Interview_id=204&ID_Dis=199&ID_cou=13#


Business Week article on who does most Robotic Surgery
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_11/b3924122_mz070.htm

 

Joes411, all I did was make your links linkable. -- Lil  :-)

Post Edited By Moderator (7Lil) : 3/22/2007 6:24:56 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/20/2007 10:06 PM (GMT 0)

Cynthia:

Mark Kawachi, City of Hope.

Posted 3/20/2007 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cynthia -- Let me start by saying "Live at Leeds" is one of my favorite albums of all time.  (Who fans will know what I am talking about .) That aside.  I live in Las Vegas but had my surgery done by Dr. Kawachi at City of Hope (COH) in Duarte.   I was very pleased with the way they took care of me and accomodated my wife.  The City of Hope people are wonderful, including Kawachi and his staff. COH also has a 24/7 nurse triage call center, where you can get hold of a "real live human professional" if you have a question or issue after surgery.  I was always happy with their responsiveness after my surgery. Da Vinci Robotic has not been declared the gold standard, but I did a lot of research and chose it for its enhanced accuracy -- when done in the hands of the right surgeon.  Kawachi told me they had done more than 2,300 Da Vinci prostatecomies at the time of my surgery in January, '07.  That meant a lot to me.  If you contact Dr. Kawachi's office, his apointment person will tell you to send copies of your husband's med. records .  They will look at them and you will hear from Kawachi himself.  (At least, that's how it happened for me.)  He is a good doc  -- one with a combination of a "brain" and a "soul."  He really cares about his patients. Best of luck to you, fellow Who fan.  
Posted 3/20/2007 11:01 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Piano Man and fellow WHO fan....

Thanks for the information about Kawachi.  Just curious, was Kawachi a second opinion for you? In other words, were you diagnosed in Vegas and then came down to see him for an opinion or did you know you wanted to be operated by him?   How is your post-op going?  Is it better or less than expected, if I may ask? 

My husband is THE BIGGEST Who fan.  I love them, too.  This year alone we saw them perform 3 times.  3 years ago we saw Pete at a restaurant here in LA and went over to talk to him and got his autograph.  Our baby daughter was with us and he was real sweet to her.  That was the best moment for us (especially my husband).  Our now 5 yr old sings about 5 Who songs from start to finish ("Won't Get Fooled Again" is her favorite).

Anyways, enough of the great things in life..right?   Just curious about how things are going for you now (honestly).  I thank you for your time. I will share all with my husband.

Cynthia

Posted 3/20/2007 11:04 PM (GMT 0)

Cynthia:

If you go to Bluebirds thread  "Thread to Links" I think TCLasVegas has a couple threads about DaVinci in SoCal.

Good luck in your search and journey.

Dutch

Posted 3/20/2007 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Dutch and SJC!
Posted 3/21/2007 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Whofan, We decided on Dr. Thomas Ahlering, even though we found out later that City of Hope took insurance.  By then we had had our consultation with Dr. Ahlering and we found him to be most easy to talk to and understand, generous with his time, knowledgeable, and dedicated.  Also, he is loved by his staff (we saw how he treats them) and it is obvious that he is in good physical condition himself.  He was so down to earth, and so obviously not interested in a "sales job" like one of the others we consulted, that my husband had immediate faith in him.  Prior to meeting with the surgeons we consulted (including Ahlering), we had gone to a support group wherein a recent prostatectomy patient used City of Hope, and though he professed to love the care, had had a terrible complication. At the same group, we met a man used Ahlering who was painting his house three days after the surgery and seemed to be least affected by the whole thing.  He had also gone to a meditation center for the two weeks before the operation...of course this experience was just thrown into the whole mix as we decided on our course. As I indicated in a previous post, I was very interested in number of surgeries performed until I found out why Ahlering has only done 500 or so.  He thinks that too many in one day, by one doctor, sacrifices quality of care and therefore, results.  He only does two per day and only one on Wednesdays because he shares the operating room with another surgeon.  The other thing we noted is that there are two DaVinci robots available there in case one breaks down.  If this happens they can switch to another, instead of going "radical open". It has only happened once, but I liked that insurance too. Dr. Ahlering teaches robotic surgery all around the world.  He is a teacher at heart, and a researcher.  He specializes in urinary continence improvements and had B switch to a beta blocker instead of the diuretic he was on for blood pressure condition.  He said that diuretics interfere with recovery of continence, and no other doctor had mentioned that.  He has found that a small portion of the ureter has sensation heretofore unrecognized, and makes sure to save that portion during the surgery.  In fact, he mentioned that a paper will be written regarding his findings...we both liked that he seemed to be constantly looking for improvements in technique to improve outcome. Another thing that impressed us was the very detailed medical history and questionnaire he required before seeing us.  No other doctor asked for that and we ended up sending the Ahlering questionnaire to the other doctors---who were impressed! UCIrvine medical center may not have the beauty of City of Hope (there is a new hospital under construction right next door at UCI), but I have never experienced such excellent care.  They were absolutely wonderful and the hospital was so easy to find your way around.  Everything is right there.    With B's outcome, as you can see below, we are absolutely ecstatic with Dr. Ahlering!  I have only heard of a few young men that had immediate continence upon removal of the catheter, one week later.  And this condition has remained the same.  He never needed one pad ever! He has a drip with sneezing or lifting, but not anything that shows or requires a pad, three weeks after surgery now. Regarding the other function, the night that the catheter was removed everything was "looking up" in that department too.  I was quite surprised and it has been almost like it used to be, except that he is still so sore from the hernia repairs.  Our insurance is covering part of Dr. Ahlering's fee, even though he is out of the plan.  His charge for prostatectomy is $6,000, and the hospital stay and care (which is the lion's share, over $50,000) WAS covered by insurance except for $500.  I expect that there are excellent doctors at City of Hope, but with B's confidence in Ahlering, we were lucky to be able to put that at the top of the priority list.  Find the right doctor, and I expect the rest will work itself out.  You might check out my thread to see what else we did prior to surgery. Best of luck and I hope you have the same marvelous outcome as my husband.  Life is wonderful! Kind Regards, Becky P.S. Editing to add thread B&B's World: PCa and Energetic Healing  
Posted 3/21/2007 5:07 AM (GMT 0)

WHOFAN said...
Hi Everyone,


Has anyone had the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery by a doctor in So. Cal? We have an appt. to see Dr. Robert Reiter at UCLA next week. </b>open surgeries and we are leaning towards the robotic after reading many posts on-line and doing web research.

<FONT color=black> Wondering if anyone has anyone had surgery in LA area? Thanks and best to all who are struggling with this!



*********************************

PSA- 8.12

Gleason - 7 (3+4)

Husband is 53





ANXIOUS in LA!!!

I had daVinci surgery performed by Dr. Robert Reiter at UCLA. Met with him after seeing a few other surgeons and radiologists. Dr. Reiter is excellent, I felt I was in great hands with him, and the staff at the UCLA medical center, especially the nurses, were superb. Highly recommended!

(Also, I'm 41 and have a 2 year old daughter, so I can definitely relate to your wanting to be around for the long run!
Posted 3/21/2007 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi WHOFAN:  To answer your questions -- I was diagnosed and given my treatment options in Vegas, which were the various types of surgeries and radiation therapies.  I decided on surgery, but wasn't comfortable with my surgical options in Vegas, especially Da Vinci.  The radiation oncologist I saw here mentioned Kawachi's name and I did a lot of research on him.  I liked what I heard and liked him when I spoke to him on the phone. Overall, I have been happy with my recovery, although it sounds like some men recover much more quickly than I did. I had some complications after surgery, such as a painful touch of phlebitis in my leg (unrelated to surgery) and then a soreness in my lower right side and groin.  Kawachi was thorough and had me get an ultrasound on my testicles and checked out for a hernia -- both of which were negative.  I also had some bleeding and clots about four weeks out of surgery, which was a bit abnormal, but not uncommon.  Kawachi called me twice in one night while this was happening and was ready to call my choice of hospitals to give them specific instructions, should I have chosen to go to the emergency room, which I did not.  He also recommended a very good urologist for my follow-up care in Vegas, who did further tests to be sure my bladder was OK. So, in a nutshell, I'm very glad I found Kawachi.  Like anyone else, I wish my recovery was quicker, but I wasn't in the best of physical shape to begin with -- never worked out etc.  If your husband has time, he should try to get into shape prior to surgery because it will make a difference.  I thought I would have about six weeks to get in shape, but an early opportunity for surgery arose and I jumped on it. The important thing is that you guys feel comfortable with whomever you choose as your surgeon and there are good surgeons out there.  Just keep doing the research as best you can. Hope this helps.
Posted 3/21/2007 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
 

Dear Becky and Dear Raheeb,

Thank you BOTH for your posts.

It's amazing how much this helps to hear about the experiences of others.  My husband is a high school teacher and in class every day but he has been reading these posts at home at the end of the day.  I think he is just overwhelmed and scared (of course). I am taking the bull by the horns and just getting out there and finding what I can.

Raheeb:  Thank you for your assurance about Dr. Reiter.  At least we feel good about seeing him as I had not heard of anyone's experience with him.  UCLA is a great hospital (and school--I am an alumni).  We'll see what happens.  If you have the moment, can you write and tell of your post-op experience?  Was it easier than you expected or harder? 

Becky:  Your hubby's experience with Ahlering sounds amazing.  I spoke to Lydia at his office and we are still debating to go and see him.  Not because he doesn't sound amazing but because we also feel that we can might be wasting precious time just going to see doctor after doctor (you know what I mean?) .  We have this appt. with Reiter next Weds so we want to see how that goes.  I just spoke to a patient of Ahlering's on Monday and even though he said Ahlering was the best and had nothing but praise for him, this guy,unfortunately,is still dealing with "issues" post-surgery and is very depressed.  It hasn't turned out great for him even though he is cancer free.  It sounds like everyone just has a different outcome...no matter how great the surgeon is.  I mean, no surgeon can assure us that the quality of life will be the same as before, right? 

Let me know if either of you have anything else to add..or think about...in order to make our decision.....

Thanks again and again....

Posted 3/21/2007 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Piano Man,

Thanks for your post. We are also considering Kawachi.  His nurse is supposed to call us tomorrow.

We now have 3 doctors in the running....a lot to debate and consider.

Am I going overboard? Perhaps.....but we want to be sure...

Thanks again,

Cynthia

Posted 3/21/2007 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi ~    Cynthia   &   Loved Ones,        A    “Special”   Warm Welcome   to   You!       I know we can “all” make “Your Journey” smoother just by being here for you!   This is truly a great forum!!! ~ You have joined!  You are now part our forum family ~ a group of wonderful individuals who are so willing to share...   It helps “all of us” ~ to help you ~ if we know where you are on your path. So ~ Please stay with us and take our hand when you need it!   Keep posting.... OKAY!!     KNOWLEDGE IS POWER... and POWER conquers fear   YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS… YOU HAVE OPTIONS… ~ and ~ Your decision will be the right decision for you!!!     We invite you to visit our personal thread in the signature area below . Our thoughts and prayers will be with you as you continue to move forward with your decision.   In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy   “God Bless You” It's a little prayer   ~   "God Bless You" ...but it means so much each day, It means may angels guard you and guide you on your   way.   (Direct Link ~ just click on the title below and a new window will open!   Reminder … click on the REFRESH icon once you get there) Helpful Hints for New Members... Hope this helps you! :)
Posted 3/21/2007 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hi ~ Cynthia & Biggest WhoFan, and little one!!      As you have found out ~ very quickly!!!…. You have a wonderful support “family” in this forum…. Your honey is the same age as my Buddy…. So this touches our heart a little extra!! I hope you have an opportunity to see our thread…(in our signature line)…. Just to give you a little more information. Pull from it as you will from others on this forum.   It’s truly wonderful to have “options”….   Thank you for reaching out   ….   We have your hand will help you on to the next stepping-stone in “Your Journey”….  A special HUG  for your little one!!     In New Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy
Posted 3/21/2007 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Mama Bluebird (Lee & Buddy),

Thank you so much for your note.  This site is so embracing.

Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence but sure does change your life and your outlook on life.  Just a couple of weeks ago we were trying to plan on summer vacation....to include, perhaps, joining our friends in Europe.  But now, all that is on hold...actually, the back-burner.

Can't even think about going off having fun right now until we now what is happening with David and his future.  It's tough.  We want him to be cancer-free!  But also enjoy his quality of life!!!

How is  Buddy's quality of life after? Is he doing OK?  He had the open surgery?  Why did you decide to go that route ("tried & true"?)....anyways, sending love back to you guys, too.

Cynthia & David (biggest WHO fan!!)

Posted 3/21/2007 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hi ~ Cynthia,   Hopefully ~ you’ll have a moment to read “Our Journey”…. It really gives you an overview of everything that we went thorough from the early doctor’s appointment DRE through the end of December 2006.    Mentally and physically ~ Buddy is doing great!   Me too!! Now when you read about the “wide-excision” in our thread… you’ll understand that we aren’t having to deal with the ED issues because we chose a much more personal route….   A very personal decision…   This is a time for learning…. Gaining knowledge.   You may become overwhelmed….. and if you do…. Just STOP and take a nice DEEP BREATH … and then move forward again.   It is a process we’ve all gone through and that’s what makes it a little smoother…. Knowing you are not alone.   We “can” understand exactly where you are!!!!   At any given moment.   I hope the Helpful Hints page will help guide you to other Threads…   They are all helpful!!! Taking one step at a time / one-day-at-a-time…will help make your path easier..   Stay with us ~ okay…. And continue to post…   We are “ALL” here for you and your hubby!!!! In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy
Posted 3/21/2007 7:41 PM (GMT 0)

WHOFAN said...
 

Raheeb:  Thank you for your assurance about Dr. Reiter.  At least we feel good about seeing him as I had not heard of anyone's experience with him.  UCLA is a great hospital (and school--I am an alumni).  We'll see what happens.  If you have the moment, can you write and tell of your post-op experience?  Was it easier than you expected or harder? 

WHOFAN:

Always glad to meet another Bruin!  I attended UCLA between 1983 and 1988, and my comfort with the school and its hospitals was a big factor in my decision... like having surgery at home!

I am at work right now, so not easy to get into the post-op experience.  It is an experience, to say the least.  I think going into and through surgery was relatively easy, but the post-op experience is tougher as waiting for recovery is difficult at times.  But, it's been not too bad for me.  Feel free to send me a PM, I'd be glad to elaborate :)

Posted 3/21/2007 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Cynthia:  A postscipt -- You also asked if Kawachi was a second opinion for me.  In a sense he was, because he reviewed my medical records and before committing to doing the procedure on me he requested my biopsy slides for the City of Hope pathologists to evaluate.  He also asked me to have certain diagnositics done here in Vegas, before having me travel to COH. Another thing -- what a wonderful difference it was to get the pre-op blood work, ekg etc. done at COH, as compared to Vegas.  I never had to wait more than four or five minutes for a test and the results were back to Kawachi before I was!! In Vegas, it would have been days of waiting.  
Posted 3/21/2007 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
My dear Whofan (Cynthia)-- To answer your question about consults, I would recommend that you have at least two.  I can't impress how invaluable it was for us to see both the doctor at USC and the one at UCI (after the local urologist)--they said different things, and had different outlooks, and it made our final decision that much more solid for us.  If we hadn't gotten another opinion, we might have second guessed our decision, which would have brought more uncertainty. The insurance will pay for some, if not all of those consult fees ($250-300). I don't know if you have had time to look at my thread, B&B's World: PCa and Energetic Healing, and I have not put my final dissertation on the "energetic healing" aspect of our journey to recovery, BUT I will tell you that the efforts we made to heal from a spiritual aspect is a major factor in my husband's recovery.  I am not referring to religion, although religious based healing works too.  It is all part of the same thing, in my opinion, and depending upon your belief system, it will be called by various names. My main point is that our use of adjunct therapies (vegan diet, exercise and Reiki) were instrumental in our process.  You hear a lot in here about positive attitude and its direct relation to the healing process.  The benefit from tapping into that spiritual center inside yourselves is undeniable.  The immune system responds to it.  I have Reiki training, so it became an incredible journey for myself and my healing abilities to conduct sessions on my husband.  Previous to that it seemed that I had helped cure his carpel tunnel issue, but mainly had worked what is called "distance Reiki" on family and friends.  Our incredible experience with Reiki caused our fear to subside, our joyous hopefulness to expand, and a wonderful sense of healing energy (there is no better way to describe it) coming into the inside of us. The energy, and it was palpable, mainly focused in the lower abdomen and groin area and the results, even before the surgery, were pretty amazing.  B had some erectile disfunction before the diagnosis, due to blood pressure medication and insecurity about the effect of BP meds, and all disfunction disappeared two months before surgery (no more need for Viagra!) with Reiki. I have always been quite a skeptic, and so the last few years I was gathering factual data in regards to my personal work with others. Maybe it is all coincidence, but our amazing experience has caused me to finally talk about this healing work at the risk of sounding like...you know...a nut. In fact, I have been quietly bugging Dr. Ahlering to include Reiki in one of his next studies.  He told me that UCI is starting a study that will include a vegan diet also.  It has a huge correlation with PCa.  I would like to see men start regular Reiki treatments prior to and after the surgery and study the outcomes. If you would like to talk more, we can arrange by phone or email.  Kindest Regards, Becky P.S. I am always finding spelling errors!
Posted 3/21/2007 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
Cynthia- I don't mean to throw more into the mix, but anyone at City of Hope is wonerderful. I met with Wilson and a younger guy named Lau, both great. If I have the surgery (debating between that and proton at Loma Linda) good luck to you and your husband
Posted 3/21/2007 11:09 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks PETE42.

I appreciate anyone who replies to the post.  All info is useful.  We are trying to digest it all.  Good luck to you and your loved ones as well. 

Cynthia

Posted 3/22/2007 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Cynthia,
You are lucky to live in Socal for this procedure. It's a major metropolitin area with many highly skilled daVinci surgeons. Mine was done at the City of Hope. Wilson did mine and I highly recommend him. he is the Director of the Urological Oncology at CoH and is famed for his great skill. He does many surgeries a week and has spoken on the subject at many conferences with his associate Kawachi. I have a great amount of appreciation for their efforts.

Tony
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