Success Story
A Throat Issue Helped Diagnose a Deadly Colon Cancer, Which Was Treated Laparoscopically
Alan Sheppard, a 67-year-old retired accountant and CFO from Collinsville, was having problems swallowing, and after a visit with his general physician, he was referred to gastroenterologist Vasantha Pai, MD.
“I went to Dr. Pai to have him check out my throat, and he said he had to basically go in both ways, because I was scheduled to come in in a year for a colonoscopy,” Alan said. “The test was done, and Dr. Pai discovered I had cancer in the colon.”
Next Steps
Dr. Pai got Alan in contact with Lincoln Surgical Associates’ Kevin Barnett, MD, FACS, about removing the cancerous part of the colon.
“After Dr. Pai did the biopsy, he found out it was a fast-acting cancer, so the sooner that Dr. Barnett operated, the better my chances of not having to go through chemo or radiation,” Alan said.
Alan was diagnosed with invasive adenocarcinoma.
The Surgery
“Dr. Barnett was going to basically cut like six inches of it laparoscopically, but he ended up cutting like a foot out of my colon because he saw diverticulitis,” Alan said. “So he also took that out. He said I’d be in the hospital 5-7 days. I started feeling good, extremely good by the second day; everything seemed pretty much normal. And so I came home the second day.” Although Dr. Barnett removed so much of the colon, the procedure was still a minimally invasive colon surgery. As such, Alan experienced minimum pain, a shorter hospital stay, and a quick return to his normal activity and diet.
Our team performs
800Prior to and after surgery, Dr. Barnett kept Alan informed on exactly what would happen during his surgery. This included the risk of having to use a colostomy bag after the surgery.
“Dr. Barnett explained that if the cancer was too close to the anus and he couldn't safely put the colon back together, I may have to use a colostomy bag,” Alan said. “He was very reassuring.”
When asked how he’s feeling now, Alan says, “I feel better now than I have in years.”
Choosing Metro East over St. Louis
Alan admits that when it came to having his surgery, he had some concerns.
“I wasn’t sure about whether to go to St. Louis or stay on this side of the river,” he said. “But I really like all my doctors. Kevin Pritchett, my GP, and everyone he sent me to… they’ve done fabulous.”