Originally Posted by: Online Community MemberHi again, thank you for your quick response.
My concern comes after reading Lyn Eyres comment which says something about ‘Capitalman’ and how he had someone of the list- and this just fills me with fear.
Is there any forums out there that identifies the most highly rated surgeons?
Again I apologise I am new to this and may be asking silly questions.
Chris is correct - any surgeon can have a bad day and no matter how good the surgeon is, if it becomes clear that the cancer was more extensive than first imagined, even the best surgeon in the world can't turn back the clock or undo the op. The issue for people like Capitalman is not so much that the op went wrong or the patient was left with serious side effects, it is the support and engagement of the surgeon in the aftermath. In Capitalman's case (and others on here) the all singing all dancing urologist refused to see the patient or even acknowledge the impact. Bad outcomes can affect their published stats dramatically.
The best you can do is use your instincts - does this person engage with us? Do I feel they value my dad and are listening to him? Does s/he answer our questions patiently and courteously or do we feel rushed and unimportant? You can also ask the urologist direct questions - the usual ones would be:
- what % of your RP patients go on to need adjuvant or salvage treatment
- what % of your patients are still using continence pads 1 year post-op
- what % are able to get an erection sufficient for penetrative sex without pumps or medication
- why are you considering open and robotic surgery for my dad - is one likely to have a dramatically different outcome to the other?
We chose carefully, based on who we felt able to talk to and who gave us confidence. It was a surprise when he recommended open RP but in my husband's case there were really good reasons and so we accepted the advice. Ideally, it should be all about trust and relationships rather than media coverage & marketing or isolated errors.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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I recall my initial appointment with the surgeon and I'd already looked up how many ops he'd done and found he'd been the lead urology surgeon in a large NHS hospital for over 10 years as well as working at several private hospitals. I felt it would be insulting and a reflection on the whole NHS if I was to start asking him a list of questions on his stats. Also what else was I going to do as I wanted the operation quickly. There was an alternative I'd already been offered at another hospital but I didn't really want it.
On the other hand I met someone who said he'd been asked if he was happy to have the first operation a surgeon had done and he said yes. He said he didn't regret it as he was still around several years later but he had poor continence and didn't know if it was bad luck or new surgeon. I'm pretty sure I'd have said no as I had been searching avidly for evidence of the competence of my surgeon.
On the day of the op one of his assistants interviewed me pre-op and seemed a bit offended, I can still picture his face, when I asked with a worried look if the main surgeon was doing the operation. I didn't realise there was a team of surgeons doing the op, three I think he said.
The only question I'd ask, except for one's about my own case and outcome, is whether the surgeon you expect is doing the op and then look pleased when he says yes.
Edited by member 20 May 2019 at 22:28
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Thankyou so much for your replies. Annoyingly I can not yet send private messages as I am new to the site and it restricts it until I have used the site more. We are currently in touch with one surgeon and have been since we first found a high PSA and this particular surgeon has since advised of ‘open surgery’ based on scans etc however we are in the early stages and want to be sure that not only he is they right surgeon but also a capable one. As I previously mentioned my concern is that after reading the information on this site that he could be this surgeon that left some poor chap with various side affects and no duty of care- I find this concerning as the surgeon we have been dealing with is on the dailymail top 10 (both years). I’d like to say that I know any surgeon can’t preform 100% every time and each case is isolated but I find it more worrying that it’s been stated he ignored any wrong doing and didn’t follow up with his patient. Can anyone give me any advise on this? On another note I’m finding reading all the comments and conversations rather helpful and giving me a lot of comfort. Thanks in advance!
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As stated previously, your dad should go with the surgeon he feels confident in rather than worrying about how it went for some other patient; it works the other way as well; he shouldn't go with a particular surgeon because some stranger had a good outcome. The surgeons listed in the 'best of' list are the ones that other urologists would go to if they had prostate cancer; that should be a huge reassurance!
Note that some of us don't accept / reply to private messages.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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I think I had ‘Capitalman’s’ surgeon, Professor Whocannotbenamedhere, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I believe there are others here similarly satisfied with both his NHS and private prostatectomies (£19,950).
‘Nikko’, ‘Rafael’, ‘Mr & Mrs L’ and ‘Maria B’ (their pen names) all spring to mind within the last year just on this forum.
Find a high volume surgeon with good outcomes near you, and go for the DaVinci robot rather than open.
Best of luck.
Cheers, John.
Edited by member 22 May 2019 at 04:56
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What ridiculous advice Bollinge! You bang on about how great it is having ‘one of the best’ but then when another member says that ‘one of the best’ has advised open RP you dismiss that and assume you know better? Her dad gets ‘one of the best’ and you advise that they find someone local instead? Did you even bother reading her post properly? There must be good reason for him advising open; the top ten aren’t going to suggest it just for a laugh.
Not sure that list of happy patients is a great advert ... Rafael is waiting for compensation having discovered that his operation was unnecessary, Nikko had bleeding complications and had to be re-admitted to hospital and you lost 2 inches.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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