Paging Dr. Stryker

When I was 39, nearly 40, I got hit with an attack of kidney stones. After lots of tests it was discovered that I had a benign tumor on my parathyroid. When the local Indiana dr. discussed opening my neck from ear to ear to remove the tumor, we looked to Chicago. In the end my tumor was removed by a young surgeon named Sturgeon (love that!) at Northwestern and I was left with a barely noticeable 1 inch scar on my throat. So in the colonoscopy room when the dr. told us we needed to see a surgeon right away Jim said "We'll be going to Northwestern". Just so happens the doc had a friend at Northwestern, he gave him a buzz and that's where we got the name Stryker (love that too!).
We of course googled Dr. Stryker and as it turns out he's the guy you want to see. We made the appointment and we were in his office one week and one day after the colonoscopy. To prepare there's some more not eating and then the morning of an enema. Not entirely pleasant, but doable.
We had the CT disc and all reports ready for the doc and after he gave me what has so far been the most invasive testing I'd experienced in my life (flexible sigmoidoscopy) we were back in his office ready to talk. Just like in the movies.
The surgery is performed to remove the tumor and the surrounding lymph nodes. It is done by cutting the margins of the tumourous colon and then reattaching the two remaining ends. It's called a colon resection.
He told us all the possibilities, even how things go with people with tumors other than where mine was, he told us EVERYTHING. Bottom line was my tumor was not in the best of places, a little lower than he preferred and expected. My ovaries might be in the way. Did I need them? Hell no, take 'em! I may have to wake up with an illesotomy, but it would be temporary. Bring it! I would not need radiation, but there was a 50% chance of adjuvant chemotherapy. I'm down! Was I busy next Thursday because that was his first opening? Who cares?!
At this point Dr. Stryker told me how he thought he'd know me in 20 years. How folks come into to see him and when he takes a look at everything he wonders how he'll ever be able to help them. But when people like me come in he's happy because he's got this and it's going to be just fine. In 5 years time we'll be toasting with champagne in his office and he'll be kicking me out the door permanently. These are good things to hear and I don't think he says them lightly, and they gave me the sliver of hope I needed to keep going, but the fear doesn't really subside. I'm as scared as I was when this first started. I'm just done melting on the floor. For now.
I was sent downstairs for a blood draw and chest X-ray. The CT scan didn't include my chest so I believe not only is the chest X-ray a way to make sure you're healthy enough for surgery but also to check for any signs of metastasis. Scary.  And I was told to set up an appointment with a cardiologist and a stoma nurse and then we'd be ready to roll.