Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Getting a different perspective as a patient

Even as a registered respiratory therapist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center herself, Susan Brown was surprised by the level of expertise she encountered at the OSUCCC – James as a patient. “I’m not sure I expected the companionship and how much everyone cared either,” she says. “They really want what’s best for you. Starting on day one, I was treated as a person, not a diagnosis.”

Susan was referred to surgical oncologist Alex Kim, MD, PhD, after a biopsy confirmed low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, which causes seeding of mucin into the peritoneum leading to pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). Although this type of growth isn’t cancerous itself, it does cause the body to react as if it’s cancer, so it requires similar treatment. In Susan’s case, this included an extensive procedure, known as cytoreductive surgery, to remove as much of the mucin as possible from her spleen and other organs in the abdomen and pelvic regions. At the same time, Dr. Kim also performed a hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion, or HIPEC, which basically washes or bathes the abdominal cavity directly in heated chemotherapy medicine to improve its absorption and overall effectiveness. Susan had her spleen, gallbladder, appendix, fallopian tubes, ovaries and part of her stomach removed. “It was pretty extensive, and the surgery took over 14 hours with three teams of doctors,” she says. “Dr. Kim knew how upset I was before the procedure, but he held my hands, looked in my eyes and told me he’d get me through it. I believed him, and that’s exactly what he did.”

After surgery, Susan spent over two weeks in the hospital recovering. “I had a pump for pain control, a feeding tube, central line, arterial line, intravenous nutrition infusions, chest tube, blood transfusions, wound vac and three biliary drains during my stay. It seemed like every hospital procedure I could have, I did; yet I always felt I was in the best place, and I continued my healing journey at home with the help of home health care services."

“I certainly have a new level of empathy for my own patients,” she adds. “It’s difficult to grasp what patients go through until you face something similar yourself, but my own experience just confirms the outstanding and compassionate care that’s provided at The James.”