Men....What would you want done if this happened to you?

[tenni]

LOUISVILLE, KY.—A court in the U.S. has upheld a decision awarding a man no damages from a doctor who cut off a cancer-riddled section of his penis during what was scheduled to be a circumcision.The Kentucky Court of Appeals on Friday turned away efforts by Phillip Seaton to force Dr. John Patterson to compensate him for removing part of the organ without seeking his consent during a 2007 operation.Patterson maintains he found cancer in the man’s penis during surgery. The patient claims he never authorized the action.Seaton, now in his 60s, was having the circumcision to better treat inflammation.

Gentlemen
What would you want done if you were the guy who had penis cancer and didn't know before surgery?

Would you want the doctor to wait until you were conscious so that you might make your own decision?

or Glad that the doctor did this for you during an operation for something less severe?

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1305549--no-damages-awarded-to-man-whose-penis-was-removed-by-doctor

[Gearbox]

They'd sue you for anything in Louisville.:bigrin:

I would have been ecstatic that the cancer was removed and I didn't even get to worry about it.
But I'd need PROOF that there was cancer, and it wasn't just the doc mixing me up with somebody else and trying to cover his arse. THEN I'd sue!:eek2:

[mnTIMIDguy]

Penis cancer? * s i g h * ......one more thing to worry about.

[Realist]

I would want to know what the proof was, that I had cancer, BEFORE anything was done!

I'd be pissed, too, if I wasn't allowed to make an informed decision.

I think the judge was wrong!

[dafydd]

Penis cancer? * s i g h * ......one more thing to worry about.

or one less thing to worry about... at the end of the day.

[dafydd]

They'd sue you for anything in Louisville.:bigrin:

I would have been ecstatic that the cancer was removed and I didn't even get to worry about it.
But I'd need PROOF that there was cancer, and it wasn't just the doc mixing me up with somebody else and trying to cover his arse. THEN I'd sue!:eek2:

If your dick died G, my love for you would die with it. Ne'er a bromance so greater. ;(

[DuckiesDarling]

They'd sue you for anything in Louisville.:bigrin:

I would have been ecstatic that the cancer was removed and I didn't even get to worry about it.
But I'd need PROOF that there was cancer, and it wasn't just the doc mixing me up with somebody else and trying to cover his arse. THEN I'd sue!:eek2:

Since I am actually from Louisiville and live in the Greater Metro area now.. I heard quite a bit about this. The doctor did his job. He removed cancer he found to save the man's life.. covered in the nice little slip of paper you sign giving consent for surgery. While I understand the patient's frustration.. being alive with most of his penis is better than being dead with all of it. I'm sure his wife would certainly agree.

[magic669]

Since I am actually from Louisiville and live in the Greater Metro area now.. I heard quite a bit about this. The doctor did his job. He removed cancer he found to save the man's life.. covered in the nice little slip of paper you sign giving consent for surgery. While I understand the patient's frustration.. being alive with most of his penis is better than being dead with all of it. I'm sure his wife would certainly agree.

Well said.

[Gearbox]

If your dick died G, my love for you would die with it. Ne'er a bromance so greater. ;(
If your cock & arse died Dafydd, I'd still love you for your sweet mouth.:love:


Since I am actually from Louisiville and live in the Greater Metro area now.. I heard quite a bit about this. The doctor did his job. He removed cancer he found to save the man's life.. covered in the nice little slip of paper you sign giving consent for surgery. While I understand the patient's frustration.. being alive with most of his penis is better than being dead with all of it. I'm sure his wife would certainly agree.
I don't know much about it, but surely the circumcision didn't take long, and the surgeon could easily have avoided any trouble by just explaining what he intended to do besides that?
I'm glad the bloke got no money out of it though. That would have been crazy. But where does the surgeons authority of the patients body end?

[Long Duck Dong]

considering that the guy had squamous cell carcinoma, hes lucky... as that type of cancer falls into one of two classes, non melanoma and melanoma...... and I have seen the effects of that type of cancer, it often can appear on the surface but it spreads under the surface and it can be a very aggressive and invasive cancer....

apparently most of the top of the penis was covered in cancer, and that made it almost impossible to perform a circumcision without serious complications, and placed the guys life at risk......

the other issue is that the guy was reading and writing impaired and never informed the surgeon of that fact, yet signed the surgical waver in front of a witness, indicating that he understood and agreed to the operation and any measures that were deemed to be needed.....

[Gearbox]

considering that the guy had squamous cell carcinoma, hes lucky... as that type of cancer falls into one of two classes, non melanoma and melanoma...... and I have seen the effects of that type of cancer, it often can appear on the surface but it spreads under the surface and it can be a very aggressive and invasive cancer....

apparently most of the top of the penis was covered in cancer, and that made it almost impossible to perform a circumcision without serious complications, and placed the guys life at risk......

the other issue is that the guy was reading and writing impaired and never informed the surgeon of that fact, yet signed the surgical waver in front of a witness, indicating that he understood and agreed to the operation and any measures that were deemed to be needed.....

In that case, there was realy no option for the surgeon. I'm getting less and less sympathetic for that bloke.:eek:

[Curiousdude47]

They'd sue you for anything in Louisville.:bigrin:

I would have been ecstatic that the cancer was removed and I didn't even get to worry about it.
But I'd need PROOF that there was cancer, and it wasn't just the doc mixing me up with somebody else and trying to cover his arse. THEN I'd sue!:eek2:

I agree, life is to short, being given a chance to live longer, what a gift.

[Realist]

Hmmm, now that I've read more about what happened, I agree with the doctor. My knee-jerk response was ill-informed.

[tenni]

"Squamous cell carcinoma rarely causes further problems when identified and treated early. Untreated, squamous cell carcinoma can grow large or spread to other parts of your body, causing serious complications."

Interesting point that makes me wonder about if this man "exposed himself"? Did he have this cancer elsewhere before the circumcision and it spread to his glans or foreskin?

"Most squamous cell carcinomas result from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, either from sunlight or from tanning beds or lamps. Avoiding UV light as much as possible is the best protection against all types of skin cancer. Sunscreen is an important part of a sun safety program, but by itself doesn't completely prevent squamous cell carcinoma or other types of skin cancer."

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/squamous-cell-carcinoma/DS00924

At any rate, I would want to be informed. I don't know the details of this man's situation but it is unfortunate that a better diagnosis was not discovered before the circumcision. Maybe, his foreskin did not retract? Then how did the cancer get there if the foreskin did not retract? Oh, well, it is an unfortunate situation.

Just did a quick check and human papillomavirus infection may increase the risk of developing penile cancer. Circumcision is report to reduce the risk of getting HPV. There is a vaccine for HPV and girls and boys in my province may get this vaccine free. I recall some statements about HPV as a cause of cervical cancer. HPV is spread from sexual contact.

Most guys probably never think that they can get penile cancer.

[dafydd]

John Wayne Bobbit had almost the whole thing chopped off without anesthesia, lost the love of his life, and became an international joke and worldwide embarrassment afterwards..

Even John Wayne Bobbit managed a sexual comeback from that.... which resulted in a brief (and rather under-rated if i do say so) porn career. He was actually pretty hot, which makes the awful cut even that much more of a tragedy.

[Rose2Me]

I agree with most on this topic. The doctor did what he thought was right, and prevented further illness. I also think that a quick consult with the wife while he was still under to get her consent would have avoided the whole situation. Wives don't seem to have a problem ok-ing/pushing procedures for husbands that we really don't want.

As to what I would do personally, while it would be a situation that I would never want to deal with and I sympathize with the gentleman in the story, it would be an extreme and final answer to my own inner conflict- to hold on to the last vestiges of being a man, or to fully embrace my heart's desire of being a woman, fully and completely.

[topper99florida]

Rose: that's an interesting point you have there. Does one have to elect to have the penis removed if wanting to become fully female? Or by loosing it do you forgo a part of your original self? Is being male, or female, just a state of mind, or do the parts, breasts, vagina, penis, hair, no hair, etc, really do matter? I guess you might get different answers from different people. While I wouldn't want any functioning body part taken off or out, I support the decision by those Transgendered who want to go that final step. I am also quite happy to think of those Transgendered who have kept their penis as fully "She", or maybe even "She+". For me, being male or female is more a frame of mind and spirit than just what one happened by chance to be born with. Either way, I wish you good luck and much happiness!

[DuckiesDarling]

I agree with most on this topic. The doctor did what he thought was right, and prevented further illness. I also think that a quick consult with the wife while he was still under to get her consent would have avoided the whole situation. Wives don't seem to have a problem ok-ing/pushing procedures for husbands that we really don't want.

As to what I would do personally, while it would be a situation that I would never want to deal with and I sympathize with the gentleman in the story, it would be an extreme and final answer to my own inner conflict- to hold on to the last vestiges of being a man, or to fully embrace my heart's desire of being a woman, fully and completely.

Sorry, Rose, but unless the wife had a medical authorization, she couldn't consent to anything, the husband had signed a consent form authorizing doctor to both perform a certain procedure and deal with any unexpected complications just like everyone of us who has ever had any surgery sign.

[bunvotey11]

I say the doctor should have to sew it back on for free - foreskin and cancer.

[chtampa]

If this was a life threatening situation, then yes. Could this have been stopped and started again after the patient had woken up and made his own decision? The doctor may have had the right to make the choice, but he was not right to make it.

[Neonaught]

Considering I have Squamous Cell carcinoma in my throat I though I would comment. This surgeon is in the clear. When you cut into cancerous tissue you liberate cancer cells to spread. This is an unacceptable risk of metastasis. To have woken the patient and gotten informed consent from him would have taken hours and was thus impossible. The patient should be grateful.

My cancer started n my right tonsil back in 2009. Unfortunately it came back this year and is on the far back of my tongue now. I will be having extensive surgery soon to remove it. They are going to attempt to remove it through my mouth using a surgical robot but that will probably fail. That will force them to go in trough my face by removing one third of my lower jaw to gain access. It will be a long and difficult procedure and I won't be easy to look at when it is over. I will also never speak normally again. That finishes me as a teacher or paramedic, the only two thing I know how to do with any skill.

Current research indicates this cancer is caused by HPV virus. Consider getting vaccinated folks!

[rockhard123]

take off an make me a gurl

[DuckiesDarling]

Considering I have Squamous Cell carcinoma in my throat I though I would comment. This surgeon is in the clear. When you cut into cancerous tissue you liberate cancer cells to spread. This is an unacceptable risk of metastasis. To have woken the patient and gotten informed consent from him would have taken hours and was thus impossible. The patient should be grateful.

My cancer started n my right tonsil back in 2009. Unfortunately it came back this year and is on the far back of my tongue now. I will be having extensive surgery soon to remove it. They are going to attempt to remove it through my mouth using a surgical robot but that will probably fail. That will force them to go in trough my face by removing one third of my lower jaw to gain access. It will be a long and difficult procedure and I won't be easy to look at when it is over. I will also never speak normally again. That finishes me as a teacher or paramedic, the only two thing I know how to do with any skill.

Current research indicates this cancer is caused by HPV virus. Consider getting vaccinated folks!

Neo, I'll say a prayer for you. And you are right vaccinations will help stop the spread of HPV. Unfortunately they are only really effective when done in the youth series.

[jamieknyc]

As far as the law is concerned, the doctor was in the right. Generally, surgeons have a right to intervene when medically necessary.

[jem_is_bi]

I would want to know what the proof was, that I had cancer, BEFORE anything was done!

I'd be pissed, too, if I wasn't allowed to make an informed decision.

I think the judge was wrong!

I totally agree!! Probably, he signed some document before the surgery that absolved the doctor of causing any harm.

[JayGrimm]

I guess I'm in the minority here. I would want the ability to get a 2nd opinion to confirm the cancer, then make my own decision on how to proceed. Another doctor *might* know an alternative treatment. You never know. Granted, maybe this doctor did a good thing, but I dont see the negative aspect of this doctor stopping when something unexpected was found, and let the patient make his own decision. At least that's what I'd want.

[Neonaught]

Given all the lymph nodes near this cancer stopping the procedure would have been practically a death sentence.

[Cum1st]

If the doctor had stopped with the helmet removal, the patient may have had to get in line to have it dealt with. In that time it could have spread. Better to die older than to die sooner and intact. Lawsuits like this make it impossible for doctors to do what they do best at a reasonable cost.

[monaohio]

i would have told the doctor why did he stop if it was me i would have told him he should have kept going and make me a pussy this way a man would have his choice of which hole he wanted to make love to me in

[liberlib]

I have not seen anything that indicated the man was of the spirit to be open to changing gender. I also note that this is a good example of why judging a decision that was made 'in the field (of operation)' should wait until all the facts are in. An arbitrary decision by the doctor, even if covered by the release, is not right if there were alternatives. But we weren't there and still don't have information on the observable symptoms. From the later information, if the cancer was visibly obvious that is was spreading through the area, a more realistic question I would have is did he remove enough to avoid spreading further.

However, there is another question no one has asked. What efforts or options were available to the man for corrective procedures--whether surgery, counseling, or training? Was there any effort to provide help for him to adjust other than a damage suit through the courts?