BOSTON — Marian Salzman said she splits her time between Switzerland, Connecticut and Arizona; the only things capable of slowing her lifestyle have been brain tumors.
“My first brain tumor was removed [at] Mass General in 2007, the second one in 2013,” Salzman said.
She learned of a third tumor a little over a year ago, and COVID-19 has greatly diminished her chances of having it removed anytime soon.
“They’re atypical meningiomas, so I guess as brain tumors go they’re the best you’re going to get,” Salzman said.
The first two tumors were not cancerous, she explained.
Salzman and her medical team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital set a date of Tuesday, December 15, 2020, but a state order halting elective surgeries put a stop to their plans, she said. Her new surgery date will be March 8 or 18 of 2021.
>>>RELATED: Elective surgeries on pause due to surge
Because Salzman set the date, it is considered ‘elective,’ she said.
“It’s not an emergency surgery,” she added
Gerard Doherty is the chief of surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He could not speak specifically about Salzman’s medical situation but spoke generally about removing a brain tumor at a time when elective procedures are not allowed.
“That sounds like a fairly dramatic example with something that sounds kind of frightening,” Doherty stated. “We’d all be anxious by delaying that, I think a more typical example would be someone with an operation for a joint replacement.”
Most cancer operations, vascular operations and cardiac procedures are still being performed, Doherty added. BWH has reallocated resources, as have other hospitals, to utilize the space for elective surgeries for COVID-19 patients.
>>>MORE: Hospitals and patients making tough decisions on elective surgeries during COVID-19 surge
“Because of the way we managed this order from the governor, we’ve been able to decrease the in-patient surgical census to make room for those people,” Doherty said.
Salzman said she could get the tumor surgically removed in Switzerland or elsewhere, but prefers to wait for her team of trusted doctors in Boston.
“For me, it’s worth waiting for,” Salzman explained.
With COVID-19 cases rising rapidly, reaching a new daily high Thursday, it would appear the two-week pause on in-patient elective procedures will be extended, and BWH is planning as though it will.
>>>MORE: Cardiologist believes COVID-19 has shown some elective surgeries may not be needed
“We’re planning for this to go through the month of January in our hospital and in our system,” Doherty said.
In Worcester, UMass Memorial is looking at schedules through January 18, according to Jay Cyr, the senior vice president of surgical services.
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