Sidney M. Schwab, M.D., the author of Surgeonsblog, is a mostly retired general surgeon. With his blog, his intention is to inform, entertain, and possibly educate the reader about the life and loves of a surgeon.

He also has written a book, Cutting Remarks; Insights and Recollections of a Surgeon. It's about his surgical training in San Francisco in the 1970s, aimed at the lay reader with the goal of entertaining with good stories, informing with understandable details of surgical anatomy, procedures, and diseases.

Here is a little taste of what you can find on the Surgeonsblog --good stuff!

I had a lumpectomy. It all turned of fine. I have two scars -- one underneath my armpit, one across the side of my left breast -- and while they are sometimes obvious if I wear a sleeveless shirt, they don't really bother me so much.

Some women -- about one-third to be exact -- are bothered by their lumpectomy results. Even though lumpectomy is intended to conserve the breast, these women say they are so unhappy about how their breasts look, they would consider reconstruction surgery.

According to a study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2006 conference in San Francisco, 28 percent of breast cancer patients stated they were dissatisfied with the cosmetic outcome of surgery. Of these, 46 percent believed their physical appearance was worse or much worse after surgery. Interestingly, 26 percent of these unsatisfied patients still said surgery gave them an improved sense of body image. Plastic surgeons believe this disparity stems from the relief of having had cancer removed from their bodies, leading them to feel better even though they were not happy with how their breasts looked.

She's cute and spunky and full of life. She's Miss Melanoma, and her mission is simple: to raise awareness about skin cancer. Her slogan -- Attitude is everything. You're living with melanoma, not dying from it -- sums up this survivor girl, also known as Lori Lee, whose main goal is to get a Surgeon General's warning in every tanning bed salon window.

Think about this:

Miss Melanoma has a website. It's a spot for readers to learn, explore, RANT, even curse at cancer. "We won't censor your thoughts," she writes. "And we promise someone here will get exactly what you're saying."

The site features news, articles, artwork, shopping, and Miss Melanoma's personal blog, which is simply captivating. And quite shocking too.

Miss Melanoma, who learned in 2005 that a mole on her right foot was the absolute worst form of skin cancer, has endured the amputation of part of this same foot and aggressive treatment for a disease that began spreading up her leg and into her lymph nodes. And now, right now, Lori Lee is awaiting news from her surgeon about whether or not a likely cancerous lymph node deep in her pelvis can be surgically removed.

"Is it weird what a relief it is to be fighting cancer again?" she blogs. "It's something only a cancer survivor can understand, I think. You just don't know until you've been there. It's the new abnormal, people. Sitting around waiting for it to return when every doc you see tells you it's most likely coming back will drive you up the walls. Knowing that it's here and it's really just one lymph node and that we can treat it, that's a relief. I know. I can't explain it."

I urge you to think some more about Miss Melanoma, visit her website, her blog, and even send her your warm wishes as she continues living -- not dying -- from cancer.

I started my breast cancer treatment under the care of one oncologist. And then in a search for more warmth and compassion, I landed in a new relationship with a new oncologist. He offered me just what I was seeking. Plus something I didn't expect.

My new oncologist offered me a new treatment plan -- a new course of action that better suited my specific disease.

U.S. researchers reported yesterday that breast cancer patients were urged to change their treatment plan more than half the time when they received a second opinion from a multidisciplinary panel of surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center believe second-opinion changes are a result of different interpretations of breast imaging and pathology results, consideration of new techniques and treatments, discovery of undiagnosed second cancers, and emerging medical research.

It wasn't a formal multidisciplinary team that delivered me a new, better opinion for my own cancer care. It was one man, who merged instinct and science and then consulted a well-know oncologist friend who agreed with the approach I ended up following.

I am thankful for everything I gained from my second opinion -- the warmth, the compassion, the treatment plan that has served me well for two years.

You have just been told you need surgery. You have questions. Here's one you might not think to ask the surgeon. Do you play video games? Beth Israel Medical Center researchers asked and what they discovered is surgeons who play video games prior to surgery made less mistakes. During a laparoscopic surgical training course, surgeons who played video games before the laparoscopic surgery training exercise completed the procedure an average of 11 seconds faster with less error than the surgeons who did not play video games.

Dr. James Rosser, lead investigator of the study is quoted as saying, "Performing laparoscopic surgery is like trying to tie your shoe laces with three-foot-long chopsticks while watching on a TV screen." Laparoscopic surgical procedures are commonly performed for uterus or colon surgeries. Rosser has been playing video games for over thirty years. He wanted to minimize the number of surgical errors made by surgeons and developed the Top Gun Laparoscopic Surgery Skill and Suturing Program, and took his cue from the flight simulator training pilots use.