So Here's My Story...
After several months of having trouble swallowing and eating which got progressively worse, I had an endoscopy in mid October. After finishing the procedure, the doctor came in and told my wife and I that I had esophageal cancer. He did take a biopsy which would confirm the diagnosis a few days later. They told me that this type of cancer was pretty rare especially for someone my age (44) and besides being overweight most of my life I've been healthy. Only risk factor I showed was acid reflux which I'd dealt with on and off over the years. I personally think this was the cause. They wanted to get treatment started as soon as possible so after CAT and PET scans I had surgery to install a feeding tube and portacath on November 20th and went home the next day. On November 23rd a few days before Thanksgiving, I started 28 days of radiation and 28 days of Chemo. I was on Cisplatin and then went home with a 5FU pump that I had to wear for 5 days and than return to the hospital to have removed. I really didn't like the pump. I had to be careful about sleeping with it, showering etc. Following the first round, I had 3 more 21 day rounds of chemo. I tolerated the chemo pretty well with minimal nausea until the last round in Febuary where for the first 2 weeks I was sick, sick,sick and extremely tired! My blood numbers were really low by this time also. Also by this time I'd been getting almost all my nutrition through the j-tube. I had trouble keeping on weight which concerned the doctors and my wife. Luckily, I had some to give! In the last year I've ended up losing about 120lbs with my lowest being about 175 during chemo. After building up some strength I went in for surgery on March 8th which the doctors said went very well. They cut me from the navel up and also turned me on my side and made a long incision from the bottom of my right shoulder blade down to my side. They removed a section of my esophagus and pulled my stomach up and attached it. Recovery went very well for the first several days but I ended up having a reaction to the meds which caused serious hallucinations! That's a story in itself and I'll write more about it later if anyones interested. After 10 days in the hospital I got to come home. It was so nice sleeping in my own bed and being in my own surroundings! Since than I've been working on recovery. Only pain medication i'm on is 600mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours as needed but by now I take maybe 2 a day. They also gave me Lortab which I only took a few times after coming home. I do have to take protonix to stop any reflux which I haven't had. One side effect i'm dealing with is numbness in two fingers and part of my left hand. This started shortly after the chemo started. Also after the 4th round of chemo I got numbness in the top up my right foot, toes and ankle. This is very annoying and I find myself lifting my foot when I walk sometimes. Have to watch out for balance issues. I've been on Gabapentin for the last few weeks for this. Other than that I'm able to swallow normally and eat mostly what I want. My biggest issue is eating to eat smaller meals. If I eat to big a meal my body lets me know it! I feel bloated and feel discomfort and pain in my stomach and lower back. I also have minor internal pain at times usually around the incision sights. If I move wrong I fell a "pinch" Also still some general numbness in the chest area. All things that the doctors told me would happen. I went in for my surgical follow up 2 weeks ago and the doctor went over my pathology report and confirmed that the main mass was killed by the chemo and radiation. They did find some cancer in a lymph node but this was near the main mass and was removed. So as of today, I'm Cancer Free! I have a follow up appointment with my oncologist on May 14th and a CAT scan in 6 months. Thanks for letting me share my story here. This is the first time I've written it down and it feels good. If anyone has any questions about my experiences please let me know. I'd be happy to be of any help I can. I wish I had known about this site at the start of "My Journey".
Dave
Comments
-
WELCOME TO OUR CANCER ESOPHOJECTOMY FAMILY
Hi Dan,
My name is Lori but my sign on is MOE AND PAPA, well it sounds like you had quite a round, my Jeff had the exact symptoms, and went to the doctor for his gallbladder but when he continue to complain and hurt, I got persistent and got him in with a specialist, and that is when we found out he had this nice word we call "CANCER", Jeff was only 45 years old when diagnosed and never been sick in his life other than childhood diseases, appendectomy and a workers comp problem many years ago.
It sounds like Jeff Donna and you had the same surgery and thats exactly how his was cut, and I am sure Donna was too, fortunately he did not have to have a J tube except after surgery to get his nutrion and came home with it for a few days.
Yes you will know when you have ate too much according to Jeff, your new stomach doesn't know what to think putting new food in so it takes awhile to adjust.
Just be careful with tough meat like ribs, steak, they seem to get caught in the new throat, and then you have to go to ER to have it removed, believe me after two times at the ER he learned his lesson.
The numbness you are having is called NEUROPATHY, and there is many medicaitons out there if that particular one doesn't work.
He still has some numbness in and around his surgery area, and around the rib area, but he gets along he was on the pain meds for quite some time, as he was in ICU for 12 days and another 4-5 days just in the hospital, so I can relate.
Jeff weighed about 270lbs when diagnosed so the doctor also told him he had a few pounds to loose, and I think he still is loosing, it will be a year in July since his surgery, and has been cancer free for about 8 months now, in fact April Fools day was the one year anniversary of being told you have this disease.
Jeff worked for a steel mill here in OKLAHOMA, and I also think working swing shift like he did also cause this some.
If you haven't applied for Social Security Disability please do so immediately, they will push yours through as the compassionate care disability, since this is a fast growing cancer he applied on November 11th and by January he had his first Check.
You don't say if you work or had been working or family but hopefully you know what to do.
I will be glad to help you on anything you need answered I have walked this journey since day one on this site and you will see we are a great family to be with on here, we all have one thing in common called "CANCER" so we all know what to expect.
We have lost a few on here and alot on here still struggling, we have them from stage 1 to stage 4, some are operable and some are not.
I do know you have come to the right place to vent, laugh, cry, and just ask questions.
I have had a long journey, and when I signed on here I wasn't too sure about this place, but as time went on without this board I wouldn't be able to reply to you like this,
All I can say once you care for one with Cancer, you can do anything, I never thought i could, but I have.
I do want to let you know one thing, we all have BIG BOY/BIG GIRL UNDERWEAR on this site, and when we hit a bump in the road, we just say to you pull up your BIG BOY UNDERWEAR and keep on going, you have crossed a milestone with surgery and especially the IVOR LEWIS surgery which is the surgery you just had done.
I wish you the best and let me know if you have any quesitons.
Thanks and hang on you have just began.
Lori0 -
Glad to read your story
My husband was diagnosed with EC Feb 22nd this year, stage 3. They thought his case was rare as well as he is only 36 years old with only intermittent reflux. The only time he has experienced severe reflux was when he was stationed in Iraq, other than that he's never complained. He doesn't fit any of the other risk factors, not a smoker, not a drinker. He just started chemotherapy last Monday and is also on the Cisplatin and the 5FU pump. Today was the 1st of 28 days of radiation, then surgery after a rest period. This is a scary journey and we have no idea where it's going to take us or what to expect. I'm glad I read your story and I wish you the best.0 -
Hi Dave,
Welcome to this site!
Your cancer journey sounds almost exactly like my husbands. He was diagnosed last August at the age of 39 - T3N0M0, and had surgery in December. He's still recovering and is planning on going back to work in June. He has one toe that may have neuropathy or some kind of nerve damage that may have been from the epidural from surgery? They're not sure. He had the exact same symptoms as you, as well as the same chemo and radiation. He did have the minimally invasive surgery instead down a UCLA. Where was your surgery done at?
He also had lots of weight to lose. He's lost 100 lbs. since last August. Lost the most after surgery. He's still figuring out what foods he can tolerate and which ones he can't.
Chemo has been really hard on him after surgery - he handled it better before surgery. Radiation was really hard on him too which was done prior to surgery.
How's your family in all of this? I am a stay at home mom and we have two young daughters ages 8 and 4.
Take care, and nice to meet you,
Shelly0 -
Hi Anj_and_RobAnj_and_Rob said:Glad to read your story
My husband was diagnosed with EC Feb 22nd this year, stage 3. They thought his case was rare as well as he is only 36 years old with only intermittent reflux. The only time he has experienced severe reflux was when he was stationed in Iraq, other than that he's never complained. He doesn't fit any of the other risk factors, not a smoker, not a drinker. He just started chemotherapy last Monday and is also on the Cisplatin and the 5FU pump. Today was the 1st of 28 days of radiation, then surgery after a rest period. This is a scary journey and we have no idea where it's going to take us or what to expect. I'm glad I read your story and I wish you the best.
I just wanted to welcome you to the site. My husband was also diagnosed a stage 3 at a young age, 39. My husband didn't fit the risk factors either except for being overweight. Sounds like your hubby is having the exact chemo/radiation regiment my hubby had before surgery. If you have any questions, feel free to ask -- as we are nearing the end of his treatments and healing from surgery, to get ready to go back to work. Support from family and friends - plus faith in God is what has gotten us through to this point.
Best wishes,
Shelly0 -
Thanks for the welcome!MOE58 said:WELCOME TO OUR CANCER ESOPHOJECTOMY FAMILY
Hi Dan,
My name is Lori but my sign on is MOE AND PAPA, well it sounds like you had quite a round, my Jeff had the exact symptoms, and went to the doctor for his gallbladder but when he continue to complain and hurt, I got persistent and got him in with a specialist, and that is when we found out he had this nice word we call "CANCER", Jeff was only 45 years old when diagnosed and never been sick in his life other than childhood diseases, appendectomy and a workers comp problem many years ago.
It sounds like Jeff Donna and you had the same surgery and thats exactly how his was cut, and I am sure Donna was too, fortunately he did not have to have a J tube except after surgery to get his nutrion and came home with it for a few days.
Yes you will know when you have ate too much according to Jeff, your new stomach doesn't know what to think putting new food in so it takes awhile to adjust.
Just be careful with tough meat like ribs, steak, they seem to get caught in the new throat, and then you have to go to ER to have it removed, believe me after two times at the ER he learned his lesson.
The numbness you are having is called NEUROPATHY, and there is many medicaitons out there if that particular one doesn't work.
He still has some numbness in and around his surgery area, and around the rib area, but he gets along he was on the pain meds for quite some time, as he was in ICU for 12 days and another 4-5 days just in the hospital, so I can relate.
Jeff weighed about 270lbs when diagnosed so the doctor also told him he had a few pounds to loose, and I think he still is loosing, it will be a year in July since his surgery, and has been cancer free for about 8 months now, in fact April Fools day was the one year anniversary of being told you have this disease.
Jeff worked for a steel mill here in OKLAHOMA, and I also think working swing shift like he did also cause this some.
If you haven't applied for Social Security Disability please do so immediately, they will push yours through as the compassionate care disability, since this is a fast growing cancer he applied on November 11th and by January he had his first Check.
You don't say if you work or had been working or family but hopefully you know what to do.
I will be glad to help you on anything you need answered I have walked this journey since day one on this site and you will see we are a great family to be with on here, we all have one thing in common called "CANCER" so we all know what to expect.
We have lost a few on here and alot on here still struggling, we have them from stage 1 to stage 4, some are operable and some are not.
I do know you have come to the right place to vent, laugh, cry, and just ask questions.
I have had a long journey, and when I signed on here I wasn't too sure about this place, but as time went on without this board I wouldn't be able to reply to you like this,
All I can say once you care for one with Cancer, you can do anything, I never thought i could, but I have.
I do want to let you know one thing, we all have BIG BOY/BIG GIRL UNDERWEAR on this site, and when we hit a bump in the road, we just say to you pull up your BIG BOY UNDERWEAR and keep on going, you have crossed a milestone with surgery and especially the IVOR LEWIS surgery which is the surgery you just had done.
I wish you the best and let me know if you have any quesitons.
Thanks and hang on you have just began.
Lori
Hi Lori for reading my story and sharing Jeff's. Sounds like we've gone through a lot of the same things. As for work, I've been off since mid November and my doctors note has me off until the 26th of this month. With the numbness in the foot and discomfort in the chest and around the shoulder I think I'm going to try and get it extended. I just don't have the energy to be doing much of anything for 8 hours. I'm going to call him tomorrow and try and get it extended until late May. As for money, I'm on California State Disability which has worked out well. No big hassles. Also, as far as family, I was very lucky that my wife's company allowed here to work from home and take me to appointments as needed. The radiation place is close by and treatment only ran between 10-15 mins. So we could make the trip and she could come home and work. And on chemo day which took up the whole day, she would just take a vacation day. She did take a block of vacation when I had my surgery. Her company and co-workers were really great in supporting us. I know it kept my spirits up having her nearby and it was a huge emotional strain on her. This is definitly the "worse" in the whole better or worse thing! Thanks for the tips about eating. I don't what to end up in the ER! That must be a terrible feeling havng it stuck in the throat. I do have little backups. Like when I feel full after eating and than I drink some water. Seems to form a bit of a vapor lock. I find myself thowing up a bit, usually just the water and a bit of flem. It's my own fault and I know can control it. It is nice to be able to eat real food. Over the last year I really had to limit myself. Just have to watch the amounts! I have gained weight and energy since surgery. Up to about 203. Think I'll work on keeping it around there. I thinky overweight days are over. I'll keep following Jeff's progress!
Dave0 -
You are just starting your journey...Anj_and_Rob said:Glad to read your story
My husband was diagnosed with EC Feb 22nd this year, stage 3. They thought his case was rare as well as he is only 36 years old with only intermittent reflux. The only time he has experienced severe reflux was when he was stationed in Iraq, other than that he's never complained. He doesn't fit any of the other risk factors, not a smoker, not a drinker. He just started chemotherapy last Monday and is also on the Cisplatin and the 5FU pump. Today was the 1st of 28 days of radiation, then surgery after a rest period. This is a scary journey and we have no idea where it's going to take us or what to expect. I'm glad I read your story and I wish you the best.
So sorry to hear about your husband and since it sounds like he is on the same treatment as I was, If you have any questions as to what to expect please feel free to ask! One thing about his being so young is he should be able to handle the treatment well. As my doctors told me, one of the reasons the mortality numbers seem high is this is a type of cancer that much older folks get and they really struggle with handling the whole treatment piece. So right away Rob has something going in his favor! I won't say I felt good during the chemo, but only really got throwing up/don't touch me sick during the last round. Also, his immunity will be lowered during all of this so it's really important he's not around sick people. This was really tough for us since most of my stuff went on during the holidays. My wife got really sick with a winter cold/flu around Christmas that took her 3 weeks to kick. She ended sleeping on the coach that whole time and after and we tried having minimal contact which was tough since she was helping me with my feeding tube and pump everyday. We used lots of alcohol gel. I suggest getting a couple to clean your hands with. Anyway, again if you have any questions let me know.
Dave0 -
Hi Shelly! Thanks for the welcome!Hope_Faith said:Hi Dave,
Welcome to this site!
Your cancer journey sounds almost exactly like my husbands. He was diagnosed last August at the age of 39 - T3N0M0, and had surgery in December. He's still recovering and is planning on going back to work in June. He has one toe that may have neuropathy or some kind of nerve damage that may have been from the epidural from surgery? They're not sure. He had the exact same symptoms as you, as well as the same chemo and radiation. He did have the minimally invasive surgery instead down a UCLA. Where was your surgery done at?
He also had lots of weight to lose. He's lost 100 lbs. since last August. Lost the most after surgery. He's still figuring out what foods he can tolerate and which ones he can't.
Chemo has been really hard on him after surgery - he handled it better before surgery. Radiation was really hard on him too which was done prior to surgery.
How's your family in all of this? I am a stay at home mom and we have two young daughters ages 8 and 4.
Take care, and nice to meet you,
Shelly
So after reading the replies here so far I feel like the old man of the group at 44. So do I understand correctly that your husband had all of his chemo after the surgery? I had heard that that was an option. In my case according to the pathology report the chemo killed the main mass and it was dead when removed during surgery. My surgeon told me that somtimes they do more chemo after surgery but he didn't think that would be done in my case. I'll know more when I see the oncologist May 14th. I did my radiation off site with a company that contracts with Kaiser Hospital. I had my surgery at Kaiser in Walnut Creek which is about 60 miles east of San Francisco. Overall they did a great job! I had to keep on them at times but my surgeon was awesome! Besides some issues with the pain medication, I don't think I could have asked for better care. As for family, it's just my wife Jill and I. No kids which of course makes things easier. We did however adopt a puppy about a week before I was diagnosed and since I was pretty much laid up my wife had to deal with everything that comes with a puppy. Had to pretty much keep the dog away from me the whole time since I had incisions etc. As things progressed the dog was able to lay on the bed with me which was good for both of us. People should not underestimate the power of animals to helping in the healng part of it. Also after surgery my Mom came down from Oregon and helped us out a lot! Anyway, enough for now. Really nice to meet you and everybody else. Everybody seems really. One thing I've been amazed by during this whole thing is how it really seems to bring people together.
Take care,
Dave0 -
Hi again,CancerBeater said:Hi Shelly! Thanks for the welcome!
So after reading the replies here so far I feel like the old man of the group at 44. So do I understand correctly that your husband had all of his chemo after the surgery? I had heard that that was an option. In my case according to the pathology report the chemo killed the main mass and it was dead when removed during surgery. My surgeon told me that somtimes they do more chemo after surgery but he didn't think that would be done in my case. I'll know more when I see the oncologist May 14th. I did my radiation off site with a company that contracts with Kaiser Hospital. I had my surgery at Kaiser in Walnut Creek which is about 60 miles east of San Francisco. Overall they did a great job! I had to keep on them at times but my surgeon was awesome! Besides some issues with the pain medication, I don't think I could have asked for better care. As for family, it's just my wife Jill and I. No kids which of course makes things easier. We did however adopt a puppy about a week before I was diagnosed and since I was pretty much laid up my wife had to deal with everything that comes with a puppy. Had to pretty much keep the dog away from me the whole time since I had incisions etc. As things progressed the dog was able to lay on the bed with me which was good for both of us. People should not underestimate the power of animals to helping in the healng part of it. Also after surgery my Mom came down from Oregon and helped us out a lot! Anyway, enough for now. Really nice to meet you and everybody else. Everybody seems really. One thing I've been amazed by during this whole thing is how it really seems to bring people together.
Take care,
Dave
Thanks for responding. Sorry for the confusion - yes, my hubby had chemo and radiation before surgery. The cancer was half dead and half alive in his esophagus, and thankfully no lymph node involvement. His oncologist has recommended chemo after surgery (3 rounds) and that's what he's doing now. He's only had two rounds and does not want to do the third one. He's confident that he doesn't need it and that he wants to get stronger now and get ready to go back to work.
I'm so glad to hear that your wife's work have been so supportive. My hubby's work have been the same way. I'm also glad you have a dog because they do really help lift up people's spirits - they're so loyal and loving and always so happy to see you!
Blessings,
Shelly0 -
Welcome to our familyCancerBeater said:Hi Shelly! Thanks for the welcome!
So after reading the replies here so far I feel like the old man of the group at 44. So do I understand correctly that your husband had all of his chemo after the surgery? I had heard that that was an option. In my case according to the pathology report the chemo killed the main mass and it was dead when removed during surgery. My surgeon told me that somtimes they do more chemo after surgery but he didn't think that would be done in my case. I'll know more when I see the oncologist May 14th. I did my radiation off site with a company that contracts with Kaiser Hospital. I had my surgery at Kaiser in Walnut Creek which is about 60 miles east of San Francisco. Overall they did a great job! I had to keep on them at times but my surgeon was awesome! Besides some issues with the pain medication, I don't think I could have asked for better care. As for family, it's just my wife Jill and I. No kids which of course makes things easier. We did however adopt a puppy about a week before I was diagnosed and since I was pretty much laid up my wife had to deal with everything that comes with a puppy. Had to pretty much keep the dog away from me the whole time since I had incisions etc. As things progressed the dog was able to lay on the bed with me which was good for both of us. People should not underestimate the power of animals to helping in the healng part of it. Also after surgery my Mom came down from Oregon and helped us out a lot! Anyway, enough for now. Really nice to meet you and everybody else. Everybody seems really. One thing I've been amazed by during this whole thing is how it really seems to bring people together.
Take care,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thank you for your inspiring story. I was a caregiver for my dad, Ray, 71 who beat EC, but in December 09, he got mets to his liver, and he could not beat it this time. He passed away 3/9/10. We know that he is in a much better place now, and no longer suffering or in pain. I think it is much harder to beat the older you are. When you are your age, or hope/faith's husbands age, you are stronger and more capable to fight it and beat it. There is another new person here, anjanette and her husband Rob. They are in CA. They are going to UCLA. I think you could be very helpful to them. And as far as being the old man of the group....ha ha. I am 45, and do not feel like an old woman...yet! Keep up your good work.
Tina0 -
Dave your fitting right in with our groupCancerBeater said:Hi Shelly! Thanks for the welcome!
So after reading the replies here so far I feel like the old man of the group at 44. So do I understand correctly that your husband had all of his chemo after the surgery? I had heard that that was an option. In my case according to the pathology report the chemo killed the main mass and it was dead when removed during surgery. My surgeon told me that somtimes they do more chemo after surgery but he didn't think that would be done in my case. I'll know more when I see the oncologist May 14th. I did my radiation off site with a company that contracts with Kaiser Hospital. I had my surgery at Kaiser in Walnut Creek which is about 60 miles east of San Francisco. Overall they did a great job! I had to keep on them at times but my surgeon was awesome! Besides some issues with the pain medication, I don't think I could have asked for better care. As for family, it's just my wife Jill and I. No kids which of course makes things easier. We did however adopt a puppy about a week before I was diagnosed and since I was pretty much laid up my wife had to deal with everything that comes with a puppy. Had to pretty much keep the dog away from me the whole time since I had incisions etc. As things progressed the dog was able to lay on the bed with me which was good for both of us. People should not underestimate the power of animals to helping in the healng part of it. Also after surgery my Mom came down from Oregon and helped us out a lot! Anyway, enough for now. Really nice to meet you and everybody else. Everybody seems really. One thing I've been amazed by during this whole thing is how it really seems to bring people together.
Take care,
Dave
Dave,
i just wanted to comment that Jeff did not have to have radiation or Chemo after surgery either, his oncologist said he was one of a kind also he had 12 lymph nodes removed and nothing found in those either, and his case was even take to the boards of radiolgist, and oncologist cause his was so different. I will say his voice has changed alot since the surgery, he does tire out easier, I do remember you saying about on your other post about your numbness and tingling and of course it comes and goes on Jeff.
This journey has not been easy we have lost one as young as 24, she fought a hard battle and never gave up she was an awesome lady and she was always very full of spirit and comments even when she was in ICU, but she always posted something.
I too was able to work from home while my Jeff was recuperating.
It sounds like you have come to the right place and you are right we all are very friendly and share our stories.
Please if I can help on anything please let me know
Lori
aka MOE
ps, always always keep hand santizer with you, no matter where you are at as you are right even now your immune system is still down, and will be for awhile, also another suggestion we were told is use the DAWN ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP for washing your sink and little stuff in the sink. also clorox wipes in the bathroom is excellent too for when vistors come and then you can wipe down, even though they are clean you don't want to catch something. I am still that way, i always use hand sanitazier. We were also told not to be around any stanten water (sp) its water that collects bacteria etc. and especially you having a J tube, you need to be extremely careful still.
food wise if you start developing foamy white stuff, out of the mouth its okay its part of the procedure, when you try to get rid of stuff or you have over ate, it does get better, keep plenty of jello and pudding around. and please don't drink lots of milk or you will spend the night in the bathroom, this is a long process but as time goes on it does get better,
for your wife, tell her that its not an easy process and you are probably not the nicest person around or will be but times does tell how it works.
if i can help further let me know.0 -
I really hate having to welcome new peopleMOE58 said:Dave your fitting right in with our group
Dave,
i just wanted to comment that Jeff did not have to have radiation or Chemo after surgery either, his oncologist said he was one of a kind also he had 12 lymph nodes removed and nothing found in those either, and his case was even take to the boards of radiolgist, and oncologist cause his was so different. I will say his voice has changed alot since the surgery, he does tire out easier, I do remember you saying about on your other post about your numbness and tingling and of course it comes and goes on Jeff.
This journey has not been easy we have lost one as young as 24, she fought a hard battle and never gave up she was an awesome lady and she was always very full of spirit and comments even when she was in ICU, but she always posted something.
I too was able to work from home while my Jeff was recuperating.
It sounds like you have come to the right place and you are right we all are very friendly and share our stories.
Please if I can help on anything please let me know
Lori
aka MOE
ps, always always keep hand santizer with you, no matter where you are at as you are right even now your immune system is still down, and will be for awhile, also another suggestion we were told is use the DAWN ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP for washing your sink and little stuff in the sink. also clorox wipes in the bathroom is excellent too for when vistors come and then you can wipe down, even though they are clean you don't want to catch something. I am still that way, i always use hand sanitazier. We were also told not to be around any stanten water (sp) its water that collects bacteria etc. and especially you having a J tube, you need to be extremely careful still.
food wise if you start developing foamy white stuff, out of the mouth its okay its part of the procedure, when you try to get rid of stuff or you have over ate, it does get better, keep plenty of jello and pudding around. and please don't drink lots of milk or you will spend the night in the bathroom, this is a long process but as time goes on it does get better,
for your wife, tell her that its not an easy process and you are probably not the nicest person around or will be but times does tell how it works.
if i can help further let me know.
I wish there was never a new person who needed to come here. But that is not the case, so I guess I should say welcome. You have already seen that there are many here who are so good and knowledgeable.
I am really glad that you are doing so well. One of the things Layne learned very quickly was NOT to eat and drink at the same time. Before dinner, he will have his drink, about 15 min before. Then he has dinner. If he has to he SIPS a little water, but that is it. The food settles much better that way.
The twinge in the side is something Layne felt a long time after his surgery and still has it some. I thought it would be gone in a couple of weeks, but it was not. The feeling in the fingers and toes usually mostly comes back. It takes time though.
Welcome and hug your wife
Betty0 -
Welcome,
This is a wonderful
Welcome,
This is a wonderful place to share and learn. I am sure it will be helpful as you heal and continue on this journey. William a seven year survivor still is active in encouraging and helping people on the site after they hear those dreaded words "you have esophogeal cancer".
Thankfully it sounds like you had good medical care. My dad is 78, diagnosed with stage 3 - T1N2M0 w/ a gastric junction tumor. Dad is undergoing his first phase of treatment, chemo and radiation right now.
I don't know if anyone else is feeling like the words --- "oh this is so rare, or only older people get it is really that true anymore". I do know it is one of the fastest growing cancers in the US and there should be more emphasis on early detection and awareness of this cancer in the general medical community.
Best,
Cindy0 -
Thank youCancerBeater said:You are just starting your journey...
So sorry to hear about your husband and since it sounds like he is on the same treatment as I was, If you have any questions as to what to expect please feel free to ask! One thing about his being so young is he should be able to handle the treatment well. As my doctors told me, one of the reasons the mortality numbers seem high is this is a type of cancer that much older folks get and they really struggle with handling the whole treatment piece. So right away Rob has something going in his favor! I won't say I felt good during the chemo, but only really got throwing up/don't touch me sick during the last round. Also, his immunity will be lowered during all of this so it's really important he's not around sick people. This was really tough for us since most of my stuff went on during the holidays. My wife got really sick with a winter cold/flu around Christmas that took her 3 weeks to kick. She ended sleeping on the coach that whole time and after and we tried having minimal contact which was tough since she was helping me with my feeding tube and pump everyday. We used lots of alcohol gel. I suggest getting a couple to clean your hands with. Anyway, again if you have any questions let me know.
Dave
Thank you all for sharing your stories, we are gearing up for his last round of chemo to start on May 3rd, hoping he gets through it as good as the first round. Can you tell me if the second round of chemo gets worse than the first? He just finished day 12 (out of 25) of radiation and he is still eating normally and no pain, somehow this seems to going better than i've expected. I"m just afraid and probably know it will get worse before it gets better, but im enjoying this while I can!0 -
This comment has been removed by the ModeratorAnj_and_Rob said:Thank you
Thank you all for sharing your stories, we are gearing up for his last round of chemo to start on May 3rd, hoping he gets through it as good as the first round. Can you tell me if the second round of chemo gets worse than the first? He just finished day 12 (out of 25) of radiation and he is still eating normally and no pain, somehow this seems to going better than i've expected. I"m just afraid and probably know it will get worse before it gets better, but im enjoying this while I can!0 -
Second round of chemoAnj_and_Rob said:Thank you
Thank you all for sharing your stories, we are gearing up for his last round of chemo to start on May 3rd, hoping he gets through it as good as the first round. Can you tell me if the second round of chemo gets worse than the first? He just finished day 12 (out of 25) of radiation and he is still eating normally and no pain, somehow this seems to going better than i've expected. I"m just afraid and probably know it will get worse before it gets better, but im enjoying this while I can!
My second round was in conjunction with the last 5 radiation treatments. My esophagus actually got sore and mouth sores returned BUT it wasn't all that bad - I'm writing this almost 2 years later - at least that's how I remember it. I had a bit of trouble eating - soreness - for about a week. Then things got better. Between the second week after chemo / rad and surgery 5 weeks later I was able to gain almost 15 pounds. You can get through it too.
Best to you.
Jim0
Discussion Boards
- All Discussion Boards
- 6 CSN Information
- 6 Welcome to CSN
- 121.2K Cancer specific
- 2.8K Anal Cancer
- 440 Bladder Cancer
- 306 Bone Cancers
- 1.6K Brain Cancer
- 28.4K Breast Cancer
- 391 Childhood Cancers
- 27.9K Colorectal Cancer
- 4.6K Esophageal Cancer
- 1.2K Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine)
- 12.9K Head and Neck Cancer
- 6.3K Kidney Cancer
- 666 Leukemia
- 789 Liver Cancer
- 4.1K Lung Cancer
- 5.1K Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin)
- 235 Multiple Myeloma
- 7.1K Ovarian Cancer
- 53 Pancreatic Cancer
- 486 Peritoneal Cancer
- 5.3K Prostate Cancer
- 1.2K Rare and Other Cancers
- 532 Sarcoma
- 717 Skin Cancer
- 647 Stomach Cancer
- 190 Testicular Cancer
- 1.5K Thyroid Cancer
- 5.8K Uterine/Endometrial Cancer
- 6.3K Lifestyle Discussion Boards