update on my dad

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pam.pinkham
pam.pinkham Member Posts: 7
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hi everyone ! Just wanted to update on how our appointment went this morning. Well the chemo/radiation shrunk the tumor to a very small size. which was good. but he is still having bleeding issue's so dr not certain at this point it is coming from the tumor. Found a lesion on his lung and said it was too small to tell if it was cancer or not.
so the game plan now is he will go into surgery on Nov. 23rd first they are going to do a scope on his stomach before they cut on him. to look at it and see if there is something else there causing the bleeding like may be a ulcer and so forth. If there is an ulcer they will post pone the surgery until they can clear that up. if no ulcer they will proceed to do the resection on his esophagus. they are taking his esophagus and part of his stomach. surgery will be about 7 hours. he will be in the hospital no less than a week. maybe longer depending on how he does. while they are in there they are going to try to look at the lesion in his lung. to see if it is cancer or not. he is going to have tubes coming out through his nose, abdomen, side, back and a catheter. wow that's alot of tubes. so please pray things go well and hoping he can at least heal up enough to have a fairly decent christmas since he will be in hospital for thanksgiving.
thank you all for the words of encouragement and the info. and the good tips. will update again soon.
Pam

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
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  • sal314
    sal314 Member Posts: 599 Member
    #3
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    Hi Pam
    Your dad's situation seems similar to my dad's. He was having major bleeding issues when he was first going through the tests and diagnosed. They never really knew where the bleeding originated from either. He had several blood transfusions and his hemoglobin kept going down. The bleeding stopped after his radiation treatments.

    Unfortunately, when he was diagnosed, the EC cancer had already spread to the liver. SO, he's not a candidate for the surgery. He's going through chemo treatments to keep the cancer as under control as possible. It has now gone to his spine. He's doing well though. He still eats with NO problems and goes to work everyday. It's been 8 months since he was firts diagnosed and the doctor's are amazed at how well he's doing.

    The fact that your dad can have the surgery is a great thing! So...keep positive and keep praying! It's a bumpy road no matter what, but you just have to be thankful for each day you have with him.

    I'll be praying that he can still have the surgery, that it will go smoothly without complications and be successful!

    Blessings,
    Sally
  • Unknown
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  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #5
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    Rose,I too am a bit
    Rose,

    I too am a bit confused and agree with Sherry. Usually, if there is any indication that the cancer may have spread that needs to be confirmed or eliminated as a possibility before proceeding with surgery. Also, you don't say but is your dad having the Ivor Lewis or a Minimally Invasive Procedure? Has he had a second opinion? I wouldn't have the surgery until they had determined if the lesion in his lung is cancer --- that could potentially change his entire treatment, his options and strategy. Again I would strongly urge you to get another opinion before your father is subjected to major surgery. I admit that the only way to get the cancer out of the body is surgery and if I or one of my loved ones was Stage III or even early IV without mets to any other organs I would get the surgery as soon as possible --- but if the cancer has spread to the lungs then surgery usually is no longer an option.

    Also, if there is bleeding and they can't identify the cause . . . I would want some resolution to that before they operated what if the bleeding is a cloting issue or who knows what else.

    One final note --- if the cancer has spread to the lungs that means that the chemo isn't working. Even if the radiation shrunk the tumor - and the amount of radiation you can have is limited so your father may not be able to have anymore radiation and chemo may have limited success or he may have to try other agents.

    Good luck,
    Cindy
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    unclaw2002 said:

    Rose,I too am a bit
    Rose,

    I too am a bit confused and agree with Sherry. Usually, if there is any indication that the cancer may have spread that needs to be confirmed or eliminated as a possibility before proceeding with surgery. Also, you don't say but is your dad having the Ivor Lewis or a Minimally Invasive Procedure? Has he had a second opinion? I wouldn't have the surgery until they had determined if the lesion in his lung is cancer --- that could potentially change his entire treatment, his options and strategy. Again I would strongly urge you to get another opinion before your father is subjected to major surgery. I admit that the only way to get the cancer out of the body is surgery and if I or one of my loved ones was Stage III or even early IV without mets to any other organs I would get the surgery as soon as possible --- but if the cancer has spread to the lungs then surgery usually is no longer an option.

    Also, if there is bleeding and they can't identify the cause . . . I would want some resolution to that before they operated what if the bleeding is a cloting issue or who knows what else.

    One final note --- if the cancer has spread to the lungs that means that the chemo isn't working. Even if the radiation shrunk the tumor - and the amount of radiation you can have is limited so your father may not be able to have anymore radiation and chemo may have limited success or he may have to try other agents.

    Good luck,
    Cindy

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  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #7
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    unknown said:

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    Rose,
    Sorry, I actually was
    Rose,

    Sorry, I actually was confused by Pam's post and her dad's treatment and was trying to send her a message. I replied to you when I saw your name in the reply post. I am glad though that you replied and updated us on your mom. It is hard to see them suffer and hopefully the chemo will work for your mom. Have they tested your mom for the HER2 gene to see if Herceptin might be a treatment option for her as a targeted treatment.

    Keep in touch,

    Cindy

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